Posted by Jim
on 11/4/2009, 9:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Vilette"
204.169.161.1
As long as they think they are happy, I guess that's what counts. Complete and utter contentment is a hard thing to find . . . Perhaps people are happier if they can be satisfied watching TV every night and not worrying about trying to change the world.
--Previous Message--
:
: Nice write up on this work, thank you. It
: makes me want to read it now. Very true
: about how unfair life can turn out for those
: who put so much effort, faith and kindness
: for others, especially those in need, in
: this life. Somehow, though, I feel those
: selfish ones who seem to be surrounded by
: love and blessings, might not even know what
: happiness is, thus not enjoy it, or truly
: appreciate what those blessings represent.
: Topic for debate...
:
: --Previous Message--
: 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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