Leonard Marnham

Marnham is the book's central character and protagonist. There are two important points to note about the way he is presented and developed. The first is that he is what might be described as a reactive protagonist. He is a character who does not set action in motion but who instead reacts to situations and circumstances around him. The point is not made to suggest that one sort of protagonist is more "right" or more effective than the other. It is made, rather, to suggest that the general function and role of protagonist can manifest in either activity, creating circumstances or responding to them. In Marnham's case, the latter is definitely predominant. Many very effective and engagingly written protagonists, by the way, have elements of both function at work in their characters.

The second point to note about Marnham is related, in that there is a close...