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The Mystery of the Yellow Room · Character

Professor Stangerson

A celebrated scientist so absorbed in his work on the dissociation of matter that he nearly loses his daughter to a murderer.

major

Also known as Monsieur Stangerson, Stangerson, the illustrious Stangerson

First appearance: the mystery of the yellow room

As a major figure in The Mystery of the Yellow Room, Professor Stangerson is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The eminent scientist whose daughter was attacked; he was working in the laboratory at the time of the crime.
In the storyIn Which We Begin Not to UnderstandOpen this moment free

Professor Stangerson is the illustrious man of science whose treatise keeps the household at the Glandier past the usual season, and whose absorption in his work leaves his daughter vulnerable. He works late in the laboratory, hears the cry of 'Murder!' from the adjoining room, and is the first to break down the door — only to find a locked room with no exit and his daughter near death. His despair is total, his authority as a father and scientist undercut by the fact that the crime happened under his own roof, in a room he helped design. He represents the limits of rational inquiry: a man who can dissociate matter but cannot explain how a murderer vanished from a sealed chamber.

See Professor Stangerson in In Which We Begin Not to UnderstandBook page

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Character Web

9 connections

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

JRJoseph Rouleta…MSMademoiselle S…DJDaddy JacquesFLFrédéric LarsanMAMr. Arthur W. …PSProfessor Stangerson

Relationship types

  • Professional
  • Family
  • Other

Character groups

  • Primary suspects and victims
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Rouletabille’s…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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See Professor Stangerson in the mystery of the yellow room

In the story

Professor Stangerson appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Professor Stangerson in the mystery of the yellow room
See Professor Stangerson in In Which We Begin Not to Understand