# Mrs. Aldwinkle — Those Barren Leaves character guide > Mrs. Aldwinkle in Those Barren Leaves by Aldous Huxley. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Elisa Bacciochi, Elisa Bonaparte **First appearance:** 0000-part-i-an-evening-at-mrs-aldwinkle-s ## Snapshot A wealthy, flame-coloured hostess who fancies herself a reincarnated Bonaparte of the arts and turns her Italian villa into a stage for culture and matchmaking. ## Who they are Mrs. Aldwinkle presides over her villa as a self-appointed patroness, encouraging every young guest toward painting, poetry, or music and repeating words like 'disinterested' when phrases fail her. Her earnest cult of Art and her imperious arrangements of other people's lives mask a hunger to be admired and a temperament without the powers to match. She is the gravitational force of the novel's social world, at once ridiculous and genuinely moving in her longing to matter. ## In the story ### [Part I: An Evening at Mrs. Aldwinkle’s](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/part-i-an-evening-at-mrs-aldwinkle-s) Hostess of the evening, presiding over the gathering at her palace. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as having promoted Calamy to greatness and provided Miss Thriplow with a misleading, glamorous account of his character. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/ii) Returns to the palace, jealous of Calamy's time with Miss Thriplow, and insists on personally showing him the palace and its history. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/iii) Hosts the dinner; reacts with enthusiasm to art references, challenges Mr. Cardan's views on women, and rises to lead the company into the garden. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/iv) Leads the evening promenade, passionately defends the grandeur of passion, and is indignant at Miss Thriplow's jokes about Italian tenors. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as sitting outside on the terrace, refusing to come indoors despite the cold, which Mr. Cardan humorously notes will result in rheumatism. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/vi) Passionately advocates for art as the highest life; encourages Irene's artistic pursuits; annoyed by Irene's shivering. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/vii) Struggles to say goodnight, fearing the loss of potential happiness or revelations; tries to control her guests' bedtime and discusses Calamy's character. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/viii) Mrs. Aldwinkle is in a gloomy mood, lamenting aging and the loss of friends. She takes pleasure in the hair-brushing ritual and in orchestrating romantic intrigue, teasing Irene about Hovenden and reveling in the drama of love. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/i) Salonnière and hostess; first seen in a patino on the Tyrrhenian Sea, described as a 'Chinese lantern' under a green parasol. Chelifer recalls her earlier invitation to a dinner. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/vi) Appears as the 'Chinese lantern lady' who invites Chelifer to stay at her house after his rescue. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/vii) Hostess; solicitous but domineering, insists on showing Chelifer the palace despite his exhaustion. ### [Part III: The Loves of the Parallels](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/part-iii-the-loves-of-the-parallels) Mrs. Aldwinkle's manipulative presence influences the parallel love dynamics. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/i) Obsessed with Chelifer, she imagines herself as his savior and muse, but grows frustrated by his evasiveness and her inability to possess him. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/ii) Walks with Chelifer on the terrace, part of the romantic pairings observed by Cardan and Falx. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/iii) Walks with Chelifer, speaking at length about her own sensitivity and claiming to intuitively understand him. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/iv) Reluctantly admits differences in artistic achievement between men and women but argues for women's freedom in love. ### [Mrs. Chelifer's Arrival](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/x) Insists on hosting Mrs. Chelifer but secretly dislikes her; treats her with gushing affection to keep Chelifer nearby. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/xi) Absorbed by her unhappy passion for Chelifer, discusses skin care and speculates about Hovenden's sexuality. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/xii) Mentioned as someone who would describe Calamy as 'queer'. ### [Part IV: The Journey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/part-iv-the-journey) Organizes and leads the journey to Rome, asserting her authority over the group. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/i) Travels in the limousine; her caprice results in Irene riding with Hovenden; she eats dust when Hovenden passes her car. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/ii) Admires Filippo Lippi for running off with a young girl from a convent school. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/iii) Claims Rome as her private property and defends Michelangelo against Chelifer's dismissal. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/iv) Tours Rome with Chelifer, hoping romantic settings will arouse his emotions; shares confidences about past affairs but is rebuffed. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/v) Brightens momentarily when Mr. Cardan praises the Italian language and passion, though she remains gloomy overall. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/vi) Dismisses Irene's curiosity about children, pretexts a headache, and is found absent from her bed during Miss Elver's crisis. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/viii) Takes charge, ordering Hovenden to fetch a specialist from Rome; she is particular about doctors and has had many refined illnesses. ### [Part V: Conclusions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/part-v-conclusions) Present in the final chapters, her role in the narrative is resolved. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/chapters/ii) Returns from Montefiascone low-spirited, feels everyone is slipping away, and later confronts Irene about her plans to marry Hovenden, revealing her possessiveness and fear of loneliness. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/characters/mrs_aldwinkle - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/those_barren_leaves_se/characters