# He Provides Copy explained — The Cords of Vanity > Chapter companion for The Cords of Vanity by James Branch Cabell. ## What happens The narrator reflects on building his novel 'As the Coming of Dawn' by observing and recording Marian Winwood's mannerisms and speech, realizing he had previously written women as 'pterodactyls.' The summer ends with a tense parting where Marian accuses him of trifling with her emotions for the sake of Rosalind's money. He returns to Lichfield, spends six months obsessively polishing the prose, then discovers that Marian has already published a very similar novel, 'The Imperial Votaress,' under a pseudonym. ## Themes in this chapter ### Artistic Identity and Escapism The narrator immerses himself in writing, treating it as a solitary game of perfecting prose, and escapes into the memory of summer. ### Vanity and Self-Deception The narrator deceives himself about his motives with Marian, believing he is creating art while she sees his manipulation; he also vaingloriously declares himself a genius. ### Love and Its Disillusionments The summer romance ends with Marian's disillusionment as she accuses the narrator of trifling with her emotions for his own purposes. ## Character check-ins ### Unknown Narrator The narrator builds his novel by observing Marian, parts from her with a lie, and later discovers she has published a similar book. ### Marian Winwood Marian is the model for the heroine; she parts from the narrator sadly, accusing him of using her, and later publishes 'The Imperial Votaress' under a pseudonym. ### Bettie Hamlyn Bettie is quoted as having said the narrator wrote women like 'pterodactyls or some other extinct animal.' ### Rosalind Jemmett Marian accuses the narrator of leaving her because of Rosalind and her money. ### George Bulmer Uncle George is summoned to hear the manuscript; he informs the narrator that 'The Imperial Votaress' is identical to his book and was written by Marian Winwood. ## Key lines > I had always written about women as though they were 'pterodactyls or some other extinct animal, which you had never seen, but had read a lot about.' The narrator admits he previously depicted women as if they were mythical creatures he had only read about, not real people. _Reflects the narrator's realization of his flawed characterization before meeting Marian._ > You are not an uncommon type—a type not strong enough to live life healthily, just strong enough to dabble in life, to trifle with emotions, to experiment with other people’s lives. Marian tells the narrator he is a weak person who toys with emotions rather than living authentically. _Marian's accusation reveals the narrator's self-deception and emotional exploitation._ > I fashioned my apt phrases, and weighed my synonyms, and echoed this or that vowel very skilfully, I thought, and alliterated my consonants with discretion. The narrator meticulously crafted his prose, focusing on stylistic perfection as a solitary game. _Highlights the narrator's obsessive artistic process and his belief that writing is for his own enjoyment._ > Your book! ... and scarcely a hair’s difference between them, except in the names. George Bulmer tells the narrator that Marian's published novel is almost identical to his own manuscript. _The shocking revelation that Marian has preempted his work, undermining his creative originality._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xvii-he-provides-copy - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters