# Albertine Simonet — In Search of Lost Time character guide > Albertine Simonet in In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Esther, Albertine, the little Simonet, Simonet, Mademoiselle Albertine **First appearance:** 0012-part-ii-seascape-with-frieze-of-girls ## Snapshot A radiant, evasive young woman from Balbec whose shifting lies and easy charm turn the narrator's love into a prison he builds himself. ## Who they are She arrives in the narrator's life as part of a band of girls on the Balbec promenade — athletic, careless, faintly scandalous — and gradually becomes the fixed point around which his jealousy orbits. Her opacity is her power: every answer she gives seems to conceal another life, and the narrator's need to know her completely curdles into surveillance and captivity. She matters because she forces the book's central question about love — whether we can ever possess another person, or only our own image of them — into its most concrete and painful form. ## In the story ### [Volume II: Within a Budding Grove](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/volume-ii-within-a-budding-grove) A young woman who becomes a central figure in the narrator's affections. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-i) Mentioned in the context of the narrator's past romantic ideas, now set free by her coldness. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Visits the narrator unexpectedly; agrees to help order dinner; represents past love and social ties. ### [Cities of the Plain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/volume-iv-cities-of-the-plain) Albertine's relationship with the narrator continues to be a source of jealousy and uncertainty, reflecting themes of love and illusion. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-i) The narrator has an appointment with her, which he prioritizes over attending the ball. ### [The Heart's Intermissions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-the-heart-s-intermissions) Mentioned as someone Françoise reports to the narrator, who decides not to see her that day. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-ii) Begins to inspire a desire for happiness in the narrator; he longs for her to resume their former amusements. ### [II (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-continued) Travels with the narrator; apologizes for the Saint-Loup incident; expresses desire to never quarrel again and to be nice to each other. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) She is waiting for the narrator at Saint-Jean de la Haise, where she paints, and he thinks of her constantly during his travels. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) Albertine is revealed to be a friend of Mlle. Vinteuil and her companion, confirming the narrator's suspicions about her Sapphic tendencies. ### [The Captive](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/volume-v-the-captive) Living with the narrator as his captive, she is both the object of his desire and the source of his anxiety. ### [Life with Albertine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-i-life-with-albertine) Lives with the narrator; her presence both soothes and traps him; he contemplates marriage and her potential infidelity. ### [II: The Verdurins Quarrel with M. de Charlus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-ii-the-verdurins-quarrel-with-m-de-charlus) Remains at home; the narrator notes her changed demeanor and his own jealous desire to keep her less attractive. ### [II (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-continued) Referenced in the narrator's reflections on his love for her as part of his artistic and emotional development. ### [Flight of Albertine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-ii-iii-flight-of-albertine) Albertine is the object of the narrator's obsessive jealousy; she lies about her intentions and slips up in conversation, revealing her secret desires and eventually fleeing. ### [Volume VI: The Sweet Cheat Gone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/volume-vi-the-sweet-cheat-gone) Though absent, Albertine's memory dominates the chapter; her departure and death are the central events that drive the narrator's introspection. ### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/dedication) Referenced as 'the poor Albertine' who has disappeared. ### [I: Grief and Oblivion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/i-grief-and-oblivion) Albertine has left the narrator, and her letter stating 'my decision is irrevocable' causes him acute pain. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters/albertine - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters