Nightmare Abbey · Character

Honourable Mr. Listless

A fashionable, indolent dandy who visits Nightmare Abbey for amusement and finds even the trouble of taking trouble hardly worth taking.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Listless, The Honourable Mr. Listless

First appearance: V

As a supporting figure in Nightmare Abbey, Honourable Mr. Listless is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Arrives at Nightmare Abbey at Mr.

In the storyIIIOpen this moment free

See Honourable Mr. Listless in III Book page

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The Honourable Mr. Listless drifts through the Abbey as a specimen of fashionable ennui, too languid even to go abroad, since the most eccentric Englishman is the one who stays home. He submits to Marionetta's coquetry and bursts briefly into life under her influence, like an evening primrose, while professing his own nothingness before Mr. Flosky. His indolence sharpens the satire of fashionable vapours that the novel sets against Scythrop's more ardent follies.

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See Honourable Mr. Listless in V

Character Web

13 connections

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Relationship types

Professional
Social
Other

Character groups

Main satirical characters
Minor servants and guests

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the narrative climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Scythrop’s…

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Relationships

Scythrop Glowry
social · positive
Fatout
professional · positive
Fatout
professional · positive

Relationship notes

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See Honourable Mr. Listless in V

In the story

Honourable Mr. Listless appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III
Arrives at Nightmare Abbey at Mr. Glowry's invitation; travels with his French valet Fatout.
V
Coquetted with by Marionetta, receives new books, and expresses his love for modern misanthropic literature.
Chapter VI
Participates in the discussion about Dante and blue devils, and is the target of Marionetta's playful satire about invalids.
XI
Comments on the fashion of travel and his own lack of energy.
XII
Inquires about ghosts from Mr. Flosky, expresses nervousness, and hides under a sofa during the apparition.
XIII
Attracted by the tumult to the scene of action.

Chapter companion notes

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See Honourable Mr. Listless in V

See Honourable Mr. Listless in III