Father Brown is characteristically humble and is usually rather quiet, except to say something profound.

That can be traced to the influence of Roman Catholic thought on Chesterton. In fact, he seems to represent an ideal of a devout but considerably educated and 'civilised' clergyman. He always emphasises rationality some stories, such as 'The Miracle of Moon Crescent', 'The Oracle of the Dog', 'The Blast of the Book' and 'The Dagger with Wings', poke fun at initially sceptical characters who become convinced of a supernatural explanation for some strange occurrence, but Father Brown easily sees the perfectly ordinary, natural explanation. The stories normally contain a rational explanation of who the murderer was and how Brown worked it out. A typical Father Brown story aims not so much to invent a believable criminological procedure as to propose a novel paradox with subtle moral and theological implications. While Brown's cases follow the 'Fair Play' rules of classic detective fiction, the crime, once revealed, often turns out to be implausible in its practical details. īrown's crimesolving method can be described as intuitive and psychological his process is to reconstruct the perpetrator's methods and motives using imaginative empathy, combined with an encyclopaedic criminal knowledge he has picked up from parishioner confessions. Brown' (perhaps in tribute to John O'Connor), while in 'The Sign of the Broken Sword', he is apparently named Paul. Even his first name is never made clear in the story 'The Eye of Apollo', he is described as 'the Reverend J. Much of his background is never disclosed, including his age, family, and domestic arrangements. In early stories, Brown is said to be priest for the small parish of Cobhole in Essex, but he relocates to London and travels to many other places, in England and abroad, during the course of the stories. His job as a priest allows him to blend into the background of a crime scene, as others can easily assume he is merely there on spiritual business. Somewhat in the vein of Agatha Christie's detective character Miss Marple, Brown uses his unimposing demeanor to his advantage when studying criminals, to whom he seems to pose no danger.

His unremarkable, seemingly naïve appearance hides an unexpectedly sharp intelligence and keen powers of observation.

Father Brown on a case, illustrated by Sydney Seymour Lucas for The Innocence of Father Brownįather Brown is a short, plain Roman Catholic priest, with shapeless clothes, a large umbrella, and an uncanny insight into human behaviour.

Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton