Cimarron · Character

Felice Venable

Sabra's Southern cousin, whose visits bring lavender-scented linen, stately silver, and the old Venable disapproval of everything frontier Oklahoma has made of the family.

supporting

Also known as Felice, a Venable, Venable

First appearance: I

As a supporting figure in Cimarron, Felice Venable is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Matriarch of the Venable family, who laments the absence of Southern customs and is indifferent to the bustling Wichita society.

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Felice belongs to the Louisiana branch of the Venables, the clan whose chests of linen and flashing sideboards represent the tradition Sabra left behind. She and her relatives call Cimarron by his full Spanish name, a small act of correction that stings Sabra into realizing how much of Yancey she has let shape her son. Through Felice's genteel shock at the raw new country, the novel measures the distance between the Old South Sabra came from and the rough town she is helping to build.

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See Felice Venable in I

Character Web

20 connections

A slice of how Felice Venable sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Family
Other

Character groups

Core Cravat Family & Allies
Extended Community & Osage Relations
Protagonist

+15 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it marks the psychological and emotional peak where Oklahoma, personified…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Sabra Cravat
family · negative
Sabra's mother, a refined Southern lady who disapproves of Sabra's frontier life and… How this plays out →
Yancey Cravat
family · negative
Yancey Cravat
family · negative
Sabra Cravat
family · negative
Sabra's mother, a refined Southern lady who disapproves of Sabra's frontier life and… How this plays out →
Sabra Cravat
family · negative
Sabra's mother, a refined Southern lady who disapproves of Sabra's frontier life and… How this plays out →
Yancey Cravat
family · negative

Sabra Cravat
Sabra's mother, a refined Southern lady who disapproves of Sabra's frontier life and Yancey's influence.
Yancey Cravat
Mother-in-law and son-in-law, with Felice viewing Yancey as an irresponsible adventurer who ruined her daughter's prospects.
Yancey Cravat
Mother-in-law and son-in-law, with Felice viewing Yancey as an irresponsible adventurer who ruined her daughter's prospects.
Sabra Cravat
Sabra's mother, a refined Southern lady who disapproves of Sabra's frontier life and Yancey's influence.
Sabra Cravat
Sabra's mother, a refined Southern lady who disapproves of Sabra's frontier life and Yancey's influence.
Yancey Cravat
Mother-in-law and son-in-law, with Felice viewing Yancey as an irresponsible adventurer who ruined her daughter's prospects.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Felice Venable in I

In the story

Felice Venable appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I
Matriarch of the Venable family, who laments the absence of Southern customs and is indifferent to the bustling Wichita society.
Chapter II
Vehemently opposes Yancey's plan to take Sabra and Cim to Oklahoma, insisting on her Southern refinement.
III
Mentioned as Sabra's mother who is 'wild' about the move.
IV
Opposes the departure, takes to her bed, and issues contradictory orders while trailing about the house in a white dimity wrapper.
XII
Criticizes Sabra's appearance and life choices; represents the old Southern gentility Sabra is leaving behind.
Chapter XIV
Sabra's mother, mentioned as a model for Sabra's hysterical 'Marcy temperament' display.
Chapter XV
Visits from Wichita with other Venables to bring Sabra home, but is rebuffed; she scorns Yancey's memory.
Chapter XX
Mentioned as Donna's grandmother, critical of Yancey and approving of Donna's pragmatism.

Chapter companion notes

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See Felice Venable in I