A Hazard of New Fortunes · Character

Colonel Woodburn

A proud, impoverished Virginia gentleman who writes in the boardinghouse mornings and clings to an old Southern order the novel keeps quietly measuring.

supporting

Also known as the colonel, Colonel Woodburn, Woodburn, Mr. Woodburn

First appearance: a hazard of new fortunes

As a supporting figure in A Hazard of New Fortunes, Colonel Woodburn is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Accompanies his daughter to inspect the rooms; refuses to bargain over the price.

In the storyIIOpen this moment free

He is the resident 'real live author' of the Leighton household, a Confederate veteran whose aristocratic airs and old-fashioned opinions make him both comic and faintly tragic among the Northern boarders. His daughter Miss Woodburn manages the family's dignity while he pursues his manuscript and his theories. He embodies the novel's fascination with a defeated class trying to find a place in a commercial, modern America.

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Character Web

17 connections

A slice of how Colonel Woodburn sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Magazine's social network
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this excerpt, the dramatic climax occurs as Beaton confronts the psychological peak of his internal conflic…

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Relationships

Fulkerson
friendship · positive
Colonel Woodburn is a charming Southern gentleman and friend of Fulkerson, who helps him… How this plays out →
Fulkerson
friendship · positive
Colonel Woodburn is a charming Southern gentleman and friend of Fulkerson, who helps him… How this plays out →
Fulkerson
friendship · positive
Colonel Woodburn is a charming Southern gentleman and friend of Fulkerson, who helps him… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Colonel Woodburn in a hazard of new fortunes

In the story

Colonel Woodburn appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II
V
Chapter X
XIV
III
V
VI
I
+1 more

II
Accompanies his daughter to inspect the rooms; refuses to bargain over the price.
V
Mentioned as a Southern author who likes to write in the Leightons' glazed veranda.
Chapter X
Argues that commercialism corrupts society and art, defends the idealized Southern system, and discusses the South's material progress.
XIV
Reluctantly agrees to submit his manuscript but objects to his daughter's portrait being printed.
III
Spends summer in New York studying labor and poverty; engages March in discussions.
V
Initially hesitates to accept Dryfoos's hospitality due to moral qualms about wealth, but eventually agrees.
VI
Advocates for a feudal-like system of responsibility, debating Lindau and Dryfoos.
I
Anxious about his daughter's engagement; a dreamer who leaves the decision to her, reflecting his detachment from practical realities.
III
Referenced for his paternalistic views on seizing the roads during strikes.

Chapter companion notes

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