# Jasper Hardress — The Cords of Vanity character guide > Jasper Hardress in The Cords of Vanity by James Branch Cabell. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Hardress, fat Jasper Hardress **First appearance:** 0010-i-he-sits-out-a-dance ## Snapshot Fat, disgustingly healthy Jasper Hardress has married Gillian and, by his mere robust existence, indefinitely postponed every hope of her widowhood. ## Who they are Jasper Hardress is the portly, pompous husband whose presence at Nice keeps his wife's admirers in a state of comic despair. He once claimed consumption in the family to encourage his marriage, a fiction his rude health has since thoroughly refuted, and he welcomes guests with the complacency of a man who has no idea he is the obstacle in someone else's romance. His solid, unkillable body is the joke on which the narrator's hopes of a convenient bereavement founder. ## Relationships ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _rivalry_ Jasper is a rival for Stella's affections and a source of social competition for the narrator. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _rivalry_ Jasper is a rival for Stella's affections and a source of social competition for the narrator. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _rivalry_ Jasper is a rival for Stella's affections and a source of social competition for the narrator. ## In the story ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vi) Mentioned as being in love with his wife Gillian. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vii) Comes to welcome the narrator as a guest. ### [X: He Samples New Emotions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/x-he-samples-new-emotions) Jasper, Gillian's husband, remains unaware of the affair and treats the narrator with fondness. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vi) The husband who remains fond of the narrator and laughs off his wife's flirtations, showing no suspicion. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vii) Cordially detests Charteris, suspects him of being in love with Gillian, and distrusts many men for the same reason. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned as Gillian's husband, present at the dance during the confrontation. ### [XI: He Postures Among Chimney-Pots](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xi-he-postures-among-chimney-pots) Mentioned as being in London for the season; the narrator reflects on the 'Hardress incident' being closed. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/i) Mentioned in the context of the 'Hardress incident,' which the narrator considers closed. ### [He Cleans the Slate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xxii-he-cleans-the-slate) Arrives in America with his wife; discusses his work on a revised Bible translation and his plan to let Gillian divorce him; shows unexpected moral depth. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/i) Arrives in America with his wife for a tour and to inspect mining properties in Montana. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/ii) Hardress discusses his work for the Philomatheans and his plan to divorce his wife, showing a selfless concern for her happiness. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as Gillian's husband, whom the narrator no longer wishes to deceive. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vi) Mentioned as the subject of a story about his jealousy toward Charteris. ### [He Gilds the Weathervane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xxx-he-gilds-the-weathervane) Hardress arrives distraught after his wife's death, armed with a pistol. He believes Charteris is responsible for her death and seeks vengeance. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iii) Confronts the narrator, revealing his wife's death and her confession about Charteris; he is armed and seeking vengeance. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iv) Hardress is mentioned as having just turned the corner, and the narrator speculates about his involvement in the shooting. ### [The Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/the-epilogue) The narrator wonders whether Jasper has 'done for himself' after the four shots. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/characters/jasper_hardress - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/characters