# Mr. Jennings — Short Fiction character guide > Mr. Jennings in Short Fiction by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. **Role:** major **Also known as:** the Rev. Mr. Jennings, The Rev. Mr. Jennings, Poor Mr. Jennings, Richard Hamilton Jennings, Richard **First appearance:** 0055-green-tea ## Snapshot A gentle clergyman whose scholarly obsession with pagan metaphysics left him with a companion he can neither explain nor escape. ## Who they are Jennings tells his story in a darkened Richmond drawing-room, his once-sweet face marked by a suffering he counts in days and weeks. He traces his torment to a book on the religious metaphysics of the ancients, written late at night and fed by strong tea, until the subject infected his mind and something answered. His quiet, precise narration of an intimate horror makes him the story's reluctant witness to his own ruin. ## Relationships ### [Mary Chadleigh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/mary_chadleigh) _romantic_ Mary Chadleigh and Mr. Jennings are involved in a romantic relationship, marked by secrecy or societal obstacles. ### [Sir Robert Ardagh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/sir_robert_ardagh) _professional_ Mr. Jennings and Sir Robert Ardagh have a professional relationship, possibly as lawyer and client or employer and employee. ### [Sir Robert Ardagh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/sir_robert_ardagh) _professional_ Mr. Jennings and Sir Robert Ardagh have a professional relationship, possibly as lawyer and client or employer and employee. ### [Mary Chadleigh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/mary_chadleigh) _romantic_ Mary Chadleigh and Mr. Jennings are involved in a romantic relationship, marked by secrecy or societal obstacles. ### [Mary Chadleigh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/mary_chadleigh) _romantic_ Mary Chadleigh and Mr. Jennings are involved in a romantic relationship, marked by secrecy or societal obstacles. ### [Sir Robert Ardagh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/sir_robert_ardagh) _professional_ Mr. Jennings and Sir Robert Ardagh have a professional relationship, possibly as lawyer and client or employer and employee. ## In the story ### [Green Tea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/green-tea) The tormented clergyman who is haunted by a spectral monkey. ### [I: Dr. Hesselius Relates How He Met the Rev. Mr. Jennings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/i-dr-hesselius-relates-how-he-met-the-rev-mr-jennings) Tall, thin, middle-aged clergyman with a shy and kind expression; suffers from sudden health breakdowns during church services; has a habit of glancing sidelong at the floor. ### [II: The Doctor Questions Lady Mary, and She Answers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/ii-the-doctor-questions-lady-mary-and-she-answers) The vicar is discussed by Dr. Hesselius and Lady Mary; his habits, past writing, and family history are revealed. ### [III: Dr. Hesselius Picks Up Something in Latin Books](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/iii-dr-hesselius-picks-up-something-in-latin-books) Owner of the study and the marked Swedenborg volumes; his private note 'Deus misereatur mei' is discovered by Hesselius. ### [IV: Four Eyes Were Reading the Passage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/iv-four-eyes-were-reading-the-passage) Caught reading over the narrator's shoulder; admits to reading Swedenborg and expresses agitation about Dr. Harley; hints at a troubling personal condition. ### [V: Doctor Hesselius Is Summoned to Richmond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/v-doctor-hesselius-is-summoned-to-richmond) The Rev. Mr. Jennings writes to Doctor Hesselius, first expressing hope and then descending into despair; he ultimately summons Hesselius to his Richmond house to confess his troubles. ### [VI: How Mr. Jennings Met His Companion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/vi-how-mr-jennings-met-his-companion) The narrator's companion, who reveals the onset of his supernatural affliction and his scholarly obsession with pagan metaphysics. ### [VII: The Journey: First Stage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/vii-the-journey-first-stage) The narrator, who recounts his torment by a spectral monkey. ### [VIII: The Second Stage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/viii-the-second-stage) Narrates his deepening torment by the spectral monkey, its interference with his ministry, and his growing desperation. ### [IX: The Third Stage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/ix-the-third-stage) Describes his worsening condition, including auditory hallucinations and suicidal urges, and recounts a near-fatal incident at a coal mine. ### [X: Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/x-home) Found dead by suicide after a night of torment; his case ends tragically despite Hesselius's intervention. ### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/conclusion) Referenced as the patient who died by suicide before Dr. Hesselius could treat him. ### [The Familiar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/the-familiar) Mentioned in connection with supernatural studies and Swedenborgian ideas. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/mr_jennings - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters