# A House of Gentlefolk — Character guide

> Key figures in A House of Gentlefolk by Ivan Turgenev.

- [Lisa Mihalovna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/lisa_mihalovna.md): A devout and gentle young woman, central to the novel's romantic and moral conflicts.
- [Fedor Ivanitch Lavretsky](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/fedor_ivanitch_lavretsky.md): The protagonist, a nobleman returning to his estate after a failed marriage abroad.
- [Varvara Pavlovna Lavretsky](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/varvara_pavlovna_lavretsky.md): Lavretsky's beautiful but unfaithful wife, whose betrayal drives the plot.
- [Vladimir Nikolaitch Panshin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/vladimir_nikolaitch_panshin.md): A charming and ambitious young official who courts Lisa.
- [Marya Dmitrievna Kalitin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/marya_dmitrievna_kalitin.md): Lisa's mother, a widow and mistress of the Kalitin household.
- [Marfa Timofyevna Pestov](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/marfa_timofyevna_pestov.md): Marya Dmitrievna's sharp-tongued but kind-hearted aunt.
- [Christopher Theodor Gottlieb Lemm](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/christopher_theodor_gottlieb_lemm.md): An elderly German music teacher living in the Kalitin home.
- [Glafira Petrovna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/glafira_petrovna.md): Lavretsky's stern and domineering aunt who raised him.
- [Mihalevitch](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/mihalevitch.md): An old university friend of Lavretsky, a passionate and idealistic man.
- [Ivan Petrovitch](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/ivan_petrovitch.md): Lavretsky's father, a man of Westernized tastes and a difficult temper.
- [Gedeonovsky](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/gedeonovsky.md): A local gossip and frequent visitor to the Kalitin house.
- [Agafya Vlasyevna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/agafya_vlasyevna.md): A pious peasant woman who influenced Lisa's religious upbringing.
- [Anton](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/anton.md): An old servant at Lavretsky's estate, loyal and garrulous.
- [Piotr Andreitch](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/piotr_andreitch.md): Lavretsky's grandfather, a harsh landowner of the old school.
- [Malanya Sergyevna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/malanya_sergyevna.md): Lavretsky's mother, a gentle serf woman married by his father.
- [Anna Pavlovna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/anna_pavlovna.md): A relative of the Kalitins, a society lady in St. Petersburg.
- [Nastasya Karpovna Ogarkov](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/nastasya_karpovna_ogarkov.md): A poor widow and companion to Marfa Timofyevna.
- [Shurotchka](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/shurotchka.md): A young girl in the Kalitin household, possibly a ward or relative.
- [Lenotchka](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/lenotchka.md): A young girl, possibly a servant or child in the Kalitin circle.
- [Mademoiselle Moreau](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/mademoiselle_moreau.md): A French governess in the Kalitin household.
- [Pavel Petrovitch Korobyin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/pavel_petrovitch_korobyin.md): Varvara's father, a retired general of modest means.
- [Justine](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/justine.md): A French maid in Varvara Pavlovna's service.
- [M. Jules](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/m_jules.md): A French companion and possible lover of Varvara Pavlovna.
- [Madame Byelenitsin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/madame_byelenitsin.md): A society acquaintance of Varvara Pavlovna in St. Petersburg.
- [Andrei](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/andrei.md): A servant or minor figure in the Lavretsky household.
- [Roska](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/roska.md): A dog belonging to the Kalitin household.
- [Kalliopa Karlovna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/kalliopa_karlovna.md): A German woman, possibly a music teacher or companion.
- [Dmitri Pestov](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/dmitri_pestov.md): Marfa Timofyevna's deceased brother and Marya's father.
- [Matross](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/matross.md): A dog belonging to the Lavretsky estate.
- [Palashka](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters/palashka.md): A servant girl in the Kalitin household.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_house_of_gentlefolk_se/characters