The Cream of the Jest · Character

Mrs. Kennaston

Kennaston's practical wife, who reads the newspaper notices of his novel with deep seriousness and gently suggests he write something more up-to-date and profitable.

supporting

Also known as Mrs. Felix Kennaston

First appearance: the cream of the jest

As a supporting figure in The Cream of the Jest, Mrs. Kennaston is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as part of the Kennastons, the couple known to the narrator through shallow intimacy.

In the storyI: Palliation of the GambitOpen this moment free

Kathleen Kennaston is the competent mistress of the household, preoccupied with gasoline engines and clipping-bureaus, who has lived beside her husband's abilities without quite crediting them. She defers reading Men Who Loved Alison on various pretexts and treats it as a private joke that she alone has not read the book everyone discusses, a humor Kennaston finds neither funny nor wifely. Her cheerful suggestion that he write something dealing with real life, and make money from it, exposes the gulf between his dream-values and her domestic ones, making her the quiet counterweight to everything the sigil offers him.

See Mrs. Kennaston in I: Palliation of the Gambit Book page

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the central paradox of Kennaston’s existence: his dr…

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In the story

Mrs. Kennaston appears across 13 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I: Palliation of the Gambit
Mentioned as part of the Kennastons, the couple known to the narrator through shallow intimacy.
IX: Beyond Use and Wont Fares the Road to Storisende
Dines alone with Kennaston; they share a taciturn meal and discuss only small daily happenings.
Of Idle Speculations in a Library
Kathleen Kennaston is described as disliking books due to her past work as a lecturer and journalist.
XIII: Suggesting Themes of Universal Appeal
Reacts to Kennaston's success with practical concerns, suggests he write about real life, and deflects his philosophical musings with talk of household matters and social snubs.
XX: Of Divers Fleshly Riddles
Observes Kennaston with anxious distrust as he withdraws from everyday affairs.
Evolution of a Vestryman
Delighted by Kennaston's decision to be confirmed.
XXIX: Of Poetic Love: Treated with Poetic Inefficiency
Kathleen, Kennaston's wife, returns from the South; he meets her train and receives her cool kiss.
XXXV: Treats of Witches, Mixed Drinks, and the Weather
Engages in small talk about household chores and travel plans; later criticized by Moira for her use of makeup.
Sundry Disclosures of the Press
Referred to as Kathleen; her hidden possession of the sigil half reveals her connection to Ettarre.
Considerations Toward Sunset
Referenced as Kathleen, his wife, whose youth and virtues shaped the character of Ettarre.
One Way of Elusion
Kathleen refuses to acknowledge the sigil, discarding it in the wastebasket and steering the conversation toward trivialities, effectively choosing the mundane over the mystical.
Past Storisende Fares the Road of Use and Wont
Continues her social duties alongside Felix; remains a 'not unfriendly mystery' to him.
XL: Which Mr. Flaherty Does Not Quite Explain
Dies in her sleep; had hidden the sigil pieces; suspected her husband's mental state but loved him.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mrs. Kennaston in the cream of the jest

See Mrs. Kennaston in I: Palliation of the Gambit