Reading 1001 discussion

3 stars

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 as Wuthering Heights.

Rating 3.75 stars

The experiences of a young woman who becomes a governess. It is supposed to be based on the author's own experiences. The governess has monstrous children in her first position and snooty, spoiled teenagers in the next. The outcome was predictable and pleasant. It isn't as polished as her later books and pales in comparison to those of her sisters, but still pretty good for a debut novel from that time period. Overall, a good insight into the differences between social classes in 19th century England, as well as the limited opportunities available for women.

Read for TBR takedown, 4/4/22. This is the debut novel of Anne Bronte writing under the name Acton Bell. The story is of the governess who is trying to help her family out by working. She engages with these two different jobs which involves spoiled children. The father is ill, the girls of the family do not have good prospects that they'll be able to find marriages because of their poverty. The governess meets various guys while working for the last family of young ladies who are working on marriages. The author worked as a governess and may be based on her own experiences. The book is a classic and will appeal to readers who enjoy reading classics. Agnes Grey is a strong woman and not a character that is "dependent" on males in anyway. Rating 3.5

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 Bronte'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.

5 stars.

While this is not really the sort of novel I would seek out for fun, I did enjoy it well enough. I finished Clarissa a few weeks ago, and could not help comparing the rather pathetic Clarissa with the far more capable Agnes Gray. Even so, Agnes's personality is definitely not mine, and I kept grumbling at her while reading this one about her social isolation. If it bugged her to be isolated and lonely, she really could have made some friends, except that the author needed her to be more isolated to tell the story she was after. I suspect I know people who will really like this book and find Agnes extremely relateable. For myself I preferred Jane Eyre. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads, a decent novel, worth reading once, and one I might recommend to people occasionally.

Anne Brontë based this novel on her own experiences as a governess. Her heroine, Agnes Grey, finds work as a governess to help contribute to her family, but she finds her charges are unruly and ill-mannered, and she is often treated with a lack of respect by her demanding employers. Still, she determines to behave always with patience and humility and gradually some small joys begin to come into her life.

This was quite charming and I found Agnes a likeable and thoughtful protagonist. Anne Brontë shows the awkward position of the governess, the opportunity for exploitation by employers, and the patchy education that wealthy families offered their children. There is also a sense of the loneliness in the position as Agnes is neither servant nor equal, and has no one to support and comfort her.

I really liked how the author got her views across, and particularly appreciated her attitude towards animals, treating them as sentient beings that deserve care and kindness and challenging the callous cruelty often shown by her employers and the children

Read in 2023
3 stars

I was pleasantly surprised to like this book. My first Anne Bronte. Agnes Grey follows the travels of the young governess. The story started very idyllic with Agnes growing up in a household that values education and women. I knew her first teaching assignment would not be smooth and it wasn't. Even though the story was predictable I liked her writing style. Anne is described as writing realistic rather than romantic which I preferred. I look forward to reading her other book.

***

This was a stark contrast with the more gothic novels by her sisters (Wuthering Heights; Villette). The storyline was simpler and curiously similar in a way to Villette (OK, Agnes Grey was a governess, Lucy Snowe was a teacher). It really felt that there was less meat here around the narrative bones dressed up in the other two novels I mentioned. Considering the strength of will of the main character and her resourcefulness, this is still a good example of a proto-feminist novel, with a romantic tinge.