Questions About Villette

by Charlotte Brontë

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Answered Questions (9)

Is anyone else confused with the ambiguous ending!?

Lisa Maxwell

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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is the book hard to understand than jane eyre?

Theresa I am re-reading it now, having first read it in my 20's. I liked it then but did not get nearly as much from it as I am now. In fact I love it, consid…moreI am re-reading it now, having first read it in my 20's. I liked it then but did not get nearly as much from it as I am now. In fact I love it, consider it by far the best Bronte novel of them all. \

It's a very slow read I find. The language is more sophisticated, with a wonderfully rich vocabulary, but the French passages slow me down - I read French easily but not as well as English of course. If there are annotated editions, do get one. I also find I'm looking up lots of references that would have been known to the original reading public, i.e. Timon as Ginevre calls Lucie that frequently. It slows you down but adds to the richness of the read. Since I'm reading it in ebook, it's simple to look up all the references and unfamiliar vocabulary.

It's a very rich story, with intriguing characters. Not as simple an arc as Jane Eyre. (less)

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Are there are any other female writers from these phase? Any more stories written from a women's pov ,in her twenties,in the dull,mundane,back and forth between towns and countrysides,but who you could also relate back to now.

Aili Charlotte Brontë lovers should definitely read George Eliot (Marian Evans). I would particularly recommend Middlemarch and (as long as you don't mind …moreCharlotte Brontë lovers should definitely read George Eliot (Marian Evans). I would particularly recommend Middlemarch and (as long as you don't mind a tragedy) The Mill on the Floss. Both explore the experiences of rural middle class women as they grow up and struggle to be loved and understood. Like the Brontës, Eliot has an incredible sensitivity for human nature and writes with a great deal of precision and insight. (less)

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Does anyone want to have a discussion about Villette? I'd love to chat about the character of Lucie Snow. I'm finding that my impression of Lucie is different from the character Lucie as narrator is presenting, and I'm wondering if anyone else has found it so.