# Odette de Crécy — In Search of Lost Time character guide

> Odette de Crécy in In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Odette, de Crécy, de Forcheville, Mme. Swann

**First appearance:** 0005-swann-in-love

## Snapshot

A courtesan of dubious reputation and considerable beauty who, by patience and luck, transforms herself into the most fashionable hostess in Paris.

## Who they are

When Swann first meets her she is a woman kept by various men, received in the Verdurins' exclusive little clan, and by no means obviously destined for greatness. Her power lies in a certain passivity and adaptability — she is whatever the men around her need her to be, and she outlasts them all. Her trajectory from demimonde to the Faubourg Saint-Germain is one of the novel's quietest and most devastating social comedies, and her marriage to Swann makes her the stepmother of the narrator's first love.

## In the story

### [Swann's Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/volume-i-swann-s-way)

Swann's beloved, a courtesan whose image is intertwined with art and illusion.

### [Swann in Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/swann-in-love)

Odette's forgetfulness of Swann and her lies about her whereabouts intensify his agitation and attachment.

### [Place-Names: The Name](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/place-names-the-name)

Mme. Swann is observed by the narrator in the Champs-Élysées, both on foot and in her carriage, embodying elegance and social allure.

### [Madame Swann at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-madame-swann-at-home)

Odette is the object of Swann's past jealousy, particularly regarding an afternoon in the Rue Lapérouse and her possible infidelity with Forcheville.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/part-i-i)

Described as having risen socially, now hosting high society figures like Comtesse Molé, and maintaining a calm demeanor at the theatre.

### [I: Grief and Oblivion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/i-grief-and-oblivion)

Odette is mentioned in the comparison between Swann's love for her and the narrator's love for Albertine.

### [II: Mademoiselle de Forcheville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/chapters/ii-mademoiselle-de-forcheville)

After Swann's death, she marries Forcheville and becomes an extremely rich widow. Her grief for Swann is noted as profound and sincere.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_search_of_lost_time_se/characters/odette
- 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