# Ginevra Fanshawe — Villette character guide > Ginevra Fanshawe in Villette by Charlotte Brontë. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Miss Ginevra Fanshawe, Miss Fanshawe, Ginevra, Fanshawe, Ginevra Laura De Hamal **First appearance:** 0007-viii-madame-beck ## Snapshot A dazzling, self-absorbed pupil who treats flirtation as a fine art and other people's feelings as scenery. ## Who they are Ginevra Fanshawe is beautiful, witty, and utterly without conscience where men are concerned — she strings along Dr. John while angling for a wealthier match. Her letters to her rich uncle are business documents; her charm is a currency she spends freely. She matters because she exposes the gap between what men imagine women to be and what they actually are, and because Lucy's clear-eyed contempt for her is one of the novel's sharpest pleasures. ## Relationships ### [John Graham Bretton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/john_graham_bretton) _romantic_ Ginevra flirts with and manipulates John Graham, who is infatuated with her beauty and charm. ### [Madame Beck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/madame_beck) _professional_ Ginevra is a student at Madame Beck's school, and Madame Beck tolerates her with cool pragmatism. ### [Lucy Snowe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/lucy_snowe) _friendship_ Ginevra confides in Lucy and uses her as a confidante, though their friendship is one-sided and self-serving. ### [Alfred de Hamal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/alfred_de_hamal) _romantic_ He is Ginevra's secret lover and eventual husband, a shallow and effeminate match for her. ### [John Graham Bretton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/john_graham_bretton) _romantic_ Ginevra flirts with and manipulates John Graham, who is infatuated with her beauty and charm. ### [Lucy Snowe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/lucy_snowe) _friendship_ Ginevra confides in Lucy and uses her as a confidante, though their friendship is one-sided and self-serving. ### [John Graham Bretton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/john_graham_bretton) _romantic_ Ginevra flirts with and manipulates John Graham, who is infatuated with her beauty and charm. ### [Madame Beck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/madame_beck) _professional_ Ginevra is a student at Madame Beck's school, and Madame Beck tolerates her with cool pragmatism. ### [Alfred de Hamal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/alfred_de_hamal) _romantic_ He is Ginevra's secret lover and eventual husband, a shallow and effeminate match for her. ### [Lucy Snowe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/lucy_snowe) _friendship_ Ginevra confides in Lucy and uses her as a confidante, though their friendship is one-sided and self-serving. ### [Madame Beck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/madame_beck) _professional_ Ginevra is a student at Madame Beck's school, and Madame Beck tolerates her with cool pragmatism. ## In the story ### [V: Turning a New Leaf](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/v-turning-a-new-leaf) Not directly present, but Lucy recalls her schooldays with a young lady who is now Mrs. Leigh, a former schoolfellow. ### [London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/vi-london) A young, talkative girl of seventeen who approaches Lucy on the packet ship, revealing her frivolous nature and lack of education. ### [Villette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/vii-villette) Mentioned as having suggested Madame Beck's school to Lucy before her departure. ### [IX: Isidore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/ix-isidore) Ginevra is portrayed as vain, coquettish, and manipulative; she accepts gifts from Isidore while openly preferring Colonel de Hamal and rejecting serious attachment. ### [XIV: The Fête](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xiv-the-f-te) Ginevra is the belle of the ball, described as a child of pleasure, and is the object of Dr. John's affection. ### [XV: The Long Vacation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xv-the-long-vacation) Student; Lucy imagines her traveling southward, followed by True Love, and envies her happiness. ### [La Terrasse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xvii-la-terrasse) Referenced as the object of Graham's affections; Lucy speculates on Mrs. Bretton's likely disapproval of Ginevra's coquettish behavior. ### [We Quarrel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xviii-we-quarrel) Ginevra is discussed at length as the object of Dr. John's affections; Lucy argues she is mercenary and coquettish, while Dr. John insists on her disinterestedness. ### [The Cleopatra](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xix-the-cleopatra) Mentioned as the object of Dr. John's affections; his humor is noted to falter when he thinks of her. ### [XX: The Concert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xx-the-concert) Seen at the concert with de Hamal; Dr. John interprets a look between them as indicating a secret understanding. ### [Reaction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxi-reaction) Interrupts Lucy's solitude, teasing her about the concert and Dr. John's reaction to her behavior. She is self-centered and enjoys provoking Lucy. ### [The Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxii-the-letter) Found feigning sleep in the dormitory, forcing Lucy to seek solitude elsewhere. ### [Vashti](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxiii-vashti) Mentioned as having a 'ripe judgment' of Dr. Bretton, calling him serious and impassioned. ### [M. de Bassompierre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxiv-m-de-bassompierre) Visits Lucy after a dull evening at her uncle de Bassompierre's hotel, complaining about her uncle and cousin. ### [A Burial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxvi-a-burial) Claimed to have power over Graham; Paulina reports her boastful and degrading talk; Lucy plans to test her veracity. ### [The Hôtel Crécy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxvii-the-h-tel-cr-cy) Ginevra is mentioned as Lucy's companion who is to return with her to the Rue Fossette, but she is not directly involved in the central interactions. ### [XXVIII: The Watchguard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxviii-the-watchguard) Referenced in Lucy's internal monologue as regarding Lucy a 'second Diogenes.' ### [Monsieur's Fête](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxix-monsieur-s-f-te) Ginevra is mentioned as part of the school, but does not play a significant role in this chapter. ### [XXX: M. Paul](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxx-m-paul) Referenced indirectly through Lucy's mention of a 'Mathilde' and 'Coralie' on the school estrade, but not directly active in this chapter. ### [XXXI: The Dryad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxxi-the-dryad) Mentioned as a bright but ungentle pupil who would not have tenderly covered Lucy; contrasted with the unknown benefactor. ### [The First Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxxii-the-first-letter) Mentioned as Paulina's cousin still at Madame Beck's; topic of conversation. ### [M. Paul Keeps His Promise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xxxiii-m-paul-keeps-his-promise) Sits apart with Lucy during the story, but is otherwise a minor presence in the chapter. ### [The Happy Pair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/chapters/xl-the-happy-pair) Elopes with Alfred de Hamal; writes a boastful letter to Lucy and later visits as the Countess de Hamal. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters/ginevra_fanshawe - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/villette_se/characters