Vile Bodies · Character

Colonel Blount

Colonel Blount is Nina's dotty, hospitable father, happiest when loaning his house to a film crew so he can carry a pitchfork in a costume drama.

supporting

Also known as Colonel, Even Colonel Blount

First appearance: iii

As a supporting figure in Vile Bodies, Colonel Blount is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Gives Adam a cheque signed 'Charlie Chaplin' as a joke, showing his eccentricity.

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The Colonel lives in a rambling country house overrun by a cinematograph company shooting a Wesleyan massacre, and he could not be more delighted to be cast as an extra. He is vague, generous, and entirely absorbed in his own enthusiasms, which makes him both an obstacle and an accidental enabler of Adam's marriage plans. His cheerful detachment from consequence is one of the novel's funniest and most unsettling running notes.

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The fuller portrait of Colonel Blount sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Colonel Blount in iii

Character Web

29 connections

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

Relationship types

Social
Family
Professional

Character groups

Social Circle Core
Protagonist

+24 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this scene, Adam’s visit to the traumatized Miss Runcible represents the emotional peak of his unresolved g…

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Relationships

Adam Fenwick-Symes
social · ambivalent
Colonel Blount is Nina's eccentric, alcoholic father who tolerates Adam but remains aloof… How this plays out →
The Rector
social · ambivalent
Nina Blount
family · ambivalent
Mrs. Florin
professional · ambivalent
Sir James Brown
social · positive
Adam Fenwick-Symes
social · ambivalent
Colonel Blount is Nina's eccentric, alcoholic father who tolerates Adam but remains aloof… How this plays out →
Adam Fenwick-Symes
social · ambivalent
Colonel Blount is Nina's eccentric, alcoholic father who tolerates Adam but remains aloof… How this plays out →
The Rector
social · ambivalent
Sir James Brown
social · positive
Mrs. Florin
professional · ambivalent
Mrs. Florin
professional · ambivalent
Nina Blount
family · ambivalent

Adam Fenwick-Symes
Colonel Blount is Nina's eccentric, alcoholic father who tolerates Adam but remains aloof and preoccupied with his own absurd schemes.
The Rector
Colonel Blount and the Rector share a strained acquaintance, with the Rector often exasperated by the Colonel's drunken antics and irreverence.
Nina Blount
Colonel Blount is Nina's neglectful, eccentric father who loves her in his own distracted way but fails to provide stability.
Mrs. Florin
Mrs. Florin is Colonel Blount's long-suffering housekeeper, who manages his household and endures his drunken demands.
Sir James Brown
Colonel Blount and Sir James Brown are drinking companions and fellow members of the same social set, sharing a love of alcohol and absurdity.
Adam Fenwick-Symes
Colonel Blount is Nina's eccentric, alcoholic father who tolerates Adam but remains aloof and preoccupied with his own absurd schemes.
Adam Fenwick-Symes
Colonel Blount is Nina's eccentric, alcoholic father who tolerates Adam but remains aloof and preoccupied with his own absurd schemes.
The Rector
Colonel Blount and the Rector share a strained acquaintance, with the Rector often exasperated by the Colonel's drunken antics and irreverence.
Sir James Brown
Colonel Blount and Sir James Brown are drinking companions and fellow members of the same social set, sharing a love of alcohol and absurdity.
Mrs. Florin
Mrs. Florin is Colonel Blount's long-suffering housekeeper, who manages his household and endures his drunken demands.
Mrs. Florin
Mrs. Florin is Colonel Blount's long-suffering housekeeper, who manages his household and endures his drunken demands.
Nina Blount
Colonel Blount is Nina's neglectful, eccentric father who loves her in his own distracted way but fails to provide stability.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Colonel Blount in iii

In the story

Colonel Blount appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Colonel Blount unlock in the free preview.

See Colonel Blount in iii

See Colonel Blount in V