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Pastors and Masters · Character

Mr. Burgess

The under-master who lingers over his bacon and his newspaper, treating the school's morning rituals as interruptions to his own comfort.

supporting

Also known as Burgess

First appearance: I

As a supporting figure in Pastors and Masters, Mr. Burgess is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A parent visiting the school; Mr.
In the storyIOpen this moment free

Mr. Burgess is the junior master at the Herrick school, summoned late to breakfast and teased by the boys for his fondness for his bed. He performs his religious duties with an air of attentive interest while keeping one eye on the sky and the other on his paper. His easy, self-pleasing presence sharpens the contrast with Mr. Merry's anxious fussing over duty.

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Character Web

21 connections

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

MMMr. MerryMBMiss BasdenMHMiss HerrickEHEmily HerrickMMMrs. MerryMBMr. Burgess

Relationship types

  • Rivalry
  • Professional
  • Other

Character groups

  • Minor and recurring characters
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

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

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point

This excerpt is the dramatic climax because it reveals the emotional and psychological peak of the Merry famil…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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See Mr. Burgess in I

In the story

Mr. Burgess appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mr. Burgess in I
See Mr. Burgess in I