Character guide

Henry Ryecroft

major

Also known as Ryecroft

Ryecroft has traded the goad of anxious toil for a small independence in the English countryside, where a week without writing feels like an unfamiliar luxury. The penholder that calloused his forefinger still lies on the table, an old companion and old enemy he cannot quite banish from his thoughts. His early meditations on Spring, ambition, and the world's neglect set the book's unhurried rhythm and its central question: what is a life of letters actually worth?

William Shakespeare

minor

Also known as Shakespeare

Frequently referenced as a literary touchstone and source of inspiration.

Charles Dickens

minor

Also known as Dickens

Referenced as a novelist whose characters and style are discussed.

Samuel Johnson

minor

Also known as Johnson, Brave Samuel Johnson

Quoted and admired as a moralist and literary figure.

Marcus Aurelius

minor

Philosopher-king whose Stoic writings are reflected upon.

Goethe

minor

German poet and thinker cited for his views on nature and art.

Homer

minor

Epic poet whose works are alluded to in reflections on literature.

Edward Gibbon

minor

Also known as Gibbon

Historian referenced for his work on the Roman Empire.

Odysseus

minor

Homeric hero referenced in literary allusions.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

minor

Also known as Tennyson

Poet quoted and admired for his verse.

Anthony Trollope

minor

Also known as Trollope

Mentioned as a fellow writer whose works Ryecroft admires.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

minor

Also known as Hawthorne

American novelist mentioned in literary comparisons.

Xenophon

minor

Ancient Greek historian and soldier referenced for his writings.

Sir Walter Scott

minor

Also known as Scott

Novelist and poet mentioned in passing as a literary figure.

Pausanias

minor

Ancient Greek geographer mentioned in historical context.

Blaise Pascal

minor

Also known as Pascal

Philosopher and mathematician cited in reflections on thought.

Tartuffe

minor

Also known as Tartufe

Molière's hypocrite character used as a literary reference.

Richard Hooker

minor

Also known as Hooker

Theologian mentioned in discussions of religious thought.