# Renée de Pénable — Dodsworth character guide

> Renée de Pénable in Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Renée, Pénable, Madame de Pénable

**First appearance:** 0011-x

## Snapshot

A calculating Parisian hostess who collects titles, freaks, and useful Americans, and who sees in Fran a fresh attraction worth cultivating — and in Sam an obstacle worth managing.

## Who they are

Madame de Pénable presides over a salon of assorted European titles, a judicious freak or two, and the choicest American visitors, and she recognizes at once that Fran's naive freshness is a novelty her circle craves. She also sees that Sam, dull but devoted, will keep Fran from snatching the men Renée wants for herself, so she cultivates the Dodsworths with enthusiasm. Her glittering Paris — rides in the Bois, Burgundy lore, icy dancing haunts — becomes the hothouse where Fran's restlessness blooms and Sam first feels like a passenger in his own marriage.

## Relationships

### [Sam Dodsworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/characters/sam_dodsworth)

_social_

A sophisticated French socialite who interacts with Sam in European social circles, often with flirtatious undertones.

### [Fran Dodsworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/characters/fran_dodsworth)

_social_

Fran and Renée move in the same European social circles, with a mix of rivalry and superficial friendship.

### [Fran Dodsworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/characters/fran_dodsworth)

_social_

Fran and Renée move in the same European social circles, with a mix of rivalry and superficial friendship.

### [Sam Dodsworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/characters/sam_dodsworth)

_social_

A sophisticated French socialite who interacts with Sam in European social circles, often with flirtatious undertones.

### [Sam Dodsworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/characters/sam_dodsworth)

_social_

A sophisticated French socialite who interacts with Sam in European social circles, often with flirtatious undertones.

## In the story

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/chapters/xiv)

A mysterious, redheaded woman who seems to know everyone influential. She invites the Dodsworths to lunch, and Sam suspects she is an international spy.

### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/chapters/xv)

Dominates the Dodsworths' social life; cultivates Fran for her novelty; surrounds herself with titled Europeans and carefully selected eccentrics; insists Fran have her portrait painted by M. Saurier.

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/chapters/xix)

Mentioned in Fran's letter as a source of distress; Fran accuses her of beastliness and gossip.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/characters/renee_de_penable
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dodsworth_se/characters