Villette (AmazonClassics Edition) characters

Appears from the start

A quiet Englishwoman who narrates her own life while often withholding its most painful history. Lucy observes others acutely but guards her feelings and circumstances, beginning her account during a childhood stay with her godmother in Bretton.

Appears from the start

Lucy's affectionate godmother, a sensible and energetic widow whose comfortable home in Bretton provides Lucy with an early refuge. She is devoted to her son Graham and welcomes the lonely people who come into her circle.

Appears from the start

Mrs Bretton's lively schoolboy son, several years older than Lucy. Graham is good-natured and attractive, and the very young Paulina quickly forms an intense attachment to him while living in his mother's house.

Also known as Polly

First appears in chapter 2

A remarkably serious and delicate little girl placed temporarily in Mrs Bretton's care while her father travels. Paulina is devoted to her absent father and soon becomes equally devoted to Graham, expressing adult-seeming loyalty through a child's limited understanding.

First appears in chapter 2

Paulina's affectionate father, whose grief after his wife's death has made his own health and movements unsettled. He entrusts his daughter to Mrs Bretton until he is able to resume caring for her.

First appears in chapter 4

An invalid woman who employs Lucy as a companion after Lucy's early life has been overturned by losses the narrator does not explain. Miss Marchmont is demanding but capable of tenderness, and their shared solitude gives Lucy a temporary home.

First appears in chapter 6

A pretty, self-confident English pupil whom Lucy meets while crossing to Labassecour. Ginevra is talkative, careless with other people's affection, and candid about using her charms to obtain favors. Her information gives Lucy the first lead toward employment in Villette.

First appears in chapter 7

The proprietor and headmistress of the girls' school in the Rue Fossette. A calm, capable administrator and mother, Madame Beck misses little that occurs under her roof and quietly inspects both people and possessions before deciding how to use their abilities.

Also known as M. Paul

First appears in chapter 13

A professor connected with Madame Beck's school. Small, energetic, irritable, and intensely observant, he demands effort from Lucy and interferes freely in the school's affairs.

First appears in chapter 15

A Catholic priest whom Lucy approaches during a period of illness and isolation. Though she does not share his faith, Père Silas listens to her distress and later takes a sustained interest in her spiritual direction.

First appears in chapter 14

A vain young aristocrat favored by Ginevra despite his limited means and affected manners. He becomes Dr John's rival for her attention and joins her in treating the doctor's sincere courtship lightly.

First appears in chapter 24

Paulina's father under the foreign title and name he inherited after leaving England. He is protective of his daughter and initially cautious when the renewed friendship between Paulina and Graham becomes serious.

First appears in chapter 35

An elderly woman supported by Paul Emanuel because of his loyalty to the family of his dead fiancée. She receives Lucy with hostility and, together with Père Silas and Madame Beck, fears that Lucy will draw Paul away from Catholic obligations.