Editing Real-Life Parallels

{{Uncited}}
{{spoiler}}[[File:Schlomo.png|thumb|Dr. Schlomo, better known as Freud.]]
More so than any of the other games in this setting, ''Fallen London'' features an array of characters whom the astute player might recognize from somewhere else...__forcetoc__

==Historical Figures==
*As we all can tell quite easily, '''the [[Empress]]''' and her Consort are [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria Queen Victoria] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert,_Prince_Consort Prince Albert].
*[[The Gracious Widow|'''The Widow''']] is Shirin (or Cheren), daughter of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6ngke_Khan Mongke Khan].
*The exact identity of '''[[the Duchess]]''' is disputed, as there are conflicts between different segments of ''Fallen London'', but she is one of the daughters of the pharaoh [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten Akhenaten]. His other surviving daughters are now known as the [[Poisoned Priestess]], the [[Obstinate Adoratrice]], the Mother Superior of [[Abbey Rock]], and the [[Roseate Queen]] of [[Arbor]].
*'''Mr. Huffam''', of [[Spite|Doubt Street]] fame, is none other than [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens Charles John ''Huffam'' Dickens].
*'''The Epigrammatic Irishman''', the deceased lover of '''the Wilted Dandy''', is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Oscar Wilde]. The Dandy himself may be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Ross Robbie Ross], Wilde's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_estate#Literary_executor literary executor].
*'''Dr. Schlomo''', '''the Interpreter of Dreams''', is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud Sigmund ''Schlomo'' Freud]. Freud in real life had a great interest in dreams, believing them to be a path to the knowledge of the unconscious. In fact, he published a book on the subject, called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Interpretation_of_Dreams The Interpretation of Dreams].
*The painter [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Holman_Hunt William Holman Hunt] appears in the game as '''the Ginger-Haired Painter'''.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamford_Raffles Sir Stamford Raffles], mentioned in reference to [[the Labyrinth of Tigers]] and the Correspondence, is indeed the founder of the British colony of Singapore, the Zoological Society of London, and the London Zoo. His son, '''Leopold''', also survived and is now Pirate-King of the [[Isle of Cats]].
*'''March''' of [[the Calendar Council]] - until he was murdered by [[the Haunted Doctor]], at least - was temperance campaigner and author [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cassell John Cassell], who also sold coffee.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Couthon Georges ''August''e Couthon] was guillotined in the French Revolution in real life, but the similarities between Couthon and [[the Jovial Contrarian|'''the Jovial Contrarian''']] seem to be no coincidence. For instance, Couthon's legs were paralyzed due to what was believed to be meningitis, and he was eventually compelled to rely on a wheelchair; the Contrarian, likewise, is a wheelchair user.
*'''The Dusty Ornithologist''' is most likely [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin Charles Darwin], who based his theory of evolution on finches from the Galapagos islands.
*'''The Dashing Debunker,''' featured in the Exceptional Story ''Noises from Upstairs,'' has much in common with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini Harry Houdini].
*'''The Illuminating Futurist''', featured in the Exceptional Story ''A Bright Future'', has much less (but still a bit) in common with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla Nikola Tesla].
*[[The Great Game]] used to be a power struggle in Central Asia but now [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Game spans the world].

==References to Fiction==
*[[Revolutionaries: the Calendar Council|The Calendar Council]] is a reference to the Council of Days from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Was_Thursday ''The Man Who Was Thursday''], by G. K. Chesterton.
*[[The Constables|The Honey-Addled Detective]] is a reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes Sherlock Holmes].
*Assuming the First City is Uruk, then [[the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel]] is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh Gilgamesh], [[Polythreme|the King with a Hundred Hearts]] is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enkidu Enkidu], and the Capering Relicker is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utnapishtim Utnapishtim].
*[[The Captivating Princess]] may be a reference to Helen from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_God_Pan ''The Great God Pan''] by Arthur Machen.
*[[The Red-Handed Queen]] is a reference to Lady [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth Macbeth].

[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Formatted]]