The Story of Gösta Berling · Character
Kevenhüller
An eccentric inventor among the Ekeby cavaliers, forever tinkering with strange machines and impossible schemes that make him both ridiculous and oddly admirable.
supporting
First appearance: Kevenhüller
As a supporting figure in The Story of Gösta Berling, Kevenhüller is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
The protagonist of the chapter, a master inventor cursed by a wood-nymph; he creates an automatic carriage, a flying machine, and a fire-wheel, but is driven to despair and…
Kevenhüller belongs to the loose brotherhood of pensioners who drink, carouse, and spin tall tales at Ekeby, but his particular obsession is invention: he builds contraptions nobody asked for and dreams of mechanical wonders that the world is not ready to receive. His comic futility cuts against the novel's deeper melancholy, since his genius, like the cavaliers' freedom, is a gift that never quite finds its use. He matters because he embodies Lagerlöf's affection for glorious misfits, the men whose failures are more alive than other people's successes.
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Character Web
9 connectionsA slice of how Kevenhüller sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Wealthy and Influential Families
- Protagonist
- Ekeby Pensioners Core
- Simple and Noble Souls
+4 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
Marianne’s act of burning her letters and diaries signifies an emotional and psychological peak where she cons…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingIn the story
Kevenhüller appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Kevenhüller unlock in the free preview.
See Kevenhüller in Kevenhüller