# Lisa Vivanti — The Venetians character guide > Lisa Vivanti in The Venetians by M. E. Braddon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Lisa, Vivanti, Little Lisa, Vansittart Lisa **First appearance:** 0000-i-in-the-city-by-the-sea ## Snapshot A Burano lace-maker's daughter rescued from poverty by a stranger's generosity, whose gratitude is complicated by the false name and hidden motives behind it. ## Who they are Lisa Vivanti, eldest of a swarm of children, escapes a brutal father and a life of being one mouth too many when Vansittart installs her and her aunt in a furnished London flat under the name Smith. She is impulsive, uneducated, and rapturously grateful — qualities Vansittart counts on and quietly condescends to. Her musical gifts and her connection to a man who once lodged in the Campo Goldoni as Smith make her a living thread between the Venetian past and the English present. ## Relationships ### [Eve Marchant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/eve_marchant) _friendship_ Eve and Lisa share a close, supportive friendship, often confiding in each other amidst the social pressures around them. ### [Mr. Sefton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/mr_sefton) _psychological_ Lisa is drawn into Mr. Sefton's orbit, experiencing his charm and manipulation, creating a complex, uneasy bond. ### [la Zia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/la_zia) _family_ La Zia is Lisa's aunt, a traditional figure who pressures Lisa to conform to family expectations. ### [Signor Zinco](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/signor_zinco) _romantic_ Signor Zinco is a suitor to Lisa, and their relationship is marked by flirtation and cultural tension. ### [Eve Marchant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/eve_marchant) _friendship_ Eve and Lisa share a close, supportive friendship, often confiding in each other amidst the social pressures around them. ### [Eve Marchant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/eve_marchant) _friendship_ Eve and Lisa share a close, supportive friendship, often confiding in each other amidst the social pressures around them. ### [Mr. Sefton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/mr_sefton) _psychological_ Lisa is drawn into Mr. Sefton's orbit, experiencing his charm and manipulation, creating a complex, uneasy bond. ### [la Zia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/la_zia) _family_ La Zia is Lisa's aunt, a traditional figure who pressures Lisa to conform to family expectations. ### [Mr. Sefton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/mr_sefton) _psychological_ Lisa is drawn into Mr. Sefton's orbit, experiencing his charm and manipulation, creating a complex, uneasy bond. ### [Signor Zinco](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/signor_zinco) _romantic_ Signor Zinco is a suitor to Lisa, and their relationship is marked by flirtation and cultural tension. ### [la Zia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/la_zia) _family_ La Zia is Lisa's aunt, a traditional figure who pressures Lisa to conform to family expectations. ### [Signor Zinco](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/signor_zinco) _romantic_ Signor Zinco is a suitor to Lisa, and their relationship is marked by flirtation and cultural tension. ## In the story ### [In the City by the Sea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/i-in-the-city-by-the-sea) A beautiful, vivacious Venetian girl from Burano. She is being educated by a mysterious English gentleman and enjoys the luxuries Vansittart provides. ### [Afterthoughts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/ii-afterthoughts) Referred to as Fiordelisa, the Venetian girl at the center of the fatal brawl. ### [IX: “Though Love, and Life, and Death Should Come and Go”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/ix-though-love-and-life-and-death-should-come-and-go) Writes to Vansittart, forgives him, and promises loyalty; she is living with la Zia in modest circumstances. ### [X: “As Things That Are Not Shall These Things Be”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/x-as-things-that-are-not-shall-these-things-be) Delighted with the new home and grateful to Vansittart. She is childlike and impulsive, pouting when he insists on calling her 'Madame Vivanti'. ### [XIV: As a Spirit from Dream to Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xiv-as-a-spirit-from-dream-to-dream) Lisa is working hard on her English and singing, hoping for an engagement in a comic opera, and is happy to see Vansittart again. ### [XV: “Love Should Be Absolute Love”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xv-love-should-be-absolute-love) Accompanies Vansittart on the Embankment; her presence triggers his anxiety about being recognized and his alias. ### [XVI: To Live Forgotten and Love Forlorn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xvi-to-live-forgotten-and-love-forlorn) Desperately in love with Vansittart, she pleads with him not to abandon her, even attempting suicide in her despair. ### [XIX: “He Said, ‘She Has a Lovely Face’ ”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xix-he-said-she-has-a-lovely-face) Blushes when reminded of a past acquaintance; sings at the Hawberks' party; lives modestly and rejects a diamond bracelet. ### [So Very Wilful](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxii-so-very-wilful) Grieves passionately over Vansittart's rejection, refusing to eat or rise; eventually heeds Zinco's advice to recover her voice and looks. ### [The Little Rift](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxiii-the-little-rift) Lisa, now a famous singer known as Signora Vivanti, encounters Vansittart and Eve on the river. Her familiar greeting to Vansittart creates a rift between the couple. She later performs at Lady Hartley's party. ### [XXIV: “Poor Kind Wild Eyes So Dashed with Light Quick Tears”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxiv-poor-kind-wild-eyes-so-dashed-with-light-quick-tears) Receives Vansittart's warning, agrees to dismiss Sefton, and expresses her lingering love for Vansittart. ### [XXV: “And Every Gentle Passion Sick to Death”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxv-and-every-gentle-passion-sick-to-death) Defends herself against Sefton's accusations, declaring she will never love him. ### [Closer and Closer Swam the Thundercloud](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxvi-closer-and-closer-swam-the-thundercloud) Her portrait is the centerpiece of Sefton's room, causing Sophy's distress. ### [XXVII: “Thou Mayst Be False and Yet I Know It Not”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxvii-thou-mayst-be-false-and-yet-i-know-it-not) Mentioned as the object of Sefton's affection and the cause of Eve's jealousy. ### [XXVIII: In the Blue Chamber](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxviii-in-the-blue-chamber) Reveals the identity of Paolo's father and defends Vansittart's kindness. ### [XXXI: “Oh Tell Her, Brief Is Life, but Love Is Long”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/chapters/xxxi-oh-tell-her-brief-is-life-but-love-is-long) Now a successful London prima donna, living frugally with her aunt, saving money and investing in railway shares, dreaming of a house in Venice. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters/lisa_vivanti - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_venetians_se/characters