# Madame de Bargeton — Lost Illusions character guide

> Madame de Bargeton in Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Louise de Nègrepelisse, Anaïs, Naïs, Marie-Louise-Anaïs de Nègrepelisse

**First appearance:** 0002-part-i-two-poets

## Snapshot

The queen of Angoulême society who mistakes her vanity for passion and discovers, too late, that Paris keeps a colder ledger than the provinces.

## Who they are

Louise de Bargeton rules her provincial salon with the authority of a woman who has read everything and been nowhere, and when she falls for Lucien's poetry she convinces herself it is love. In Paris, stripped of her local throne and confronted by the shabbiness of her poet beside the polished Châtelet, she begins the long retreat from her own declarations. Her abandonment of Lucien is not villainy but self-preservation, and it sets in motion the machinery of his disillusionment.

## Relationships

### [Lucien Chardon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/characters/lucien_chardon)

_romantic_

Lucien is initially the protégé and lover of Madame de Bargeton, but she later abandons him for social advancement.

### [Lucien Chardon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/characters/lucien_chardon)

_romantic_

Lucien is initially the protégé and lover of Madame de Bargeton, but she later abandons him for social advancement.

### [Lucien Chardon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/characters/lucien_chardon)

_romantic_

Lucien is initially the protégé and lover of Madame de Bargeton, but she later abandons him for social advancement.

## In the story

### [Lost Illusions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/chapters/lost-illusions)

The provincial aristocrat who initially supports Lucien but abandons him in Paris, symbolizing the fickleness of high society.

### [Part I: Two Poets](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/chapters/part-i-two-poets)

Though not directly present in the chapter, she is a central figure in Lucien's thoughts and David's concerns. She represents the allure of high society and the potential for Lucien's corruption.

### [Part II: A Distinguished Provincial at Paris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/chapters/part-ii-a-distinguished-provincial-at-paris)

Travels with Lucien to Paris, but her pride and reflection lead to a change in attitude; she is later involved in plots against Lucien.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/characters/madame_de_bargeton
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_illusions_se/characters