Short Fiction · Character

Yvette

A beautiful young woman raised among the demimonde, caught between her mother's world of calculated pleasure and her own longing for something she can believe in.

major

Also known as Mam'zelle Yvette, Mam'zelle, Hip - Hip - Hurrah—Mam'zelle Yvette

First appearance: short fiction

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Yvette is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Yveline Samoris, the virtuous daughter who overhears gossip about her mother, confronts her, and ultimately commits suicide by chloroform.

In the storyMother and DaughterOpen this moment free

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Yvette has grown up in a Parisian milieu where charm is currency and love is a transaction, and she has learned to wield her beauty without yet understanding its cost. Her mother, a courtesan, wants her to marry respectably, while the men around her see only the daughter of her mother's trade. Her struggle to choose between the life she was raised for and the love she imagines makes her the story's restless, sympathetic center.

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Character Web

14 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Eccentricity and Obsession
Social Hypocrisy and Class

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when Leuillet receives news of Souris’s sudden death and experienc…

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In the story

Yvette appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Mother and Daughter
Yveline Samoris, the virtuous daughter who overhears gossip about her mother, confronts her, and ultimately commits suicide by chloroform.
Rose
Simone, the other young woman in the landau, engages in conversation about love and servants.
Yvette
The central character, a young woman whose actions and desires drive the chapter's narrative.
I
The Marquise's eighteen-year-old daughter, a mysterious and captivating figure who is the object of Servigny's desire and confusion.
II
Innocently reports Servigny's marriage proposal to her mother, showing both naivety and determination; later wakes Servigny with gravel, eager to discuss a scheme.
III
Yvette is the central figure, grappling with the revelation of her mother's secret. She moves from tearful confusion to a dramatic, determined stance, insisting on a new, honest life.
IV
Contemplates suicide to avoid becoming a kept woman; procures chloroform and attempts to kill herself; is revived by Servigny.
III
Not present in this chapter.

Chapter companion notes

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See Yvette in short fiction

See Yvette in Mother and Daughter