# Maury Noble — The Beautiful and Damned character guide

> Maury Noble in The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Maury, Maury Faintly, Maury Who, Confusedly Maury, Maury One, Tana, Maury Tana

**First appearance:** 0004-i-anthony-patch

## Snapshot

Anthony's sharpest friend, Maury Noble treats conversation as a blood sport and other people's earnestness as the best available entertainment.

## Who they are

Maury presides over Anthony's drawing room with a bottle and a theory, greeting the social-service worker Paramore with a glow of suspicion as though the man had announced himself an amateur pickpocket. He could rescue Anthony from a forgotten name and prefers to look on in malicious enjoyment instead. His epigrams about electrocuting the ignorant and dirty give the circle its cynical music, and his willingness to watch rather than help marks the moral temperature of the world Anthony and Gloria inhabit.

## Relationships

### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/anthony_patch)

_friendship_

Maury is Anthony's close friend and intellectual companion, sharing his cynicism and love for drinking and philosophical debate.

### [Old Halloran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/old_halloran)

_social_

Maury Noble interacts with Old Halloran as a visitor to the Patch household and through his friendship with Anthony.

### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/anthony_patch)

_friendship_

Maury is Anthony's close friend and intellectual companion, sharing his cynicism and love for drinking and philosophical debate.

### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/anthony_patch)

_friendship_

Maury is Anthony's close friend and intellectual companion, sharing his cynicism and love for drinking and philosophical debate.

### [Old Halloran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/old_halloran)

_social_

Maury Noble interacts with Old Halloran as a visitor to the Patch household and through his friendship with Anthony.

### [Old Halloran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/old_halloran)

_social_

Maury Noble interacts with Old Halloran as a visitor to the Patch household and through his friendship with Anthony.

## In the story

### [The Beautiful and Damned](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/the-beautiful-and-damned)

Anthony's cynical and intellectual friend. He provides commentary on society and serves as a foil to Anthony's romanticism.

### [Book I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/book-i)

A close friend of Anthony, part of his social circle, and a frequent companion in their discussions and outings.

### [Anthony Patch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/i-anthony-patch)

Anthony's friend, who engages in intellectual banter about art and meaning during their dinner.

### [II: Portrait of a Siren](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/ii-portrait-of-a-siren)

Mentioned as having previously met Gloria and been impressed by her.

### [III: The Connoisseur of Kisses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/iii-the-connoisseur-of-kisses)

Quoted by the narrator on the nature of happiness.

### [Book II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/book-ii)

Remains a close friend and confidant to Anthony and Gloria.

### [II: Symposium](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/ii-symposium)

Engages in cheerful conversation with Gloria on the porch, discussing his home country's customs.

### [Book III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/book-iii)

Maury appears as a friend, offering commentary on Anthony's decline and the couple's situation.

### [III: No Matter!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/chapters/iii-no-matter)

Mentioned as having stopped drinking, making money, and planning to marry; Anthony laments their drifting apart.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters/maury_noble
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beautiful_and_damned_se/characters