# John Charteris — The Cords of Vanity character guide > John Charteris in The Cords of Vanity by James Branch Cabell. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Charteris, Mr. Charteris **First appearance:** 0005-i-writing ## Snapshot A witty, philosophical writer whose example haunts the narrator — proof that a man may be a wastrel in life and still a consummate artist on the page. ## Who they are Charteris is the novel's presiding literary presence, invoked as the hero of Cabell's Beyond Life and as the model against whom the narrator measures his own divided self. He embodies the book's central proposition: that personal life may be bereft of the virtues — distinction, clarity, tenderness, truth — that the art nonetheless achieves. For the narrator, he is both encouragement and indictment, a reminder that shirking can be transmuted into beauty, and that this is not quite the same as being good. ## In the story ### [An Introduction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/an-introduction) Mentioned as the central figure of 'Beyond Life' and as a comparable artist whose personal life lacks the virtues he consummates in art. ### [Reading](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/ii-reading) Author of the book being read; his name is on the cover. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned by Peter as someone he classifies among the lower orders of vermin. ### [IV: He Talks with Charteris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iv-he-talks-with-charteris) The novelist cousin of Peter Blagden, who tells the Apologue of the First Conjugation and invites the narrator to visit him. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/i) Charteris, a cousin of Peter Blagden and a wedding guest, approaches the narrator on the terrace, smoking a cigarette. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/ii) Narrates the Apologue of the First Conjugation to Townsend, displaying his authorial relish for emotion and his cynical yet playful view of love. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iii) Charteris offers a cynical, worldly perspective on love and memory, advising the narrator to forget quickly and enjoy life's pleasures. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iv) Implied as the subject of the narrator's reflection, associated with literary works and magazine editors. ### [He Revisits Fairhaven and the Play](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/v-he-revisits-fairhaven-and-the-play) Hosts the house-party at Willoughby Hall, studies the narrator as potential 'copy,' and accompanies him to the play; he sees through the narrator's attempt to leave him. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iv) Charteris coaxes the narrator to the opera, studying him for potential literary material, and dismisses Miss Montmorenci's talent. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/v) Charteris makes a flippant remark about being a married man, which the narrator resents. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vi) Accompanies the narrator out of the Opera House and converses with Mrs. Rabbet. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vii) Charteris accompanies the narrator, sees through his excuse, and departs singing a song about youth and age. ### [VII: He Goes Mad in a Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vii-he-goes-mad-in-a-garden) Mentioned as the host of a house-party and as someone the narrator might not travel to Europe with. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as the person with whom the narrator may not go to Europe. ### [He Puts His Tongue in His Cheek](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/ix-he-puts-his-tongue-in-his-cheek) Engages in a debate with the narrator about art versus commerce, urging him to write a sincere book about his ancestors. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/i) Charteris listens to the narrator's misery, recalls Amelia Van Orden, and arranges to take the narrator abroad. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/ii) Charteris's friendship provided the narrator entry into a world of amusement and levity. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iii) Charteris urges the narrator to write about the past and engages in a debate about the purpose of literature, dismissing the narrator's commercial views. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vi) Charteris warns the narrator about Gillian Hardress and criticizes the narrator's poem, showing his concern and cynical perspective. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vii) Disliked by Hardress and Bettie Hamlyn; suspected of making advances to Gillian Hardress. ### [XI: He Postures Among Chimney-Pots](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xi-he-postures-among-chimney-pots) Charteris meets the narrator in Genoa, travels with him, and is described as fickle and knowledgeable about Europe. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/i) John Charteris lunches with the narrator, offers cynical marriage advice, and inquires about the Hardress incident. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/ii) Charteris is traveling with the narrator but is away at the opera listening to Nadine Neroni. He is described as fickle and knowledgeable about Europe. ### [XII: He Faces Himself and Remembers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xii-he-faces-himself-and-remembers) Found mourning in his new quarters; engages in a philosophical argument with the narrator before being left behind. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/i) Found breakfasting in evening dress, has been weeping but adopts a flippant tone; expresses concern for the narrator. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as having left earlier to attend to his own affairs. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/v) Engages in a philosophical debate with the narrator, defending a view of life that transcends mere morality. ### [He Participates in Sundry Confidences](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xxviii-he-participates-in-sundry-confidences) Visits Fairhaven, praises the narrator's writing, and discusses mutual acquaintances. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/v) Charteris arrives in Fairhaven, teases the narrator about his earlier behavior, then sincerely praises his published works and expresses faith in his literary future. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vi) Visits the narrator at Fairhaven, tells stories, and discusses his dislike of Jasper Hardress and the social meaning of mutton. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/vii) Charteris dismisses the narrator's engagement and is blamed by Bettie for teaching the narrator to adopt infancy as a profession. ### [He Allows the Merits of Imperfection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xxix-he-allows-the-merits-of-imperfection) Found mending a teacup; speaks of drawing up his will, his fear of death, his literary work, and his wife Anne. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iii) Found mending a teacup, discusses his will, premonition of death, his marriage, and his artistic legacy. ### [He Gilds the Weathervane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/xxx-he-gilds-the-weathervane) Charteris is mentioned as having gone to King's College to borrow Lucian volumes. He is the target of Hardress's revenge due to his affair with Gillian Hardress. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/i) Charteris visits the Hamlyns' and proposes a tragic reading of Lucian's Zeus, but is rebuffed by the narrator. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iii) Revealed as the father of Gillian Hardress's child; the target of Hardress's vengeance. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/iv) Charteris is the subject of the narrator's concern regarding the shooting; the narrator wonders if he has been harmed. ### [The Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/chapters/the-epilogue) Mentioned as 'done for' in the narrator's thoughts about the aftermath of the shots. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/characters/john_charteris - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cords_of_vanity_se/characters