# Madame Lalande — Short Fiction character guide

> Madame Lalande in Short Fiction by Edgar Allan Poe.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** de Madame Stephanie Lalande, Madame Stephanie Lalande

**First appearance:** 0047-the-spectacles

## Snapshot

A beguiling French widow whose wit and charm conceal a scheme aimed squarely at a vain young man's self-regard.

## Who they are

Madame Lalande moves through Parisian society as a captivating widow, drawing the eager attention of a narrator convinced of his own discernment. Her elegance and composure mask a design that turns his vanity against him. What begins as flirtation becomes a quiet trap, and her true purpose shapes the story's comic and unsettling turn.

## In the story

### [Why the Little Frenchman Wears His Hand in a Sling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters/why-the-little-frenchman-wears-his-hand-in-a-sling)

The widow next door, object of affection for both Sir Pathrick and the Frenchman.

### [The Spectacles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters/the-spectacles)

The beautiful widow the narrator initially pursues, later revealed to be his great-great-grandmother who orchestrates a hoax.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_14_se/characters/madame_lalande
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_14_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_14_se/characters