Short Fiction · Character

Mary

Darnell's wife, whose quiet presence beneath the mulberry tree opens for him a world of secret woods and winding rivers beyond Shepherd's Bush.

supporting

Also known as Aunt Marian, Marian

First appearance: The Great God Pan

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Mary is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The young woman subjected to Raymond's experiment, left mentally and physically destroyed.

In the storyThe Great God PanOpen this moment free

See Mary in The Great God Pan Book page

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Mary sits hand in hand with Darnell in the dusk, and as the ugly walls of Shepherd's Bush dissolve into shadow, she seems to know something of the secret of the wood and the valley shut in by high hills. Her relations share the modern world's instinctive horror of the true country, so her knowledge comes from no experience but from some deeper intuition. In her eyes Darnell sees water-pools in the still forest and hears the music of the winding river — she is the human anchor of his visions.

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See Mary in The Great God Pan

Character Web

11 connections

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

Relationship types

Family
Other

Character groups

White People Narratives
Supernatural and Terror Investigators
Harlesden Strange Events

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional peak occurs when the soldier awakens to a profound sense of "delicious ease," "assurance of comf…

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Relationships

Uncle Robert
family · positive
Mary and Uncle Robert are clearly family, likely uncle and niece, with a warm familial… How this plays out →
Uncle Robert
family · positive
Mary and Uncle Robert are clearly family, likely uncle and niece, with a warm familial… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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See Mary in The Great God Pan

In the story

Mary appears across 10 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Great God Pan
The young woman subjected to Raymond's experiment, left mentally and physically destroyed.
The Experiment
Subject of the experiment; left a hopeless idiot after seeing the spirit world.
II: Mr. Clarke's Memoirs
The subject of Raymond's experiment; her terrified, convulsed face fades slowly from Clarke's memory.
IV: The Discovery in Paul Street
Mary is recalled by Clarke when he sees the sketch; he remembers her role in Dr. Raymond's experiment and the phrase 'Mary will see the God Pan.'
The Fragments
Referenced as the original subject of Raymond's experiment; her eyes appeared in Helen's final agony.
V
The narrator's wife, who tearfully consents to the experiment and is transformed.
The Spare Room
Aunt Marian's gift enables the Darnells to consider furnishing the spare room; her handkerchief is a token of affection.
II
Listens intently to Darnell's story, her eyes full of wonder and anticipation.
III
Aunt Marian, whose bizarre experiences and discovery of Uncle Robert's secret are recounted.
The Veil Grows Thin
Senses a subtle but pervasive alteration in reality, struggles against impressions of another world, and worries about her husband's new obsession.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mary in The Great God Pan