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8th out of 319 books
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59 voters
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The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
by
Muriel Spark
At the staid Marcia Blaine School for Girls, in Edinburgh, Scotland, teacher extraordinaire Miss Jean Brodie is unmistakably, and outspokenly, in her prime. She is passionate in the application of her unorthodox teaching methods, in her attraction to the married art master, Teddy Lloyd, in her affair with the bachelor music master, Gordon Lowther, and—most important—in he
...morePaperback, 137 pages
Published
February 1st 2009
by Harper Perennial
(first published 1961)
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I took a break from reading for a few days, and so finally, this morning, I finished this great novella.
While the final 3rd is not nearly as interesting or engaging as the first 2/3rds, it is none the less a fantastic book.
Miss Jean Brodie is a character whom I shall never forget. She is so selfish, childish, and manipulative. I've got to give Muriel Spark the utmost credit - some how she managed to keep my interest in reading about situations and characters that I hist...more
While the final 3rd is not nearly as interesting or engaging as the first 2/3rds, it is none the less a fantastic book.
Miss Jean Brodie is a character whom I shall never forget. She is so selfish, childish, and manipulative. I've got to give Muriel Spark the utmost credit - some how she managed to keep my interest in reading about situations and characters that I hist...more
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Yes, this was a very slightly cool novel with schoolgirls being taught "advanced" ideas by Miss Brodie. In other hands you might have got something along the lines of Emanuelle Goes To College but the glinty eyed Miss Spark keeps the whole thing perfectly respectable, if that can include being a fan of Italian fascism.
Embarassingly for someone with a degree in women's studies, I'd never read this classic. Thanks to jury duty the past couple of days, I've now remedied this gap in my reading. I shall now need to see the classic film, which I've also missed. That background aside, I really enjoyed this book. Yes, not much happens in the novel. But the richness of the characters and the dialog make this very short book crackle with electricity and life. Miss Brodie "in her prime" becomes an idealiz...more
rachel
rated it
Miss Jean Brodie is a magnetic minor fascist -- which surprised me, knowing little about the book beforehand except that a.) it was made into a movie starring Maggie Smith and b.) that this cover is cute and also very twee.
But what Spark does here is let the reader see with the eyes of the "Brodie set," of six distinctive girls who follow their teacher in and out of the classroom from their pre-adolescent through their teenage years. We move with Sandy, Rose, Jenny, Monica...more
But what Spark does here is let the reader see with the eyes of the "Brodie set," of six distinctive girls who follow their teacher in and out of the classroom from their pre-adolescent through their teenage years. We move with Sandy, Rose, Jenny, Monica...more
I read this to add to my female authors. I like this book, yet I see why some readers don't. The title implies some sort of in-depth psychological analysis to come, and that doesn't happen. Au contraire.
The fame of this novel comes from the strong authorial control over the narrative. Particularly interesting is Spark's manipulation of temporality -- she moves back and forth between present and future with unusual effectiveness.
The other remarkable thing is the broad b...more
The fame of this novel comes from the strong authorial control over the narrative. Particularly interesting is Spark's manipulation of temporality -- she moves back and forth between present and future with unusual effectiveness.
The other remarkable thing is the broad b...more
I can't believe I found this book. I didn't even know it was a book. I only vaguely remember the film adaptation, though I was profoundly affected by it. It's one of many such films that has haunted me in memory fragments. The themes of the movie were too-deep, too-unsettling for me at...whatever age I happened to be. Oddly enough, this touches on the main idea of the story.
Miss Jean Brodie is a pretty, young, and unorthodox teacher. She teaches poetry when she should be teaching mat...more
Miss Jean Brodie is a pretty, young, and unorthodox teacher. She teaches poetry when she should be teaching mat...more
Might fascism have a whimsical element? Dictators have their reasons, often unreasonable ones not guided by the facts. Hitler and Mussolini were ready to tear down Europe and rebuild it in Greco-Roman splendor. Irrational, mad, whimsical. There's an excellent 1989 documentary titled, The Architecture of Doom, that offers the provocative argument that Hitler was largely driven by aesthetics - an architectural vision to raze and rebuild Europe, following his vengeful rage at being kicked out of ar...more
Very nearly four stars, but I can't go that high because the author doesn't provide a strong enough motivation for the girl who betrays Miss Brodie.
Miss Jean Brodie is a forty-something Scottish school teacher who never tires of reminding people that she is IN HER PRIME. Someday when I have nothing better to do, I may just go through and count how many times we are told by Miss Brodie (and her girls) that she is IN HER PRIME. Meanwhile, whenever I want an excuse for my eccentric behavior,...more
Miss Jean Brodie is a forty-something Scottish school teacher who never tires of reminding people that she is IN HER PRIME. Someday when I have nothing better to do, I may just go through and count how many times we are told by Miss Brodie (and her girls) that she is IN HER PRIME. Meanwhile, whenever I want an excuse for my eccentric behavior,...more
"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" is a short novel by Muriel Spark (Scottish) that tells the story of a teacher in an all-girl's school in Edinburgh and her "set"--the group of young girls that she teaches and sharply influences during a period of her life she refers to as her "prime." The story-telling method weaves back and forth from the time the girls are ten until they are adults, giving hints about their fate and their destinies.
Jean Brodie is eccen...more
Jean Brodie is eccen...more
Finally, a classic that is worthy of its status! Spark's beautiful and economical prose hooked me from the opening page and is a joy to savour. The feminist and anti-establishment leanings are not heavy handed; rather, the social, political and religious commentary is subtly layered which makes story more powerful and emotionally resonant. Miss Jean Brodie is a fascinating character and the way Spark plays with time, memory and perspective gives the narrative a rich tapestry of authenticity and ...more
The 1968 movie, with Dame Maggie Smith's superb performance as Miss Brodie, is one of my all-time favorite films. I'd never felt the need to read the original novel until recently. Maybe my expectations were too high but I was disappointed. I was surprised by the writing style which is repetitive and at times confusing. The characters of the "Brodie Set" seem poorly sketched out. One girl is "known for sex", another has "small piggy eyes", another is "stupid"...more
Aceasta domnisoara Brodie este ca un papusar ce le invarte pe degete pe fete ca pe niste marionete, are o mandrie care este dusa pana la o ingamfare absoluta. Chiar m-am bucurat ca in final a fost tradata de una dintre fete. Este o carte interesanta care merita citita o singura data. Mi s-a parut putin fada si nu mi-a placut deloc de domnisoara Brodie si de aceea nu as mai reciti-o.
Writing style - I didn't care for it. Omniscient narrator - ugh. Each character is defined by certain characteristics that are repeated over & over - Sandy has tiny eyes, Rose is "known for sex", etc. I GET it. Characters in this short novel are not well developed & mostly struck me with an overwhelming sense of sadness & futility. Jean Brodie stands out as a memorable character in the midst of them, no doubt that was the intent. Spark does a great job with her. But unlike many readers...more
Muriel Spark's writing is always interesting in the best sense of the word - full of unlikable characters, awkward dialogue, sinister undertones, and a sprinkle of humor. Miss Jean Brodie is a very singular character who manipulates everyone around her to feed her own self image and perpetuate the magnificence that is HER PRIME.
I really enjoyed Spark's technique of revealing a character's end (one dies in a hotel fire, one becomes a nun etc) even while we are first being introduce...more
I really enjoyed Spark's technique of revealing a character's end (one dies in a hotel fire, one becomes a nun etc) even while we are first being introduce...more
So Maud Newton is always going on about Muriel Spark, and after reading this, I can see why. Spark's writing and stories have this mannered elegance about them that is distant and brutal at the same time, and I often found myself re-reading passages and sentences, just to see if I could figure out how she managed to be so exacting and yet so spare in her prose, and how her sentences could be so complex and yet so well-constructed at the same time. I am a rather loquacious writer, afflicted with ...more
More at my blog: Your Move, Dickens
Just basing on the cover and the back blurb, I thought The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark would be a quick read, the kind of book I could finish in one sitting. After reading about five pages, though, I realized how completely mistaken I was. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie might be a novella, but it certainly isn’t a lightweight.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie revolves around the eponymous Miss Jean Brodie and the Brodie set—five gir...more
Just basing on the cover and the back blurb, I thought The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark would be a quick read, the kind of book I could finish in one sitting. After reading about five pages, though, I realized how completely mistaken I was. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie might be a novella, but it certainly isn’t a lightweight.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie revolves around the eponymous Miss Jean Brodie and the Brodie set—five gir...more
When I was in grade seven, a million years ago, we watched The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on television. I have a clear memory of it. I distinctly remember Maggie Smith’s portrayal of the slightly aristocratic, strangely compelling school teacher, Jean Brodie. She’s remained in my memory just as the character herself remained in the memories of the students she taught, the creme de la creme.
Miss Jean Brodie’s class of twelve-year-olds are impressionable, inquisitive and sensitive. T...more
Miss Jean Brodie’s class of twelve-year-olds are impressionable, inquisitive and sensitive. T...more
This novel left me somewhat amusedly confused. From the title and the opening pages, I suppose I was anticipating a sort of Mary Poppins teaching the girls-school version of the Dead Poets Society. Instead I found a title character whose main impetus seemed to be based on rebellion for the sole purpose of rebellion, and whose use of the influence she had on her girls was mainly to simply impress them.
Throughout the book I struggled to distinguish a consistent philosophy or idealism in ...more
Throughout the book I struggled to distinguish a consistent philosophy or idealism in ...more
It's a bit surprise to me again when I don't see any review here, one of the reasons is that I simply forgot due to busy urgent tasks. Moreover, I need to find such an oldish paperback novel kept somewhere to have a look and see what I scribbled inside so that I can write my ideas as its reflection.
Unfortunately, I read this novel 36 years ago and I don't have it nearby, therefore, this brief review is based primarily from my recall. I first knew Muriel Spark when I watched this film...more
Unfortunately, I read this novel 36 years ago and I don't have it nearby, therefore, this brief review is based primarily from my recall. I first knew Muriel Spark when I watched this film...more
There were some things that I initially found annoying about this narrative that I ultimately felt "worked". Particularly the way that the descriptions of certain characters (e.g. Rose, who would later be known for sex,) were repeated, because it was necessary to do this to keep the girls in the set distinguishable from one another. The story meanders a bit at first, but as it fixates on one particular girl in the set, Sandy, the clarity of what is going on is much improved.
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I think I'd read/heard too much about this book before I read it, and came in with too many expectations. The most helpful bookstore worker ever (no, really, great guy) recommended it for my wife as an airport read, proclaiming it 'delightful.' And so it is. In 'Whatever Happened to Modernism?', Gabriel Josipovici said that the only two post-war British writers worth reading were Golding (whom I like) and Spark, thus leading me to expect some crazy-dense work of high art. Improbably, both Josipo...more
The book takes place in Edinburgh in the 1930s, and Miss Jean Brodie is a junior school teacher at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls. She is a highly individualistic teacher: one who prefers her own tangents and flights of fancy to any set curriculum. Her idiosyncrasies and feelings of superiority keep her right on the knife-edge, at all times, of retaining her job. This sense of being embattled against Philistines is part of personality -- and also part of her appeal. She admits five girls ...more
There are lots of sappy stories, about unorthodox teachers helping difficult students find a different way to learn. There are also plenty of stories about inept or downright abusive teachers who get off on their power over children. The worst way to dive into The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is as I did, assuming it would be an example of one or the other.
Jean Brodie is hypocritical: immediately after complaining that traditional education methods push conformity and crush young spirits,...more
Jean Brodie is hypocritical: immediately after complaining that traditional education methods push conformity and crush young spirits,...more
This is the fifth Muriel Spark book that I've read this year and as much as I enjoyed all of them, this is by far my favorite. Although the title phrase was repeated over and over, I never tired of Miss Brodie exorting to her young pupils that they were receiving "the fruits of her prime."
I am not quite sure what excited me so much about the book, but I think it is the concept of a character revelling in the moment and being truly exhillarated by life.
Other re...more
I am not quite sure what excited me so much about the book, but I think it is the concept of a character revelling in the moment and being truly exhillarated by life.
Other re...more
I know I'm in the minority and I'm expected to laud this book as a literary classic, but I absolutely loath it. Oh, and thank goodness I never bothered with the movie!
Miss Brodie is smug, self-serving, and self-absorbed. She cuts a ridiculous figure, building herself up to be better than she is, and rather than trying to actually educate her students, she manipulates them all and is unabashedly cruel to one whom she has singled out.
Maybe the writing is good, because gr...more
Miss Brodie is smug, self-serving, and self-absorbed. She cuts a ridiculous figure, building herself up to be better than she is, and rather than trying to actually educate her students, she manipulates them all and is unabashedly cruel to one whom she has singled out.
Maybe the writing is good, because gr...more
My enthusiasm for this novel waxed and waned and then intensified greatly through the final act. What on first glance seems to promise a quaint, charming excursion into a Great Depression-era Edinburgh girl’s school unfolds, in fact, as something deeply perverse. Miss Jean Brodie is a staunch feminist entering her “prime” and dedicating it, along with her hopes for the future, to half a dozen students of the Marcia Blaine School for Girls. Both of the two male teachers at the school are in lo...more
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a rare combination of piety and humor. With a focus on Miss Brodie, an unconventional teacher, and Sandy, one of her brightest pupils, Muriel Spark creates a world where women in the 1930s begin to lay claim to life beyond the domestic. The opportunity for education, for passion, and for independence of thought and action, is all wrapped up in the "prime" of Miss Brodie, as she and her "set" understand it. Each repetition of that word imbues i...more
I probably shouldn't rate this, as I read it immediately after The Driver's Seat, which is what piqued my curiosity about this book in the first place. I don't think there's any matching The Driver's Seat for me; thus, in my (possibly small, piggish) eyes, all of her other works are doomed to suffer in comparison.
At least that was the case here. While I love Jean Brodie's take on team spirit, I didn't see what was so inspiring or illuminating about her. Spark does a good job of rend...more
At least that was the case here. While I love Jean Brodie's take on team spirit, I didn't see what was so inspiring or illuminating about her. Spark does a good job of rend...more
This was a witty cautionary tale about the deluded followers of charismatic leaders and the muddled ideals of some of the charismatic and just generally about practicing opposite of what we teach. However, the ending seemed improbable and the Dantesque fates of some of the characters were a bit cruel (poor Mary running back and forth in the hotel fire, and sad small-eyed Sandy clutching the bars of the grille in her convent).
But I did love Sandy's reveries:
Sandy was neve...more
But I did love Sandy's reveries:
Sandy was neve...more
My weakness for reading books by certain breed of British female author is growing: Iris Murdoch, A.S.Byatt, and now Muriel Spark. In Spark's tidy novella, the drama takes place in a school in Edinburgh in the thirties, during the "prime" of an unorthodox educator. A lover of the Fascisti, the exotic, Pavlova, and Sybil Thorndike, Miss Brodie promises the girls who prove their commitment to their education and their loyalty to her that they will become the "creme de la creme."...more
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| Sandy´s betrayal | 3 | 13 | Oct 07, 2011 06:00am |
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Dame Muriel Spark, DBE (February 1, 1918 – April 13, 2006) was a leading Scottish novelist most famous for her 1961 novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Spark also wrote short stories, poetry, and 21 other novels, including The Mandelbaum Gate (1965), which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and The Public Image (1969) and Loitering With Intent (1981), both Booker Prize nominees.
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“The word "education" comes from the root e from ex, out, and duco, I lead. It means a leading out. To me education is a leading out of what is already there in the pupil's soul.”
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“Allow me, in conclusion, to congratulate you warmly upon your sexual intercourse, as well as your singing.”
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