# Berenice Fleming — The Titan character guide > Berenice Fleming in The Titan by Theodore Dreiser. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Berenice, Miss Fleming, Miss Berenice Fleming, Mrs. Fleming Berenice Fleming **First appearance:** 0040-xli-the-daughter-of-mrs-fleming ## Snapshot A serene, self-possessed young woman whose family scandal has closed drawing-room doors, she moves through marriage markets with an inward superiority that never wavers. ## Who they are Berenice—Bevy—has been made persona non grata by her mother's reputation, yet she carries herself as though the world's opinion were a minor inconvenience. Suitors like Bowdoin and Marcado fall away once whispers reach them, and she watches each retreat with disdainful clarity, knowing the drawing-rooms are simply marriage markets. Her cool self-possession and refusal to be diminished set her apart from the women Cowperwood has known, and the novel's later arc turns on what that difference will mean. ## Relationships ### [Aileen Cowperwood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/aileen_cowperwood) _rivalry_ Aileen bitterly resents Berenice as the woman who stole Frank's affection and ultimately replaces her as his wife. ### [Lieutenant Braxmar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/lieutenant_braxmar) _romantic_ Lieutenant Braxmar is a respectable suitor who courts Berenice before she fully commits to Frank, representing a conventional alternative. ### [Aileen Cowperwood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/aileen_cowperwood) _rivalry_ Aileen bitterly resents Berenice as the woman who stole Frank's affection and ultimately replaces her as his wife. ### [Lieutenant Braxmar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/lieutenant_braxmar) _romantic_ Lieutenant Braxmar is a respectable suitor who courts Berenice before she fully commits to Frank, representing a conventional alternative. ### [Aileen Cowperwood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/aileen_cowperwood) _rivalry_ Aileen bitterly resents Berenice as the woman who stole Frank's affection and ultimately replaces her as his wife. ### [Lieutenant Braxmar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/lieutenant_braxmar) _romantic_ Lieutenant Braxmar is a respectable suitor who courts Berenice before she fully commits to Frank, representing a conventional alternative. ## In the story ### [A Trip to Louisville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xl-a-trip-to-louisville) Daughter of Hattie Starr; described as a 'lady born' with great charm; Cowperwood obtains and frames her photograph. ### [XLI: The Daughter of Mrs. Fleming](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xli-the-daughter-of-mrs-fleming) Introduced as a student at the Brewster School; described as tall, delicate, with reddish-bronze hair and deep blue eyes; self-possessed, artistic, and disdainful of school life; meets Cowperwood for the first time. ### [F. A. Cowperwood, Guardian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xlii-f-a-cowperwood-guardian) Playful and aloof, plays tetherball, receives mail, dances at Saddler's, teases Cowperwood. ### [XLV: Changing Horizons](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xlv-changing-horizons) The object of Cowperwood's growing passion; her beauty and indifference drive his desire to be near her. ### [XLVI: Depths and Heights](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xlvi-depths-and-heights) Captivates Cowperwood with her charm and intellect during a bird-catching episode and a seaside outing at Southampton. ### [A New York Mansion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/l-a-new-york-mansion) Visits the new mansion with her mother; shares a love of art with Cowperwood; he hints at his loneliness and desire for her. ### [The Revival of Hattie Starr](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/li-the-revival-of-hattie-starr) Reflects on her future and the pressure to marry for money; considers Braxmar but is drawn to Cowperwood. ### [Behind the Arras](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/lii-behind-the-arras) Discovers Cowperwood's financial support and her mother's past; rejects Braxmar's proposal; begins to see life's ugly facts. ### [LIII: A Declaration of Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/liii-a-declaration-of-love) Contemplates leaving society to teach dancing; receives Cowperwood's declaration of love. ### [Wanted—Fifty-Year Franchises](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/liv-wanted-fifty-year-franchises) Cowperwood's confession is accepted but she remains distant, embodying the beauty and culture he craves. ### [LVI: The Ordeal of Berenice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/lvi-the-ordeal-of-berenice) Struggles with Cowperwood's proposal for a house, feeling trapped yet tempted; observes Aileen at the opera and reflects on her own future; explores art and dance as alternatives. ### [LVII: Aileen’s Last Card](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/lvii-aileen-s-last-card) The new woman in Cowperwood's life, discovered by Aileen in Central Park and later identified as the object of Cowperwood's affection. ### [LX: The Net](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/lx-the-net) Grapples with her growing attraction to Cowperwood while facing social exclusion; begins to adopt his philosophy of self-creation. ### [LXII: The Recompense](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/lxii-the-recompense) Arrives unexpectedly at Cowperwood's house, declaring she has made up her mind to be with him, offering emotional support and a shared future. ### [In Retrospect](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/in-retrospect) Described as Cowperwood's beloved, for whom he acquires a London palace; she is weary yet brilliant, turning to others for recompense for her lost youth. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/berenice_fleming - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters