Posted by Jim on 10/14/2009, 9:14 pm
204.169.161.1
I mentioned in a post about a month ago that I had read Bronte's VILETTE and would post about it here. Here goes . . .
VILETTE is the story of Lucy Snowe, a lonely orphan who leaves her British land to embark on a new life in a fictitious country. There, she becomes a teacher at a school for girls.
Intensely lonely, she finds herself surrounded by a cast of unusual characters--a headmistress who spends nights searching through the belongings of her teachers and pupils, a strong-tempered teacher who is staunchly Catholic and nationalistic, a kind doctor who befriends her, and a self-centered pretty girl who bedazzles and flirts with men she has no interest in.
The story takes a little bit of time getting underway (though I may have been more engrossed if I had realized the children early in the story reappear later--which I would have gotten had I not dragged out reading the first half for so long). When you get into it, though it has its slow moments, there is some magic in VILETTE, and there are 5 pages which I call PERFECTION, the perfect culmination of character and storytelling.
It's an interesting read because Bronte holds on tenaciously to her faith throughout, though she struggles with the big picture questions which must have dogged her after the death of her final three siblings (VILETTE was the book published after their deaths)--why do some people who are selfish and greedy always find themselves with blessing and surrounded by love, while others, who are good and selfless, find themselves alone and in need. She contemplates the nature of beauty and the role it plays in society, particularly for those who are lacking.
More so than JANE EYRE or SHIRLEY, VILETTE is intensely personal; Bronte's heart seeps through the pages. I found myself taking notes throughout, which is something I don't normally do.
"But don't take my word for it!"
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