# Uncle Cornelius — Short Fiction character guide

> Uncle Cornelius in Short Fiction by George MacDonald.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Cornelius Heywood, Uncle Cornelius Heywood, Cornelius

**First appearance:** 0095-uncle-cornelius-his-story

## Snapshot

A garrulous old uncle whose rambling recollections of strange encounters become the frame through which a younger listener learns to weigh wonder against sense.

## Who they are

Cornelius Heywood occupies the familiar role of the elder relative whose stories everyone half-dismisses and half-craves. His talk wanders between anecdote and confession, and the line between what he witnessed and what he invented stays deliberately blurred. He matters because his voice sets the tone of the telling, teaching the reader to trust a narrator who may be unreliable but is never dishonest.

## Relationships

### [Jenny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/jenny)

_family_

Jenny is the niece or ward of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial bond of care and authority.

### [Kate Thornbury](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/kate_thornbury)

_family_

Kate Thornbury is a relative (likely niece) of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial dynamic of guidance or obligation.

### [Harry Heywood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/harry_heywood)

_family_

Harry Heywood is a nephew or younger relative of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial bond of mentorship or authority.

### [Kate Thornbury](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/kate_thornbury)

_family_

Kate Thornbury is a relative (likely niece) of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial dynamic of guidance or obligation.

### [Harry Heywood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/harry_heywood)

_family_

Harry Heywood is a nephew or younger relative of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial bond of mentorship or authority.

### [Jenny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/jenny)

_family_

Jenny is the niece or ward of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial bond of care and authority.

### [Jenny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/jenny)

_family_

Jenny is the niece or ward of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial bond of care and authority.

### [Kate Thornbury](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/kate_thornbury)

_family_

Kate Thornbury is a relative (likely niece) of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial dynamic of guidance or obligation.

### [Harry Heywood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/harry_heywood)

_family_

Harry Heywood is a nephew or younger relative of Uncle Cornelius, with a familial bond of mentorship or authority.

## In the story

### [The Broken Swords](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/the-broken-swords)

The old military uncle who sent the ensign's commission, providing the only path to an honorable profession as the sisters saw it.

### [Uncle Cornelius His Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/uncle-cornelius-his-story)

The narrator and central figure of the chapter; a tall, pale, bespectacled scholar who discusses the supernatural and recounts his past romance.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters/uncle_cornelius
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_21_se/characters