Theresa answers “is the book hard to understand than jane...”

Heber Loggins asked this question about Villette:

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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