Previous
Victoria Forester
Dunstan is Tristran and Louisa’s father. He’s extremely practical, even as a young man—though this characterization is called into question when the man in the top hat casts some sort of spell on Dunstan, and Dunstan becomes infatuated with Lady Una. The two have unprotected sex during the Faerie market as a result, even though Dunstan is in the process of courting Daisy Hempstock. Dunstan continues to be mopey and dreamy after until his and Daisy’s wedding, which their mothers arrange. He only learns that he and Lady Una conceived Tristran after Tristran’s birth, when baby Tristran is pushed through the wall in a basket. He and Daisy raise Tristran as though Tristran is Daisy’s son, though Dunstan later tells his son the truth of his conception. Dunstan remains firm in his belief that all beings have a place in the world where they belong, and so he’s not surprised or overly emotional when Tristran decides to stay in Faerie for good.
Dunstan Thorn Quotes in Stardust
The Stardust quotes below are all either spoken by Dunstan Thorn or refer to Dunstan Thorn. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1 Quotes
Mr. Bromios had set up a wine-tent and was selling wines and pasties to the village folk, who were often tempted by the foods being sold by the folk from Beyond the Wall but had been told by their grandparents, who had got it from their grandparents, that it was deeply, utterly wrong to eat fairy food, to eat fairy fruit, to drink fairy water and sip fairy wine.
For every nine years, the folk from Beyond the Wall and over the hill set up the stalls, and for a day and a night the meadow played host to the Faerie market; and there was, for one day and one night in nine years, commerce between the nations.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes
He thought of Victoria’s lips, and her grey eyes, and the sound of her laughter. He straightened his shoulders, placed the crystal snowdrop in the top buttonhole of his coat, now undone. And, too ignorant to be scared, too young to be awed, Tristran Thorn passed beyond the fields we know...
...and into Faerie.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes
The exotic bird hopped up beside her and it chirruped, once, curiously.
“Of course I have kept my word—to the letter,” said the old woman, as if in reply. “He shall be transformed back at the market meadow, so shall regain his own form before he comes to Wall. [...] And I do believe that bumpkin’s flower was even finer than the one you lost to me, all those years ago.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes
“What have you done?” Spittle flecked the old woman’s lips.
“I have done nothing; nothing I did not do eighteen years ago. I was bound to you to be your slave until the day that the moon lost her daughter, if it occurred in a week when two Mondays came together. And my time with you is almost done.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Stardust LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Dunstan Thorn Character Timeline in Stardust
The timeline below shows where the character Dunstan Thorn appears in Stardust. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...of Faerie. It’s April, and people from all over the world travel to Wall. Eighteen-year-old Dunstan Thorn resents all the visitors, who have filled Mr. Bromios’s inn, the Seventh Magpie, and...
(full context)
...the fight. Though Alum Bey then bows to Bridget, Bridget runs to care for Tommy. Dunstan isn’t at the Seventh Magpie that evening, as he’s busy courting Daisy Hempstock. They often...
(full context)
Visitors continue to arrive in Wall. It’s now the 29th of April, and Dunstan and Tommy stand guard at the wall. They feel important as they shoo away curious...
(full context)
Dunstan sleeps in the cow barn that night. It’s stormy, and in the middle of the...
(full context)
When Dunstan wakes up in the morning, he’s alone. He dresses in his best clothes, grabs breakfast...
(full context)
...the fair, vendors sell goods like eyes, “bluebell cloth,” “Coats of night,” and various remedies. Dunstan considers purchasing a tiny crystal cat for Daisy, but he drops it when it blinks...
(full context)
Dunstan keeps his eyes out for a trinket for Daisy. Hearing lovely chimes, he follows the...
(full context)
...doesn’t have one now that she’s enslaved—and they begin to haggle on a price. But Dunstan can’t help but notice her curves and her pretty eyes. He agrees to pay for...
(full context)
Dunstan approaches Daisy at Mr. Bromios’s tent, gives her the snowdrop, and kisses her cheek. Mr....
(full context)
Tommy settles Dunstan on a bench in the Seventh Magpie. Dunstan refuses to talk, eat, or drink, and...
(full context)
...Mrs. Hempstock has tea with Mrs. Thorn. Mrs. Hempstock says that Daisy is pining because Dunstan has been ignoring her. Mrs. Thorn admits that she and her husband are worried about...
(full context)
Chapter 2
...the gap in the wall (the rules say nothing about keeping cats out). Tristran’s father, Dunstan, tries to tell Tristran that the cat will be happier “[w]ith her own kind.” His...
(full context)
...mermaids. Staring at the stars is the only thing that calms his mind. He helps Dunstan on the farm on the weekends and spends his days working at Monday and Brown’s,...
(full context)
...when she asks how he got so dirty and bedraggled. He announces to her and Dunstan that he’s leaving Wall and will be gone a long time. Seeing the look in...
(full context)
Tristran has no idea how Dunstan is going to get him past the guards. When they arrive at the gap, Harold...
(full context)
Chapter 4
...the man asks Tristran where he’s from and who his parents are. The man remembers Dunstan, who let him sleep in his barn once. As far as Tristran knows, though, he...
(full context)
Chapter 10
...Seventh Magpie last night and when he mentioned Tristran’s attempt to get through the wall, Dunstan lost his temper with both Wystan and Mr. Brown. Mr. Bromios and the vicar are...
(full context)
Dunstan is in the Seventh Magpie’s bar, waiting for Tristran. He greets his son and suggests...
(full context)
