Night and Day · Character

Mrs. Hilbery

Katharine's mother drifts through her own house like a distracted comet, forever adding another paragraph to the Life of Richard Alardyce.

supporting

Also known as Heaven Mrs. Hilbery, Hastily Mrs. Hilbery

First appearance: Night and Day

As a supporting figure in Night and Day, Mrs. Hilbery is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as Katharine's mother, part of the family legacy.

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Mrs. Hilbery is the widow of a poet's daughter, absorbed in the biography of her father and largely indifferent to the practical running of her household, which Katharine quietly manages. She is charming, vague, and romantically certain that marriage is the happiest thing in the world, a conviction that sits oddly beside her own distracted marriage. Her unworldliness shapes Katharine's sense of duty and gives the novel its tender, comic portrait of a family living in the shadow of a great man.

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Character Web

21 connections

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Relationship types

Family
Other

Character groups

Central romantic entanglements
Extended family and acquaintances
Household servants
Protagonist

+16 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional/psychological peak occurs when Mrs. Seal’s frenzy over the vote’s failure reveals the crushing f…

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Relationships

Katharine Hilbery
family · ambivalent
Katharine and her mother share a loving but sometimes strained relationship, with Mrs. How this plays out →
Ralph Denham
social · ambivalent
Katharine Hilbery
family · ambivalent
Katharine and her mother share a loving but sometimes strained relationship, with Mrs. How this plays out →
Ralph Denham
social · ambivalent
Katharine Hilbery
family · ambivalent
Katharine and her mother share a loving but sometimes strained relationship, with Mrs. How this plays out →

Katharine Hilbery
Katharine and her mother share a loving but sometimes strained relationship, with Mrs. Hilbery's romantic idealism clashing with Katharine's practicality.
Ralph Denham
Mrs. Hilbery is initially wary of Ralph but later accepts him as a suitable match for her daughter, viewing him with cautious approval.
Katharine Hilbery
Katharine and her mother share a loving but sometimes strained relationship, with Mrs. Hilbery's romantic idealism clashing with Katharine's practicality.
Ralph Denham
Mrs. Hilbery is initially wary of Ralph but later accepts him as a suitable match for her daughter, viewing him with cautious approval.
Katharine Hilbery
Katharine and her mother share a loving but sometimes strained relationship, with Mrs. Hilbery's romantic idealism clashing with Katharine's practicality.

Relationship notes

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In the story

Mrs. Hilbery appears across 15 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Night and Day
Mentioned as Katharine's mother, part of the family legacy.
I
The hostess, who forgets Denham's name and later invites him to stay for supper while praising the room's atmosphere.
II
Mentioned in Ralph's memory of the evening at the Hilberys'.
III
The poet's daughter, enthusiastic but undisciplined writer, prone to romantic daydreams and unable to commit to editorial decisions.
VII
Reflects on love and marriage, urges Katharine to be sure of her love, and shares anecdotes about Augustus Pelham.
VIII
Is kept unaware of Cyril's situation; Katharine and Mr. Hilbery plan to tell her.
IX
Muses over old photographs, sings a lyric, and is shocked to learn of Cyril's secret family.
Chapter XI
Reflects on Katharine's happiness and future marriage in a letter or internal monologue.
XII
Mentioned as being in her room with a cold; Katharine prepares a tray of bread and butter for her.
XVII
Visits the Otway family; discusses country living and travel; shows a vague alarm at her daughter's reserve but admires her independence.
XVIII
Mrs. Hilbery sleeps or feigns sleep during the carriage ride, as is her habit.
XXIV
Briefly interrupts Katharine and Rodney, referring to them as 'dearest children' before withdrawing.
Chapter XXX
Interrupts Katharine and Denham in the dining-room, speaks vaguely but penetratingly about poetry and the unwritten, and seems to understand something about Denham.
XXXI
Impulsively leaves for Stratford-on-Avon to visit Shakespeare's tomb, leaving Katharine with a sense of emptiness and freedom.
XXXIII
Attempts to comfort Katharine with romantic memories of her own courtship and urges faith in love.

Chapter companion notes

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