Father Goriot · Character

Madame Vauquer

The proprietress of the Maison Vauquer, a widow of pretended noble descent who runs her shabby pension with gossip, thrift, and self-serving piety.

supporting

Also known as Mme. Vauquer, Vauquer, Mamma Vauquer

First appearance: Father Goriot

As a supporting figure in Father Goriot, Madame Vauquer is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Gossips about Goriot's past and his financial decline, and speculates about his character.

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Mme. Vauquer presides over her lodgers' dinners, rents, and reputations with equal attention, measuring every boarder by the size of their purse and the state of their linen. Her house, its blistered Cupid and dusty lime-trees, is a miniature of Parisian society, where fortunes rise and fall at the table. Her petty calculations and shifting loyalties make her both comic and chilling as the tragedy unfolds around her.

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The fuller portrait of Madame Vauquer sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Madame Vauquer in Father Goriot

Character Web

25 connections

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

Relationship types

Professional
Social
Other

Character groups

Main narrative characters
Protagonist

+20 more in the full Character Web

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Relationships

Eugène de Rastignac
professional · ambivalent
Madame Vauquer is Eugène's landlady, and their relationship is that of tenant and… How this plays out →
Delphine de Nucingen
social · negative
Eugène de Rastignac
professional · ambivalent
Madame Vauquer is Eugène's landlady, and their relationship is that of tenant and… How this plays out →
Delphine de Nucingen
social · negative
Eugène de Rastignac
professional · ambivalent
Madame Vauquer is Eugène's landlady, and their relationship is that of tenant and… How this plays out →
Delphine de Nucingen
social · negative

Eugène de Rastignac
Madame Vauquer is Eugène's landlady, and their relationship is that of tenant and boarding house owner, tinged with her maternal interest.
Delphine de Nucingen
Delphine occasionally visits the boarding house to see her father, maintaining a strained social acquaintance with Madame Vauquer.
Eugène de Rastignac
Madame Vauquer is Eugène's landlady, and their relationship is that of tenant and boarding house owner, tinged with her maternal interest.
Delphine de Nucingen
Delphine occasionally visits the boarding house to see her father, maintaining a strained social acquaintance with Madame Vauquer.
Eugène de Rastignac
Madame Vauquer is Eugène's landlady, and their relationship is that of tenant and boarding house owner, tinged with her maternal interest.
Delphine de Nucingen
Delphine occasionally visits the boarding house to see her father, maintaining a strained social acquaintance with Madame Vauquer.

Relationship notes

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

See Madame Vauquer in Father Goriot

In the story

Madame Vauquer appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Father Goriot

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Madame Vauquer unlock in the free preview.

See Madame Vauquer in Father Goriot