# Miss Woodburn — A Hazard of New Fortunes character guide

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

**Role:** supporting

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

## Snapshot

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.

## Who they are

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.

## In the story

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

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

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

Chatters with Beaton and goes to fetch Alma at Mrs. Leighton's behest.

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

Mentioned as a Southern boarder in the Leightons' house; Alma praises her coloring and eighteenth-century beauty.

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

Teases her father about his hobbyhorse and comments on the commercialism affecting his book.

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

Playfully demands glory and poses for Alma's sketch, joking about appearing as 'the head of Slavery.'

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

Engages in banter with Fulkerson and comments on the magazine staff.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/chapters/part-third-iv)

Interacts with Beaton and Fulkerson, discussing Southern ideals and the magazine.

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

Fulkerson's romantic interest; he seeks her help to persuade her father, Colonel Woodburn, to mediate with Dryfoos.

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

Engaged to Fulkerson; her practical nature contrasts with her father's sentimental Southern ideals.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_hazard_of_new_fortunes_se/characters/miss_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