# Colonel Woodburn — A Hazard of New Fortunes character guide

> Colonel Woodburn in A Hazard of New Fortunes by William Dean Howells.

**Role:** supporting

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

**First appearance:** 0001-a-hazard-of-new-fortunes

## Snapshot

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

## Who they are

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.

## Relationships

### [Fulkerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/characters/fulkerson)

_friendship_

Colonel Woodburn is a charming Southern gentleman and friend of Fulkerson, who helps him secure a position at the magazine.

### [Fulkerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/characters/fulkerson)

_friendship_

Colonel Woodburn is a charming Southern gentleman and friend of Fulkerson, who helps him secure a position at the magazine.

### [Fulkerson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/characters/fulkerson)

_friendship_

Colonel Woodburn is a charming Southern gentleman and friend of Fulkerson, who helps him secure a position at the magazine.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-second-ii)

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

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-second-v)

Mentioned as a Southern author who likes to write in the Leightons' glazed veranda.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-second-x)

Argues that commercialism corrupts society and art, defends the idealized Southern system, and discusses the South's material progress.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-second-xiv)

Reluctantly agrees to submit his manuscript but objects to his daughter's portrait being printed.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-fourth-iii)

Spends summer in New York studying labor and poverty; engages March in discussions.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-fourth-v)

Initially hesitates to accept Dryfoos's hospitality due to moral qualms about wealth, but eventually agrees.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-fourth-vi)

Advocates for a feudal-like system of responsibility, debating Lindau and Dryfoos.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-fifth-i)

Anxious about his daughter's engagement; a dreamer who leaves the decision to her, reflecting his detachment from practical realities.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-fifth-iii)

Referenced for his paternalistic views on seizing the roads during strikes.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/characters/colonel_woodburn
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/characters