# Edward Driffield — Cakes and Ale character guide > Edward Driffield in Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Driffield, Edward, Ted Driffield, Ted, Good old Ted **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A once-poor Blackstable writer whose slow-built reputation and tangled marriages turn him, after death, into a monument others fight to control. ## Who they are When the narrator first meets him, Driffield is a modest, half-forgotten author of some twenty books, admired by a small circle and patronized by the ambitious Mrs. Barton Trafford. He is quiet, observant, and oddly detached—able to write down his own child's agonizing death with a precision that looks like heartlessness but isn't. His gradual ascent from provincial obscurity to national treasure is the spine of the book, and the question of what his first marriage cost him haunts every later chapter. ## In the story ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/ii) Deceased novelist, subject of conversation; his work and personal life are debated. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/iii) First encountered by the narrator in Blackstable, dressed in a loud knickerbocker suit, and considered a 'cad' by the young narrator. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/iv) Now an old, frail man, living in a respectable household; he subtly winks at the narrator, recalling their past. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/vi) Boldly approaches the vicar to request the narrator's company, using the pretext of brass rubbing. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/vii) Shares his enthusiasm for brass rubbing and speaks openly about his past jobs, shocking the narrator. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/viii) Sings comic songs, jokes about his writing, and appears comfortable in the company of the curate and Lord George. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/ix) Sings comic songs and reads books for review while the others play whist. ### [The Flight of the Driffields](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/x) Flees Blackstable with his wife, leaving unpaid bills and debts, including to the butcher and for rent. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xi) Subject of the narrator's musings; his literary reputation and style are analyzed. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xiii) He has shaved his beard, now wears a moustache and imperial, and appears more distinguished. He is now literary editor of a weekly paper. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xiv) Hosts the Saturday gatherings; his literary reputation attracts visitors. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xviii) Publishes 'The Cup of Life,' faces a public scandal, and remains philosophically calm, asserting the truth of his work. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xix) His wife has run away; he is distraught and has not been seen since. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xx) Staying with Mrs. Barton Trafford, described as nervous and ill; his work is a primary concern for her. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxi) Divorces Rosie; narrator loses touch with him. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxii) His post-Rosie life is recounted: he stays with the Traffords, finishes 'By Their Fruits', and later marries his nurse. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxiii) Remembered by Mr. Brentford as a regular at the bar, fond of life and talk, and often fetched home by his wife. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxiv) Deceased; his life and work are the subject of conversation and biography. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxv) His photographs show his transformation; the narrator senses a hidden, lonely self behind his public persona. ### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxvi) Subject of the narrator's recollections; his first marriage and literary reputation are central. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/characters/edward_driffield - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/characters