# Edith Leete — Looking Backward character guide > Edith Leete in Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Edith **First appearance:** 0004-iii ## Snapshot Dr. Leete's daughter, whose serene frankness and quick tact make the strange new world feel habitable to a disoriented man from 1887. ## Who they are Edith Leete strikes Julian at once with a directness he calls more like a noble boy's than any girl's he knew, a quality he suspects may belong to her century rather than her alone. She reads his embarrassment at Mr. Barton's sermon and quietly offers to spare him it, showing the tact that smooths his entry into the household. Her presence gives the novel its warmth, and Julian's curiosity about her becomes entangled with his curiosity about the age that produced her. ## Relationships ### [Julian West](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/julian_west) _romantic_ Duplicate entry: Edith and Julian's romantic bond is the central relationship of the novel. ### [Dr. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/dr_leete) _family_ Dr. Leete is Edith's father, a caring and proud parent who supports her relationship with Julian. ### [Mrs. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/mrs_leete) _family_ Edith and Mrs. Leete are mother and daughter, sharing a warm and supportive household. ### [Mr. Barton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/mr_barton) _social_ Edith and Mr. Barton are acquaintances in the utopian society, likely sharing social or community circles. ### [Sawyer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/sawyer) _professional_ Edith interacts with Sawyer as a household servant, with a polite but formal relationship. ### [Edith Bartlett](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/edith_bartlett) _social_ Edith Bartlett is Julian's former fiancée from the 19th century, and Edith Leete is her descendant, creating a symbolic connection. ### [Berrian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/berrian) _social_ Berrian is a minor character who interacts with Edith Leete in social settings. ### [Julian West](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/julian_west) _romantic_ Duplicate entry: Edith and Julian's romantic bond is the central relationship of the novel. ### [Dr. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/dr_leete) _family_ Dr. Leete is Edith's father, a caring and proud parent who supports her relationship with Julian. ### [Julian West](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/julian_west) _romantic_ Duplicate entry: Edith and Julian's romantic bond is the central relationship of the novel. ### [Mrs. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/mrs_leete) _family_ Edith and Mrs. Leete are mother and daughter, sharing a warm and supportive household. ### [Dr. Leete](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/characters/dr_leete) _family_ Dr. Leete is Edith's father, a caring and proud parent who supports her relationship with Julian. ## In the story ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as Dr. Leete's daughter who first noticed the buried vault. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/iv) Edith Leete is introduced as a beautiful young woman who fascinates Julian with her appearance and intense gaze. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/viii) Finds Julian in distress, offers sympathy and comfort, and promises to help him adjust to the new era. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/ix) Interrupts the conversation to speak with her father and invites Julian to accompany her to the store. ### [Shopping in the Twentieth Century](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/x) Edith guides Julian through the shopping process, explaining the sample system, the role of clerks, and the principle that personal taste determines spending since incomes are equal. ### [Chapter XI: Inheritance, Domestic Service, and the Music of the Future](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xi) Guides Julian to the music room and demonstrates the telephone-based music system. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xiii) Suggests dining at the Elephant, introduces Julian to the library of classic authors, and leaves him to read. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xiv) Walks with Julian, asks about sidewalk coverings, and comments on the private umbrella as a symbol of the old era. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xv) Gives Julian a copy of Berrian's novel Penthesilia to read, and participates in the conversation about literature. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xvi) Rises early to prevent Julian from wandering alone, arranges flowers, and shares a heartfelt conversation about his experience and her role in his recovery. ### [Chapter XVII: The Logic of Production and Distribution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xvii) Mentioned as having tutored Julian at the sample store earlier. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xix) Gently corrects Julian's sense of generational pride, calling the 20th century 'his generation.' ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xx) Accompanies Julian to the chamber, offers comfort, and shows deep empathy for his past loss. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxiii) Edith becomes extremely embarrassed when Julian asks about the secret, blushes deeply, and extracts a promise from him not to seek the answer from others. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxiv) Edith blushes when greeting Julian at breakfast but is self-possessed. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxv) Julian is preoccupied with thoughts of her; her serene frankness and directness are noted. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/looking_backward_se/chapters/xxvii) Comforts Julian in his despair, reveals her love for him, and expresses a spiritual connection to her great-grandmother Edith Bartlett. ## 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