Character guide

Unknown Narrator

major

Also known as your, mine, myself

The unnamed narrator or focal character whose perspective guides the reader through the book.

Mr. Bernard Shaw

major

Also known as Mr. Shaw, IV Mr. Bernard Shaw, Bernard Shaw, a Mr. Bernard Shaw

A prominent playwright and critic whose ideas are debated extensively in the book.

Mr. H. G. Wells

major

Also known as Mr. Wells, V Mr. H. G. Wells, Wells

A famous author and thinker whose views on progress and society are critiqued.

Mr. McCabe

supporting

Also known as XVI On Mr. McCabe, The McCabe

A rationalist writer whose arguments are challenged in a chapter on divine frivolity.

Mr. Rudyard Kipling

supporting

Also known as Rudyard Kipling, Mr. Kipling, Kipling, a Mr. Rudyard Kipling

A poet and author whose imperialist worldview is analyzed and criticized.

Mr. George Moore

supporting

Also known as Mr. George Moore Mr. George Moore, Mr. Moore, George

An Irish novelist and aesthete whose moods and philosophies are examined.

Mr. Chamberlain

minor

Also known as Mr. Austen Chamberlain

A British politician referenced in discussions of contemporary politics.

Mr. Whistler

supporting

Also known as Whistler, James McNeill Whistler

An American-born painter and wit whose artistic views are debated.

Omar Khayyam

minor

Also known as Omar

A Persian poet and mathematician whose Rubaiyat is discussed in relation to hedonism.

Mr. Lowes Dickinson

minor

Also known as Mr. Lowes

A historian and writer whose views on paganism are critiqued.

Stevenson

minor

Robert Louis Stevenson, author whose works are referenced in literary criticism.

Ibsen

minor

Also known as genial old Ibsen

Norwegian playwright whose realistic dramas are discussed as modern heresies.

Cecil Rhodes

minor

Also known as Rhodes

British imperialist and businessman whose colonial legacy is mentioned.

Jack the Giant-Killer

minor

Also known as Jack

A fairy-tale hero used as a metaphor for combating modern intellectual giants.

Mr. Pearson

minor

Also known as Pearson, Mr. C. Arthur Pearson, Arthur

A newspaper proprietor criticized for sensationalist journalism.

The English Comtist

minor

Also known as the solid English Comtist, the English, The English

A representative figure of English positivism following Auguste Comte.

Jesus Christ

minor

Also known as Christ

Central figure of Christianity, referenced in theological and moral arguments.

The Irish

minor

Also known as Irish

The Irish people as a collective discussed in national character analysis.

Mr. Chesterton

minor

Likely the author himself, G.K. Chesterton, appearing as a character in his own work.

Mr. Anthony Hope

minor

Also known as Mr. Hope

A novelist whose adventure stories are mentioned in literary critique.

Nietzsche

minor

Also known as the Superman, Nietzsche's Superman, Nietszche

German philosopher whose concept of the Superman is debated.

Milton

minor

John Milton, poet whose works are cited in discussions of heresy and orthodoxy.

Plato

minor

Ancient Greek philosopher whose ideas are referenced in philosophical arguments.

Robert Browning

minor

Also known as Browning

Victorian poet whose dramatic monologues are discussed.

Mr. Blatchford

minor

A socialist writer and journalist whose views are critiqued.

Carlyle

minor

Thomas Carlyle, essayist and historian referenced in cultural criticism.

Shakespeare

minor

William Shakespeare, playwright whose works are cited as literary touchstones.

Auguste Comte

minor

Also known as Comte

French philosopher and founder of positivism, discussed in relation to modern thought.

Mr. Smith

minor

Also known as Smith

A generic name used to illustrate arguments about common sense.

The Henleyites

minor

Followers of poet W.E. Henley, discussed as a literary group.

Mr. W. B. Yeats

minor

Irish poet and playwright, referenced in discussions of Celtic revival.

Walter Pater

minor

Also known as Pater

English essayist and art critic, associated with aestheticism.

Dr. Johnson

minor

Also known as Johnson

Samuel Johnson, lexicographer and critic, cited for his wit and wisdom.

Ulysses

minor

Also known as the real Ulysses

The Greek hero Odysseus, used as a symbol of adventure and cunning.

Matthew Arnold

minor

Victorian poet and critic, referenced in discussions of culture and anarchy.

The Japanese

minor

The Japanese people as a collective discussed in cultural comparisons.

Oliver Cromwell

minor

Also known as Cromwell

English military and political leader, referenced in historical analogies.

Professor Walter Raleigh

minor

Also known as Raleigh, Professor Raleigh

English scholar and literary critic, mentioned in academic contexts.

Swift

minor

Jonathan Swift, satirist and author of Gulliver's Travels, cited for his irony.

Mr. J. A. Kensit

minor

Also known as Mr. Kensit

A Protestant activist known for opposing ritualism in the Church of England.

Olive Schreiner

minor

South African author and feminist, referenced in literary discussions.

Julius Caesar

minor

Also known as Caesar

Roman dictator, used as a historical example of ambition and power.

Dickens

minor

Charles Dickens, novelist whose social commentary is referenced.

Vikings

minor

Also known as the Vikings

Norse seafarers, discussed as a historical people in cultural analysis.

Achilles

minor

Greek hero of the Trojan War, used as a symbol of martial valor.

Bunyan

minor

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress, cited in religious allegory.

Oscar Wilde

minor

Irish playwright and wit, referenced in discussions of aestheticism.

Thor

minor

Norse god of thunder, used as a mythological reference.

Byron

minor

Lord Byron, Romantic poet, referenced for his rebellious persona.

Mr. Frederic Harrison

minor

English historian and positivist, mentioned in intellectual debates.

Shelley and Swinburne

minor

Poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Algernon Charles Swinburne, discussed together.

Sir Alfred Harmsworth

minor

Also known as the Harmsworth mind

Newspaper magnate, criticized for influencing public opinion.

Clive

minor

Robert Clive, British colonial administrator, referenced in imperial history.

Mr. G. W. Foote

minor

Also known as Mr. Foote

English secularist and editor, mentioned in freethought contexts.

Dante

minor

Dante Alighieri, Italian poet, cited for his Divine Comedy.

Darwin

minor

Charles Darwin, naturalist, referenced in discussions of evolution.

Dionysus

minor

Greek god of wine and ecstasy, used as a mythological symbol.

Tolstoy

minor

Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist, referenced for his moral and religious views.

Thackeray

minor

William Makepeace Thackeray, novelist, cited in literary criticism.

Nelson

minor

Also known as little Nell

Horatio Nelson, naval hero, or possibly a character from Dickens; used as reference.

Celts

minor

Also known as XIII Celts, the Celts

The Celtic peoples, discussed in relation to national identity and culture.

Grenville

minor

Possibly Sir Richard Grenville, Elizabethan sailor, referenced in history.

Essex

minor

Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, Elizabethan courtier, mentioned historically.

Ruskin

minor

John Ruskin, art critic and social thinker, referenced in aesthetic debates.