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Count Fosco
Madame Fosco is the wife of the Italian spy, Count Fosco, and seemingly a spy herself under the orders of the Count. She is the sister of Mr. Philip Fairlie and the aunt of Laura Fairlie, whom she comes to live with at Blackwater with her own husband and Laura’s husband, Sir Percival Glyde. Madame Fosco has been written out of the family will for marrying a foreigner and will only receive her share of the inheritance if her niece Laura dies before her. In her youth, Madame Fosco was a loud, uncontrollable, and opinionated woman who supported the “rights of women,” but she has changed drastically since her marriage to the Count. She spends most of her time rolling the Count’s cigarettes and does nothing without receiving his permission or instructions first. It is impossible to tell whether Madame Fosco is happy or not with this arrangement. The Count is extremely kind to her in public, and she displays extreme jealousy to any woman who talks to him, and extreme hatred of anyone who contradicts his opinions. Madame Fosco is not a pleasant woman; she is described as “viperish” and willingly breaks the law and conspires against her nieces to aid the Count and Sir Percival. After the Count’s death, at the hands of the Italian political organization which he has betrayed, Madame Fosco dedicates the rest of her life to writing books about Count Fosco and his political exploits. She seems to have had her spirit broken by the Count and ends up nothing but an extension of his own will and personality.
Madame Fosco Quotes in The Woman in White
The The Woman in White quotes below are all either spoken by Madame Fosco or refer to Madame Fosco. 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:
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 2 Quotes
Except in this one particular, she is always, morning, noon, and night, in-doors and out, fair weather or foul, as cold as a statue, and as impenetrable as the stone out of which it is cut. For the common purposes of society the extraordinary change thus produced in her, is, beyond all doubt, a change for the better, seeing that it has transformed her into a civil, silent, unobtrusive woman, who is never in the way. How far she is really reformed or deteriorated in her secret self, is another question. I have once or twice seen sudden changes of expression on her pinched lips, and heard sudden inflexions of tone in her calm voice, which have led me to suspect that her present state of suppression may have sealed up something dangerous in her nature, which used to evaporate harmlessly in the freedom of her former life.
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And the magician who has wrought this wonderful transformation – the foreign husband who has tamed this once wayward Englishwoman till her own relations hardly know her again – the Count himself? What of the Count? This, in two words: He looks like a man who could tame anything. If he had married a tigress, instead of a woman, he would have tamed the tigress. If he had married me, I should have made his cigarettes as his wife does – I should have held my tongue when he looked at me, as she holds hers.
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Madame Fosco Character Timeline in The Woman in White
The timeline below shows where the character Madame Fosco appears in The Woman in White. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The First Epoch: Part 2, Chapter 3
...go to whoever Laura bequeaths it to and ten thousand will go to her aunt, Madame Fosco .
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...that this is the reason why he kept the inheritance out of his sister’s reach. Madame Fosco will only receive ten thousand pounds of inheritance money if Laura dies before her. Given...
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The First Epoch: Part 3, Chapter 2
...part of their honeymoon tour with his friend Count Fosco, the husband of Laura’s aunt, Madame Fosco .
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...Fosco will heal the family rift between Laura and her aunt. She remembers her aunt—now Madame Fosco —as an outspoken and vivacious woman and wonders if her husband has calmed her at...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 1
...their return the next day. Sir Percival and Laura will also bring Count Fosco and Madame Fosco , Laura’s aunt, to stay at Blackwater for the summer. Marian does not care who...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 2
Marian then begins to describe her impressions of the Count Fosco and Madame Fosco . Madame Fosco, Marian notices, has drastically changed since her marriage. In fact, Marian has...
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...flowers and is simpering and attentive with her. “In public” he is extraordinarily kind to Madame Fosco . Marian notes that with herself, he “flatters her” by talking to her about serious...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 3
...the afternoon in the gardens and leave the house by the front door. They pass Madame Fosco , who is walking back and forth by the fountain, and Count Fosco, who bows...
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...for a walk when Sir Percival joins them and announces that he wants Count Fosco, Madame Fosco , and Laura to join him in the library to transact some business. When they...
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...she tells him that she “waits to be instructed.” Marian scoffs at this and reminds Madame Fosco that she used to advocate the rights of women. The Countess ignores her and reverently...
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...opinions about society—cannot help but laugh at the Count’s overblown reaction to losing a mouse. Madame Fosco moves reproachfully out of the boathouse and the two young women follow.
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...says that he has suddenly been called away but wonders if Laura, Count Fosco, and Madame Fosco will join him briefly in the library on a business matter. He needs a quick...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 4
...wife being the sole witnesses and would like Marian present as a witness instead of Madame Fosco . Marian follows him into the library and sees Laura behind the desk, looking anxious....
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...Marian puts her letter into the postbag, which hangs in the hall. Count Fosco and Madame Fosco are talking by the front door and Madame Fosco calls Marian over and encourages her...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 5
...entertaining. Marian remarks that she and Laura are almost as mesmerized by his stories as Madame Fosco is, and that women are unable to resist a man “who knows how to talk...
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...house—and if this might be the figure that they saw. She finds Count Fosco and Madame Fosco in the library and is convinced that they have not been out in the plantation,...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 6
...Count Fosco is in his sitting room—she hears him playing with his pet birds—and that Madame Fosco —whom she sees in the garden on her way out—does not plan to leave the...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 7
...spiteful servant. Furious, Marian flies to the library and finds Sir Percival, Count Fosco, and Madame Fosco there. Marian tells Sir Percival that there are laws in England which prevent men keeping...
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Madame Fosco suddenly announces that she will not stay in a house where ladies are mistreated—something Marian...
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...the Count is a spy and, just then, there is a knock on the door; Madame Fosco has come up to return Marian’s handkerchief. When she opens the door, her face is...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 8
...to show her the letters. Laura tells Marian to speak quietly because she has heard Madame Fosco ’s dress rustle outside her door. Marian plans to run to the village, where she...
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...to see if she has any letters to send. She declines and Marian notices that Madame Fosco rushes to make the tea. The Count plays the piano and talks with Marian about...
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...to Laura’s room for a while. When she returns to the library, she sees that Madame Fosco looks flushed and breathless. Marian asks if she is unwell, and the Countess replies that...
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The Second Epoch: Part 1, Chapter 9
...space above the library doors where the men usually sit. She has to duck under Madame Fosco ’s window—the Countess is still not in bed—and hides anxiously under the sill. As she...
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...that he will receive twenty thousand pounds and also reminds him that his own wife, Madame Fosco , will receive ten thousand. Count Fosco suggests that Sir Percival pay his debts in...
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The Second Epoch: Part 2, Chapter 1
...the night after leaving Blackwater—she ordered a cup of tea and was terribly surprised when Madame Fosco suddenly burst into her room. Madame Fosco told her that Marian sent her with some...
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The Second Epoch: Part 3, Chapter 1
The next day, Marian remained much the same and Madame Fosco prepared to travel to London. Count Fosco took her to the station and returned the...
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...for a week during Marian’s illness. Even though Marian seemed to improve during this period, Madame Fosco confided in Mrs. Michelson that she did not trust the doctor, Mr. Dawson. She wrote...
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...and that, as soon as Marian could travel, himself, Marian, Laura, and Count Fosco, and Madame Fosco would leave Blackwater Park for the rest of the summer. Mrs. Michelson was horrified and...
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The Second Epoch: Part 3, Chapter 2
...days later—having found no house that met Sir Percival’s conditions—she found that Count Fosco and Madame Fosco had left Blackwater Park to stay in London.
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...Sir Percival, who told them that Marian had gone to London with Count Fosco and Madame Fosco . Laura was horrified by this news and rushed to check Marian’s room, which was...
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The Second Epoch: Part 4, Chapter 1
...into his service in the summer and, a couple of days after Count Fosco and Madame Fosco arrived in London, was told that his niece was coming to stay and that she...
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Count Fosco appeared to be devastated by Lady Glyde’s death, and Madame Fosco was left to arrange the funeral. Hester heard that Lady Glyde was to be buried...
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The Third Epoch: Part 3, Chapter 7
Count Fosco agrees to this on three conditions. First, he and Madame Fosco are to be allowed to leave the house freely when the letter of proof is...
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...for Walter. Walter is impressed by Count Fosco’s mental strength, even though he hates him. Madame Fosco brings in the coffee and Count Fosco sits down to pen his narrative.
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...then tells Walter that he will nap briefly before his departure that morning. He calls Madame Fosco into the room to make sure that Walter does not escape while he is asleep....
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Madame Fosco gets into the cab. Count Fosco takes Walter aside for a final word. He warns...
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The Third Epoch: Part 4, Chapter 1
...he cannot tell Walter what this business was. He planned to stay at Blackwater with Madame Fosco , Sir Percival Glyde, and Sir Percival’s new wife, Laura. Both Count Fosco and Sir...
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...Sir Percival was ruined, he would not get access to the ten thousand pounds that Madame Fosco would receive if Laura died. So, Count Fosco began to track down Anne Catherick and...
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...Marian’s life when the doctor, Mr. Dawson, prescribed the wrong drugs. He also admits that Madame Fosco drugged Fanny, Laura’s maid, when she tried to carry Marian’s letters to London and that...
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He told Mrs. Clements to take Anne to London and sent Madame Fosco to follow them there, under the pretense of going to fetch a nurse for Marian....
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...of all the servants, except for Mrs. Michelson and Margaret Poacher. With the help of Madame Fosco , Sir Percival and Count Fosco moved Marian into a separate wing of the house...
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While Madame Fosco took Mrs. Clements away in a cab—allegedly to see Laura—Count Fosco sent Anne a note...
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...answering three questions which he suspects Walter might like to ask. Firstly, he says that Madame Fosco ’s devotion to him is due to the fact that she is his wife and...
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The Third Epoch: Part 5, Chapter 2
...the river. Walter states that justice came for the Count after all, and notes that Madame Fosco spent the rest of her life writing books about her husband’s political career.
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