Agnes Grey in Reading 1001

Sep 22, 2017 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, vic-lit, 1001-books

I enjoyed Agnes Gray more than I did The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which I know is quite different than most. I found this one slightly more feminist in feeling and I liked the protagonist more. Agnes was very real and felt quite modern despite the very antiquated views on child discipline.

But Anne's books both left me disappointed after having been so intrigued and enchanted by Wuthering Heights. I think the next Bronte book I read will be Jane Eyre and I am hopeful that I will love it as much a ...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-fiction, classics, covers-i-love, books-i-own, absolute-favourites, 1001-read-since-joining-gr, read-more-than-once, 1001-other-books

In Victorian society it was a mark of high status for women not to take up paid employment. I almost used the term work in the last sentence, but in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries while the term work did have a meaning for women, it was the word commonly used for needlework, which was seen as something fit for them to occupy their time. Any gentlewoman forced by circumstance - or choice - to earn her own living could find herself in unpleasant circumstances, her ambivalent position refl In Victorian society it was a mark of high status for women not to take up paid employment. I almost used the term work in the last sentence, but in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries while the term work did have a meaning for women, it was the word commonly used for needlework, which was seen as something fit for them to occupy their time. Any gentlewoman forced by circumstance - or choice - to earn her own living could find herself in unpleasant circumstances, her ambivalent position reflected in her social isolation, often low wages, varying treatment and uncertainty as to future prospects. Anne Brontë draws on her own experience as a governess, one of the few careers open to gentlewomen at this time, to highlight the plight of these women through the fictional character of Agnes Grey.

Agnes Grey decides to become a governess after an unlucky financial speculation causes hardship to her family. While she wants to help, she also sees in the opportunity to leave home a chance to assert her own independence and break away from her status as the baby of the family.

Finding work first with the Bloomfield family (containing what sounds like the children from Hell) and later with the Murray family, Agnes struggles to assert her own authority in the wake of poor parenting and over-indulged children. Her actions are constantly over-ruled and misinterpreted. Even her budding romance with the curate Mr Weston is threatened by the cruelty of her beautiful, but coquettish, pupil Rosalie Murray. This episode reveals how little authority Agnes was permitted to have, even over her supposed "charges", who seemingly could boss her around with impunity.

Agnes is surprised by her lack of status in the Murray household. When Mr Weston asks her what she thinks of the daughters of the Green family, Agnes has to reply that she has never spoken to them, despite the amount of time they spend in the company of her own charges. Neither do the crowd of suitors surrounding Rosalie ever acknowledge her. The closest she comes to friendship (besides Mr Weston) is with the poor whom she reads to and cares for as part of her perceived Christian duties. They are not her social equals.

Agnes Grey is Anne Brontë's critique of the mistreatment of women, particularly of the vulnerable. The novel is also a strike against the materialism of Victorian society. Agnes's ambiguous position in the household is one reason for her lack of success in imparting virtues like empathy to her pupils. Also, of the marriages portrayed in the book those which were made for material reasons all seem to be unhappy, whereas those made for love all turn out to be successful.

While the novel lacks the sensationalism (and perhaps the depth) of Jane Eyre, I found Agnes Grey well-paced and absorbing. The moral language and beliefs in the book may put off some modern readers, but they also reflect the reforming nature of the novel. A reform in treatment of the vulnerable goes along with Agnes attempting to reform the corruption of the families she finds herself employed by. Ultimately, her effective powerless makes this a moving read, and the end is satisfying because there is the fear that it may never happen.

I really enjoyed this book. ...more

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Jul 04, 2016 Dree rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, england-uk-ireland, 1001-read, 2016-reads

1001 list book #158.

Sweet, short, sappy, romantic, yet somehow satisfying. This would actually be a great read for middle/high schoolers--especially for those kids who are young but read at an advanced level. The 18th century language is not simple to read (not hard either, just different), social history is important, and this book is clean and gentle.

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