Nathan Brixius

Morel

Morel portrait, elstir
Morelelstir

A servant’s son who ends the novel respectable: his reputation climbs almost without interruption while the scenes he is in expose him.

Morel enters as the son of the narrator’s great-uncle’s valet, a violinist whose talent buys him the baron de Charlus’s protection and, through Charlus, rooms he could never have entered on his own. He repays that protection with betrayal at the Verdurins’, deserts in wartime, and still arrives at the final matinée an honored man. The readings on this page hold the contradiction: his standing rises steadily from his first appearance to the end, while scene by scene the narrator’s verdicts on his baseness and ingratitude keep him near the floor. Reputation and conduct move in opposite directions, and the novel lets him keep the reputation.

Advantage

1408.5

30 compared passages · 34 distinct opponents

Last comparison: Le Temps retrouvé — IV. Le Bal de têtes, ¶41–45

Evidence & endpoint sensitivity

32 appearing passages; 92 pair comparisons; 20.24 total comparison weight. Counts describe evidence, not independent observations.

Resampled endpoint rank envelopes within the original 35-character reference set—not this page’s full scored list. These are not confidence intervals or bands for earlier trajectory points.

  • Chapter: 12.0–34.0; absent in 0.0% of samples.
  • Five-passage block: 15.0–35.0; absent in 0.0% of samples.
Reference characters · 200 samples per scheme

Aimé, Albertine, Andrée, Bergotte, Bloch, Brichot, Elstir, Françoise, Gilberte, M. Verdurin, Mme Verdurin, Mme de Cambremer, Mme de Marsantes, Mme de Villeparisis, Morel, Norpois, Odette, Rachel, Robert de Saint-Loup, Saniette, Swann, baron de Charlus, comte de Forcheville, docteur Cottard, duc de Guermantes, duchesse de Guermantes, la Berma, la grand-mère, la mère du narrateur, le narrateur, le père du narrateur, marquis de Bréauté, prince de Guermantes, princesse de Guermantes, princesse de Parme

Prestige

1742.9

17 compared passages · 21 distinct opponents

Last comparison: Le Temps retrouvé — IV. Le Bal de têtes, ¶41–45

Evidence & endpoint sensitivity

32 appearing passages; 41 pair comparisons; 8.30 total comparison weight. Counts describe evidence, not independent observations.

Resampled endpoint rank envelopes within the original 8-character reference set—not this page’s full scored list. These are not confidence intervals or bands for earlier trajectory points.

  • Chapter: 1.0–5.0; absent in 0.0% of samples.
  • Five-passage block: 1.0–4.0; absent in 0.0% of samples.
Reference characters · 200 samples per scheme

Bloch, Gilberte, Mme Verdurin, Morel, Robert de Saint-Loup, baron de Charlus, duchesse de Guermantes, le narrateur

Inclusion

1467.2

5 compared passages · 6 distinct opponents

Last comparison: La Prisonnière, ¶331–335

Evidence & endpoint sensitivity

32 appearing passages; 7 pair comparisons; 1.79 total comparison weight. Counts describe evidence, not independent observations.

Not assessed: outside the original reference set. This does not imply stability.

Fortune across the novel

How the passages involving Morel leave them, from Combray to the Bal de têtes. 1500 is even; higher is better.

100015002000Du Côté de Chez SwannIÀ l'Ombre des Jeunes Filles en FleursIILe Côté de GuermantesIIISodome et GomorrheIVLa PrisonnièreVAlbertine disparueVILe Temps retrouvéVIILe Côté de Guermantes — I · v3-p1#p-741-p-745Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-301-p-305Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-321-p-325Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-331-p-335Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-366-p-370Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-376-p-380Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-386-p-390Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-391-p-395Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-396-p-400Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-401-p-405Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-406-p-410Sodome et Gomorrhe — II · v4-p2#p-411-p-415La Prisonnière · v5#p-76-p-80La Prisonnière · v5#p-81-p-85La Prisonnière · v5#p-86-p-90La Prisonnière · v5#p-236-p-240La Prisonnière · v5#p-256-p-260La Prisonnière · v5#p-266-p-270La Prisonnière · v5#p-281-p-285La Prisonnière · v5#p-286-p-290La Prisonnière · v5#p-291-p-295La Prisonnière · v5#p-296-p-300La Prisonnière · v5#p-311-p-315La Prisonnière · v5#p-326-p-330La Prisonnière · v5#p-331-p-335Albertine disparue — II · v6-p2#p-61-p-65Albertine disparue — IV · v6-p4#p-11-p-15Albertine disparue — IV · v6-p4#p-16-p-20Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-26-p-30Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-41-p-45Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-46-p-50Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-66Le Temps retrouvé — IV. Le Bal de têtes · v7-p4-le-bal-de-tetes#p-41-p-45Start of the novelEnd

Hover the chart for the level at any point. The band is ± one standard deviation; faint dots are single passages (linked), which swing further than the line and are clipped to the chart.

Retrospective trajectories

Smoothed with later evidence. Compare within one lens at matching narrative positions—not across lenses or different endpoint dates. Lines connect fitted nodes and do not assert observations between them.

Advantage trajectories135014501550Morel: 1399.6 · v3-p1#p-741-p-745Morel: 1402.1 · v4-p2#p-301-p-305Morel: 1402.1 · v4-p2#p-331-p-335Morel: 1402.1 · v4-p2#p-336-p-340Morel: 1402.1 · v4-p2#p-366-p-370Morel: 1401.9 · v4-p2#p-376-p-380Morel: 1401.9 · v4-p2#p-386-p-390Morel: 1401.8 · v4-p2#p-391-p-395Morel: 1401.8 · v4-p2#p-396-p-400Morel: 1401.8 · v4-p2#p-401-p-405Morel: 1401.7 · v4-p2#p-406-p-410Morel: 1401.5 · v5#p-76-p-80Morel: 1401.5 · v5#p-81-p-85Morel: 1401.5 · v5#p-86-p-90Morel: 1401.8 · v5#p-106-p-110Morel: 1403.9 · v5#p-221-p-225Morel: 1404.2 · v5#p-236-p-240Morel: 1405.4 · v5#p-281-p-285Morel: 1405.5 · v5#p-286-p-290Morel: 1405.6 · v5#p-301-p-305Morel: 1405.8 · v5#p-316-p-320Morel: 1405.8 · v5#p-326-p-330Morel: 1408.6 · v6-p2#p-61-p-65Morel: 1409.2 · v6-p4#p-11-p-15Morel: 1409.2 · v6-p4#p-16-p-20Morel: 1409.1 · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-26-p-30Morel: 1409.2 · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-41-p-45Morel: 1409.1 · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-46-p-50Morel: 1409.0 · v7-p2-m-de-charlus-pendant-la-guerre#p-66Morel: 1408.5 · v7-p4-le-bal-de-tetes#p-41-p-45Passage 1Passage 963
Morel

1500 is a scale reference, not an assigned score for unrated characters. The vertical scale adapts to this selection. Single observations are shown as points, not hidden.

Morel: 30 fitted points
PassageScoreLocal annotation
Le Côté de Guermantes — I, ¶741–7451399.6negative
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶301–3051402.1neutral
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶331–3351402.1neutral
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶336–3401402.1neutral
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶366–3701402.1positive
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶376–3801401.9negative
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶386–3901401.9neutral
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶391–3951401.8negative
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶396–4001401.8negative
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶401–4051401.8negative
Sodome et Gomorrhe — II, ¶406–4101401.7negative
La Prisonnière, ¶76–801401.5negative
La Prisonnière, ¶81–851401.5negative
La Prisonnière, ¶86–901401.5negative
La Prisonnière, ¶106–1101401.8negative
La Prisonnière, ¶221–2251403.9neutral
La Prisonnière, ¶236–2401404.2negative
La Prisonnière, ¶281–2851405.4negative
La Prisonnière, ¶286–2901405.5neutral
La Prisonnière, ¶301–3051405.6neutral
La Prisonnière, ¶316–3201405.8neutral
La Prisonnière, ¶326–3301405.8negative
Albertine disparue — II, ¶61–651408.6neutral
Albertine disparue — IV, ¶11–151409.2neutral
Albertine disparue — IV, ¶16–201409.2neutral
Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre, ¶26–301409.1negative
Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre, ¶41–451409.2positive
Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre, ¶46–501409.1positive
Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre, ¶66–661409.0neutral
Le Temps retrouvé — IV. Le Bal de têtes, ¶41–451408.5negative

Distinguishing passages

Morel is locally lowered by the narrator's blunt exposure of his stupidity and inability to recognize his fiancée's superior intelligence.

Morel is locally reduced to a case study in baseness, ingratitude and self-serving rationalization.

Morel is portrayed as a scheming, mercenary, hypocritical figure willing to destroy an innocent man for convenience, with the narrator's explicit condemnation dominating the passage.

Chapter reading path

  1. La Prisonnière
  2. Sodome et Gomorrhe — II
  3. Le Temps retrouvé — II. M. de Charlus pendant la guerre
  4. Le Temps retrouvé — IV. Le Bal de têtes
  5. Le Côté de Guermantes — I

Passage descriptions come from the fixed annotations. They describe local readings, not guaranteed causes of a rating change.