Villette characters

Appears from the start

An Englishwoman who narrates her own life with reserve and sharp observation. As a girl she stays with the Bretton family; as an adult, left without money or close family, she travels alone to the continental city of Villette and builds a life through work.

Also known as Mrs Bretton

Appears from the start

Lucy's warm, practical godmother and the widowed mother of Graham Bretton. She gives Lucy a temporary home in childhood and treats the quiet girl with uncomplicated affection.

Also known as Polly, Paulina Mary Home

First appears in chapter 2

A solemn, unusually self-possessed little girl who comes to stay with the Brettons while her father is abroad. She attaches herself intensely to Graham and takes pride in caring for him despite being much younger.

Also known as Graham Bretton, Dr Bretton

First appears in chapter 17

Mrs Bretton's lively teenage son, admired by the young Polly and observed more cautiously by Lucy. Years later he is a capable, sociable physician in Villette whose professional visits bring him into Lucy's new life.

First appears in chapter 4

An invalid English gentlewoman who hires Lucy as a companion after Lucy's childhood connection with the Brettons has ended. Intelligent but embittered by disappointment, she gives Lucy employment and a precarious home during the last period of her life.

First appears in chapter 6

A beautiful, talkative English pupil whom Lucy meets while travelling to Villette. Vain, careless, and habitually flirtatious, she becomes one of Lucy's students at Madame Beck's school and a recurring source of confidences and complications.

First appears in chapter 8

The composed proprietor of a girls' boarding school in Villette. She hires Lucy first to care for her children and then to teach English. Her efficient household rests on constant supervision, discreet searches, and a determination to know everything occurring under her roof.

Also known as M. Paul

First appears in chapter 14

A small, volatile professor who teaches at Madame Beck's school. Demanding, observant, and quick to challenge Lucy, he can also be generous to struggling pupils and takes an increasingly personal interest in Lucy's work and conduct.

Also known as Count de Bassompierre

First appears in chapter 25

Paulina's affectionate father, formerly known to Lucy as Mr Home. His changed title and circumstances accompany his daughter's return to Lucy's circle after many years apart.

Also known as Alfred de Hamal

First appears in chapter 23

A fashionable young officer favored by Ginevra. His polished appearance and aristocratic pretensions impress her far more than they impress Lucy, and his secret courtship conflicts with the hopes others have formed for Ginevra.

First appears in chapter 26

A Catholic priest in Villette to whom Lucy turns during a period of severe loneliness. He listens to her despite her Protestantism, offering a brief human response when her usual self-command has failed.

First appears in chapter 35

An elderly, domineering woman linked to Paul Emanuel through his former fiancée. She is one of the people whose claims on his loyalty and money shape his choices and whose hostility makes Lucy's growing importance to him unwelcome.