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audrey_e at Book 2525 VILLETTE Charlotte Brontë (England,1853)
Lucy Snowe is a poor young lady with very little prospects who moves to the fictional state of Labassecour to teach at a boarding school. While this allows her to become independent, she starts to suffer from loneliness.
I read Jane Eyre years ago and did not like it. I think my main issue with it was that it had none of the power of her sister's Wuthering Heights, one of my favorite novels of all time. However, Villette was excellent. Lucy's loneliness and quiet sorrow made her a great heroine from the beginning of the novel to its slightly happier ending. The gothic elements, as well as the claustrophobic environment certainly made this novel stand out from the majority of the texts I have so far read this year. Villette does share a lot of elements in common with Jane Eyre, both in terms of story-line and style. But I somehow found that this was a more mature novel. Maybe it so happens that I am more mature too.
I'm glad I took the opportunity to change my mind about Charlotte, it was worth it. Who knows, maybe one day I'll change my mind about Anne, whose Tenant of Wildfell Hall I thought was incredibly tedious despite its bold message.
4/5
Lucy Snowe is a poor young lady with very little prospects who moves to the fictional state of Labassecour to teach at a boarding school. While this allows her to become independent, she starts to suffer from loneliness.
I read Jane Eyre years ago and did not like it. I think my main issue with it was that it had none of the power of her sister's Wuthering Heights, one of my favorite novels of all time. However, Villette was excellent. Lucy's loneliness and quiet sorrow made her a great heroine from the beginning of the novel to its slightly happier ending. The gothic elements, as well as the claustrophobic environment certainly made this novel stand out from the majority of the texts I have so far read this year. Villette does share a lot of elements in common with Jane Eyre, both in terms of story-line and style. But I somehow found that this was a more mature novel. Maybe it so happens that I am more mature too.
I'm glad I took the opportunity to change my mind about Charlotte, it was worth it. Who knows, maybe one day I'll change my mind about Anne, whose Tenant of Wildfell Hall I thought was incredibly tedious despite its bold message.
4/5