Swann’s Way Characters

Aunt Léonie is a reclusive, hypochondriacal widow who rarely leaves her bed. Her days revolve around ritual, gossip, and imagined ailments, yet she exerts strong emotional influence over the household at Combray. She dies during the last summer Marcel spends at Combray, much to the dismay of Françoise.

Mme. Verdurin is the controlling hostess of a bourgeois salon, demanding total loyalty from her “little nucleus” of guests. She manipulates relationships, punishes independence, and thrives on flattery. Despite her lack of refinement, she holds power over both Odette and Swann, shaping the course of their relationship.

M. Vinteuil is a music teacher who composes privately and avoids attention. He dies shortly after a scandal breaks involving Mlle. Vinteuil’s relationship with another woman. Early in his life, M. Vinteuil composes a sonata, which Swann associates with falling in and out of love with Odette.

Marcel’s father is pragmatic, emotionally reserved, and concerned with propriety. Though often stern, he occasionally shows unexpected tenderness, as when he allows Marcel’s mother to spend the night in Marcel’s room.

Françoise is the family’s longtime devoted servant. While she shows great tenderness toward Marcel, she can be harsh or indifferent to outsiders, especially other servants.

Legrandin is a well-mannered engineer with literary interests who prides himself on rejecting social snobbery. However, Marcel eventually sees through his pretenses and recognizes a hidden longing for aristocratic approval.

Uncle Adolphe is Marcel’s elegant but secretive great uncle, whose social life includes discreet romantic liaisons. When Marcel accidentally reveals one such encounter to his family, Adolphe is effectively exiled from Combray.

Bloch is a precocious student who introduces Marcel to new literature, including the work of Bergotte. Though Marcel admires his sophistication, Bloch soon offends the family with a comment about Aunt Léonie’s rumored wild past and is not invited back to their home.

Charlus is a charismatic aristocrat and friend of Swann’s, known for his eccentric and commanding presence. When Marcel is a child and spending time at Combray, he hears rumors that Charlus is having an affair with Odette.

The Duchess is a figure of aristocratic legend for young Marcel, admired from afar during his walks in Combray. When he finally sees her, she appears ordinary, but his imagination transforms her into an icon of grace and lineage.

M. Verdurin is Mme. Verdurin’s complacent husband and partner in maintaining their salon’s exclusivity. He echoes her opinions and reinforces her social control but lacks her energy or insight.

Dr. Cottard is a clumsy, socially insecure physician who masks his awkwardness with medical jargon and stale humor. Though tolerated in the Verdurin circle, he is often the butt of jokes.

Mme. Cottard is shy and eager to please, often stumbling in conversation and trying too hard to appear cultured. Her social insecurity mirrors Dr. Cottard’s, though she is generally more sympathetic.

Bergotte is a fictional novelist whom Marcel reveres for his style and emotional insight. Marcel imagines him as a wise, melancholy figure and dreams of meeting him.

Marcel’s grandmother is a refined, spiritual figure who encourages Marcel’s artistic sensitivity and moral reflection.

Mlle. Vinteuil is Vinteuil’s daughter, whose relationship with another woman causes scandal.

Brichot is a pompous Sorbonne professor who amuses the Verdurins with pedantic lectures and historical puns.

Eulalie is a friend of Aunt Léonie’s who occasionally comes around to gossip.