Erewhon Revisited · Character

Mrs. Humdrum

Mrs. Humdrum is a character in Erewhon Revisited by Samuel Butler.

supporting

Also known as Old Mrs. Humdrum, XX Mrs. Humdrum

First appearance: Yram Invites Dr. Downie and Mrs. Humdrum to Luncheon—A Passage at Arms Between Her and Hanky Is Amicably Arranged

As a supporting figure in Erewhon Revisited, Mrs. Humdrum is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Attends the dinner, known as Ydgrun, and is described as the ideal of a stately dowager.

In the storyVIII: Yram, Now Mayoress, Gives a Dinner-Party, in the Course of Which She Is Disquieted by What She Learns from Professor Hanky: She Sends for Her Son George and Questions HimOpen this moment free

See Mrs. Humdrum in VIII: Yram, Now Mayoress, Gives a Dinner-Party, in the Course of Which She Is Disquieted by What She Learns from Professor Hanky: She Sends for Her Son George and Questions Him Book page

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Elderly Erewhonian matriarch whose granddaughter is pledged to George, she moves through Sunch'ston's councils and drawing rooms with the quiet authority of a woman who has already survived one scandal of love-marriage…

Mrs. Humdrum belongs to the respectable stratum of Sunch'ston society that Yram can summon to dinner without embarrassment, yet her second daughter married for love and bore too many children to bring money with her. That dowryless granddaughter is nonetheless the girl George has loved since childhood, so Mrs. Humdrum's respectability and her family's improvidence sit awkwardly together. She matters because the coming marriage knots George, Yram, and the Higgs fortune into one household, making her a quiet hinge on which the plot's domestic arrangements turn.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Mrs. Humdrum sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Mrs. Humdrum in Yram Invites Dr. Downie and Mrs. Humdrum to Luncheon—A Passage at Arms Between Her and Hanky Is Amicably Arranged

Character Web

13 connections

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

Relationship types

Social
Other

Character groups

Erewhon's central figures
Erewhon's peripheral characters
Protagonist

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This chapter marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Higgs’s ret…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

My Father
social · ambivalent
The Narrator
social · ambivalent
My Father
social · ambivalent
The Narrator
social · ambivalent
My Father
social · ambivalent
The Narrator
social · ambivalent

My Father
Mrs. Humdrum is a local acquaintance who provides lodging and gossip to my father.
The Narrator
Mrs. Humdrum is a chatty local who interacts with the narrator as a guest and source of news.
My Father
Mrs. Humdrum is a local acquaintance who provides lodging and gossip to my father.
The Narrator
Mrs. Humdrum is a chatty local who interacts with the narrator as a guest and source of news.
My Father
Mrs. Humdrum is a local acquaintance who provides lodging and gossip to my father.
The Narrator
Mrs. Humdrum is a chatty local who interacts with the narrator as a guest and source of news.

Relationship notes

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

See Mrs. Humdrum in Yram Invites Dr. Downie and Mrs. Humdrum to Luncheon—A Passage at Arms Between Her and Hanky Is Amicably Arranged

In the story

Mrs. Humdrum appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VIII: Yram, Now Mayoress, Gives a Dinner-Party, in the Course of Which She Is Disquieted by What She Learns from Professor Hanky: She Sends for Her Son George and Questions Him
Attends the dinner, known as Ydgrun, and is described as the ideal of a stately dowager.
Interview Between Yram and Her Son
Mentioned in Yram's story about the miracle of the Mayor's light-haired son.
Yram Invites Dr. Downie and Mrs. Humdrum to Luncheon—A Passage at Arms Between Her and Hanky Is Amicably Arranged
Recognizes Higgs from his time in prison and is invited to lunch by Yram.
A Council Is Held at the Mayor’s, in the Course of Which George Turns the Tables on the Professors
Mrs. Humdrum is present at the council and is chosen by Yram to negotiate on the side of the Mayor's party.
Mrs. Humdrum and Dr. Downie Propose a Compromise, Which, After an Amendment by George, Is Carried Nem. Con.
Proposes the initial compromise to avoid scandal and rehabilitate truth.
Yram, on Getting Rid of Her Guests, Goes to the Prison to See My Father
Mentioned as Yram's confidante and grandmother of George's love interest.
My Father Is Escorted to the Mayor’s House, and Is Introduced to a Future Daughter-in-Law
Her granddaughter is introduced to my father as a future daughter-in-law.
After Dinner, Dr. Downie and the Professors Would Be Glad to Know What Is to Be Done About Sunchildism
Attends the dinner; Higgs speaks with her about her granddaughter and George.
George Escorts My Father to the Statues; The Two Then Part
My father drinks to her and especially to her granddaughter.
XXVI: My Father Reaches Home, and Dies Not Long Afterwards
Her granddaughter is mentioned as a possible recipient of a present.
I Meet My Brother George at the Statues, on the Top of the Pass Into Erewhon
The narrator brings a brooch for Mrs. Humdrum's granddaughter but forgets a gift for Mrs. Humdrum herself.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mrs. Humdrum unlock in the free preview.

See Mrs. Humdrum in Yram Invites Dr. Downie and Mrs. Humdrum to Luncheon—A Passage at Arms Between Her and Hanky Is Amicably Arranged

See Mrs. Humdrum in VIII: Yram, Now Mayoress, Gives a Dinner-Party, in the Course of Which She Is Disquieted by What She Learns from Professor Hanky: She Sends for Her Son George and Questions Him