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Shorts from Scenes from Private Life · Character

Colonel Chabert

A Napoleonic cavalry colonel, presumed dead on the battlefield, who returns to Paris to find his name, rank, and wife all claimed by others.

major

Also known as Chabert, poor Chabert, the Colonel, the said Chabert, Hyacinthe Comte Chabert

First appearance: Colonel Chabert

As a major figure in Shorts from Scenes from Private Life, Colonel Chabert is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

His story highlights the clash between personal identity and social recognition.
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Chabert moves through Restoration drawing rooms as a ghost of the Empire, a man whose military glory belongs to a France that has already moved on. In the passages here he appears among the gossips at a ball, trading…

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Character Web

46 connections

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

DEDervilleCFCount FérédiaMDMadame de Beau…MDMartial de la …CFComtesse FerraudCCColonel Chabert

Relationship types

  • Professional
  • Rivalry
  • Other

Character groups

  • Parisian social web
  • Protagonist
  • Domestic scandal
  • Legal and social intrigue

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

In this excerpt, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when the Vicomtesse de Grandlieu directly confron…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

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In the story

Colonel Chabert appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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