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Hay Fever · Character

David Bliss

Judith's novelist husband, pleasantly marooned in his study while his family stages dramas he neither notices nor quite escapes.

major

Also known as David, David Rising, David Do, David The Sinful Woman, David Reading, David Smug

First appearance: hay fever

As a major figure in Hay Fever, David Bliss is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

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David presides over a house strewn with his son's cartoons and his wife's theatrics, but his real address is the library and whatever book he is writing. He surfaces mainly to complain that everybody talks too much,…

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Character Web

7 connections

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

RGRichard GreathamJSJane SeftonJBJudith BlissSBSorel BlissSBSimon BlissDBDavid Bliss

Relationship types

  • Family
  • Other

Character groups

  • Main House Party Guests
  • Minor Offstage Characters
  • Protagonist

+2 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupBreaking pointClimax
  • Setup
  • Breaking point

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological breaking point for Jackie, who op…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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See David Bliss in hay fever