A Hazard of New Fortunes · Character

Miss Woodburn

A Southern belle whose eighteenth-century beauty and quick, funny talk make her the boardinghouse's liveliest ornament — and a shrewd reader of the men around her.

supporting

First appearance: a hazard of new fortunes

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

Bubbly and talkative; praises Alma's sketches and proposes writing a book for her illustrations.

In the storyIIOpen this moment free

Daughter of Colonel Woodburn, she lodges with the Leightons and becomes the household's resident charmer, her Virginia accent and dry wit delighting Mrs. Leighton and unsettling Basil March's circle. Beneath the cooing talk she is clear-eyed about courtship and self-respect, and she will not let Fulkerson announce their engagement until Beaton can hear it honestly. Her presence turns the boardinghouse into a small stage where Northern and Southern manners test each other.

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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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In the story

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

II
Bubbly and talkative; praises Alma's sketches and proposes writing a book for her illustrations.
IV
Chatters with Beaton and goes to fetch Alma at Mrs. Leighton's behest.
V
Mentioned as a Southern boarder in the Leightons' house; Alma praises her coloring and eighteenth-century beauty.
Chapter X
Teases her father about his hobbyhorse and comments on the commercialism affecting his book.
XIV
Playfully demands glory and poses for Alma's sketch, joking about appearing as 'the head of Slavery.'
XV
Engages in banter with Fulkerson and comments on the magazine staff.
IV
Interacts with Beaton and Fulkerson, discussing Southern ideals and the magazine.
IX
Fulkerson's romantic interest; he seeks her help to persuade her father, Colonel Woodburn, to mediate with Dryfoos.
I
Engaged to Fulkerson; her practical nature contrasts with her father's sentimental Southern ideals.

Chapter companion notes

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See Miss Woodburn in a hazard of new fortunes

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