Book review: Villette by Charlotte Brontë
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That right moment might depend on my mood, my level of maturity or other events happening in my life. It's not uncommon for me to begin a book and find it hard going, but then go back to it a few months (or even years) later and devour it practically in one sitting. I believe that every book has its time and place.
And these past few months were apparently the right time to read Villette. It’s written by Charlotte Brontë - who’s most famous for her novel Jane Eyre, and for being the sister of Emily Brontë who wrote Wuthering Heights (you know - that book that Bella in Twilight is obsessed with).
My preferences for the Brontë sisters might be slightly controversial: I hated Wuthering Heights (bleak and depressing!) and my favourite is not Jane Eyre, but rather The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by the lesser-known Anne Brontë. My preferences haven’t changed upon reading Villette but I agree with many who say that it might be Charlotte’s best work.
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I’m a fast reader and can get through a modern novel in less than a day. But the reading of a classic like this is an entirely different kettle of fish. It’s partly that the language is old-fashioned and considerably denser than what we’re used to as modern readers. Then there’s the fact that there’s less action and more description and reflection. In the days when novels like this were written, people had plenty of time to sit around reading and reflecting, and they didn’t mind waiting 100 pages or so to get to the action.
However, when it come to this novel, you’d be hard put to find any action at all. As I wrote in my Goodreads review:
Here is a prime example of a brilliant classic where the adventure is almost entirely internal. The most significant event in the book - the journey to Belgium - is over with within the first few chapters. From then on, it's all about how the main character meets, interacts with and feels about the other characters. She is almost always a silent observer while the people around her enact their affairs and intrigues.
The story follows the fortunes of Lucy Snowe, who is in her early twenties and therefore considered “old” in the sense of being past her youthful bloom and. Just like Jane Eyre, she’s almost entirely alone in the world and is forced to rely on her own skills and courage to make a living. In a bold stroke, she takes a ferry to Belgium and tries to make a life for herself in the town of Villette. As the freedoms and occupations open to women at the time were severely limited, she ends up becoming an English teacher in a girls’ school.
From then on, practically the whole book is limited to her interactions with the few people she’s acquainted with in Villette. It might sound boring, but in fact, it’s my opinion that Charlotte Brontë's greatest strength lies in bringing her readers into deep sympathy with her characters. Lucy leads a bleak life, but we’re drawn into her world so effectively, that our joy and excitement when the good things finally start to happen is tenfold. The book offers an amazing insight into the feelings of a withdrawn and quiet person, and this was long before the term “introvert” was even invented.
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Another significant factor for me was the language. It’s been a while since I’ve read an older book and I’d forgotten what a delight it is to read something written by a true master of prose and description. The dialogue is so clever, so elegant and finely wrought that it’s like appreciating a work of art just reading a scene depicting an argument between two of the characters. I remember having the same feeling when I read Pride and Prejudice - the sheer grace of Elizabeth’s rebuffal of Darcy’s first proposal. Wonderful! People don’t speak that way any longer.
Villette is definitely a less exciting and more difficult novel than Jane Eyre. I can understand why it isn’t the world’s favourite of Charlotte’s novels. Still I’m very glad to have read it and it will occupy a cherished spot on my bookshelf.
As a final word, it’s funny to consider how much the literature market has changed. Nowadays such a slow novel wouldn’t have a hope of being published. It was hard work to read and took a long time to get into, even for a practised reader like me. But as I think you can tell, it was well worth the effort in the end. I could almost feel my brain expanding with each page I mastered.
And speaking of effort, just think - she must have written the entire manuscript with only a pen and paper! Inconceivable to imagine these days.
Anyone read any difficult or long classics recently? How long did it take you to get into them and was it worth the perseverence in the end?
I'm currently reading Atlas Shrugged and the care taken with the descriptions is clear and purposeful. I'm both reading the book and also listening to the audio book
It's my first time listening to an audio book. I alternate between the two because I can read faster than listen, but I can listen while folding laundry, cooking, driving. It's quite convenient to have both means available.
I was an avid insatiable reader when I was younger. Then motherhood took up my evenings and spare moments. I had already started backing away from main stream media and entertainment when the Twilight movies came out, but a friend and her daughters convinced me to borrow and read the series. I then jumped into the Harry Potter series and then re-read Pride & Prejudice. (I had read it in high school, but my teacher at the time was horrible and I hated hearing his interpretation of anything and it affected my opinion of the book.) I loved it. My challenge is putting the books down. When I get into a book, tasks start to get put off, I start to stay up later and even things that I typically enjoy, such as posting here on the platform, gets pushed aside. It's hard to balance.
Anyway, I'm adding a few books to my list thanks to your post, although with the time commitment I've invested in Atlas Shrugged, it will take me some to recover before jumping into another book. 😁
Wow, Atlas Shrugged. I've never attempted that one. That's a great idea having the audio book as well. What sort of device are you listening on? And do you find it's a pain skipping forward to find the place where you left off reading the paper version?
Totally know what you mean about the challenges of putting books down. True story: I accidentally missed a work shift for my first job because I started reading the Twilight series at the wrong moment. You'd think I would have learned my lesson, but even these days I have to prevent myself from reading a really engrossing book if I have a pressing work assignment or other duties. Also have to keep away from them at bedtime or I never get to sleep. I keep a more challenging book by my bed for that very reason because then I know I'll probably be ready to put it down and go to sleep after a chapter or so.
So glad you rediscovered Pride & Prejudice. I was only something like 13 when I read it the first time with my Mum (home-schooling rocks!) and loved it even back then. <3
Yes, the audio book is a lifesaver. It's a bit of a pain skipping forward to find where I left off when switching from one media to the other, but it really only takes me a few seconds.
Haha! Missing work becuase you were reading! Wait until I tell my oldest, @Tonks. She is a total bookworm, like me. She just got a Kobo e-reader for her birthday. I still prefer a real book in my hands, but she goes through books faster than I can get her to the library so this will buy me a few more days between trips! Wildstyle was just asking about you the other day. We've been so busy I haven't had time to help them post on their @crowbarkids account, but they still remember your comments to them and they really appreciated it.
Ahh the joy of one's first e-reader! I remember when I got mine in 2010 - a huge, chunky Kindle that my parents ordered for me from your side of the pond. I had to have an adapter so I could charge it in the plug sockets over here. I still prefer real books too, but there's nothing like the convenience of having a big library that fits in your hand. Especially when you travel a lot or live far from the nearest library/bookshop.
Ahh that's nice. I enjoyed the interactions with them too and look forward to reading more posts at some point when you've all got time. You've all got so much on the go but that's the way it should be. :)
Yes, I prefer a real book too! My husband is always trying to convince me to go digital with everything, ditch the CD's, photos, etc, but I like something tangible in my hand. Especially with books, however even after having built-in bookshelves along our staircase, and having given away a few boxes prior to the move, we're still overflowing with books, so I can see the value in a device that stores 2000 titles with barely using any battery power. However, it's glued to her. She has it open next to her while doing the dishes. If she stops doing something for just a minute, her nose is in it. Lol! I can't blame her, I was the same way, but I feel I need to teach her a bit about moderation too. 😉
Aww, I'm happy for her. There are certainly worse passions to have. But maybe some of your golden advice about being present in the moment wouldn't go amiss. ;)
I have to say I really miss CDs. These days I stream everything from Spotify, but there was something really meditative about buying a CD, opening the case and putting it into the machine. It was like, you had to make more effort to choose and put on the music, so you made more of a commitment to listening to it.
"Now I'm going to listen to THIS album. And REALLY listen to it."
Now, with a whole world of music at my fingertips I feel like I'm less focused and I don't make as much effort to listen to things that don't immediately touch me. Shame.
Haha aaaaand I hear myself sounding like an old person and moaning about the good old days. I'm super grateful to have such broad access to music. Let's keep things in perspective.
Hi victoria-kelly,
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Would you laugh at me if I tell you I read Wuthering Heights because of Bella?😂
And now I might read Villette or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall because of you 😉 (as soon as I make up my mind)
This post of yours was a good read and beautifully written, no wonder it got Curied (congratulations by the way)
Thank you very much for the sincere compliment. I am very grateful to @curie for their sterling work.
Haha, no, not at all! To be honest, Bella is a source of inspiration to me too. Every time I wear my favourite brown top I think of the part where she explains why brown is her favourite colour. I sometimes wonder whether I'd feel differently about Wuthering Heights if I had read Twilight first. Glad if I could inspire you in some small way too.
interesting 😊 well then nice to meet you: real-life version of Bella 😉
So what do you suggest, should I start with Villette or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?
As with any book choice, I think it depends what you're in the mood for. Wildfell Hall is definitely more dramatic. The scenes are more varied, more stuff happens and the focus is concentrated mostly outwards. As I wrote here, Villette is very much an inner journey and contains a lot of angst and longing. Wildfell is still my favourite so the biased me would say to go for that. :) If you want to go for Charlotte, actually, her other novel The Professor might be a good halfway point. The themes are similar but it's much shorter and a little bit lighter.