Topsy-Turvy · Character

Jacques Jansen

Dutch delegate whose celebrated placidity finally cracks under the strain of waiting, turning him into a daily nuisance to his colleagues.

supporting

Also known as Even Jacques Jansen

First appearance: In Which the Delegates from England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia Are Presented to the Reader

As a supporting figure in Topsy-Turvy, Jacques Jansen is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Dutch delegate, former Counsellor of Netherlandish India; stout and incredulous about the practical consequences of the undertaking.

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Jansen embodies Dutch calm among the European delegates gathered in Baltimore, a temperament so noted that his eventual agitation registers as a minor marvel. As weeks stretch into May with no news from the vanished Barbicane, even he wakes from his placidity and bombards his colleagues with charges and countercharges. His deterioration from stoic observer to querulous participant measures how thoroughly the unresolved polar venture has poisoned the international atmosphere.

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See Jacques Jansen in In Which the Delegates from England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia Are Presented to the Reader

Character Web

8 connections

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Relationship types

Professional
Friendship
Other

Character groups

Polar Auction Delegates

+3 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it reveals the terrifying confirmation that J.T. Maston’s calculat…

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Relationships

Major Donellan
professional · positive
Jansen works under Donellan's direction as a surveyor and engineer on the project's field… How this plays out →
Dean Toodrink
friendship · positive

Relationship notes

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See Jacques Jansen in In Which the Delegates from England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia Are Presented to the Reader

In the story

Jacques Jansen appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

In Which the Delegates from England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia Are Presented to the Reader

Chapter companion notes

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See Jacques Jansen in In Which the Delegates from England, Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia Are Presented to the Reader