The Brontë Project 2021 discussion

Let's discuss the next few chapters of Villette! It's the end of Volume I (though Chapter XV - The Long Vacation). Please add keep any discussions about the entirety of the book to the Comprehensive/Spoiler thread.

I'm really enjoying the book, the atmosphere and the character is very different from Jane Eyre. Lucy is still a mystery to me. I'm also liking the character Ginevra, I think she is sincere and funny (even though she sounds mean, sometimes). I really liked M. Paul too, I want to know him more.
That last chapter, Lucy reminded me of Fanny Price. I think they are not theater fans. lol

I am also starting to like the book better. I am finding it a lot more relatable especially with some of the struggles Lucy faces. But hearing it as an audiobook is such a mistake... esp with all the French!

I read Villette last year and can agree that an audiobook might not be the way to go if you don't know French. If they were little throwaway phrases it wouldn't matter, but they are usually something you want to know.

I have to say the extensive French in the novel is a partial barrier to enjoying the story. At times, when the dialogue is extensive, I have to quickly flick to the Appendix almost every other line. That said, I am enjoying the story. The characters of M. Paul and Dr John are certainly interesting as well as the sassiness of some of Lucy’s interactions with Ginevre.

The French is definitely tough. I just kind of... ignore it rather than flipping to the appendix all the time. I bet I’m missing a lot by doing that.

That’s definitely what I’ve been tempted to do a few times Mike!

I really enjoyed the first volume of the book. I like Lucy as a character (but Jane is still my favorite), and I find I am rooting for M Paul over Dr. John. I think M Paul seems to have more chemistry with Lucy, more equals, and sees her as a person, not as a part of the scenery. I am enjoying the Gothic elements that Bronte continues to use here, including the dark storms, the dark architecture, the eeriness at times. However, I find that, in this novel moreso than Jane, there are many instances of light and freshness, particularly in the garden that Lucy loves. In Jane, there are many times when Jane is wandering the grounds of whereever she is living, but the elements are always cold or have large buildings or large characters looming over her. This could be as much the effect of the Gothic that Bronte is going for as the fact that Jane is set in England, which is by nature more cold and foreboding.

After finishing the first volume, I have to say I enjoyed Lucy's conversations with Ginevra, but I'm not a fan of Dr. John. I find him a bit shallow, since he thinks so highly of Ginevra. M. Paul Emmanuel might be an interesting character.
I absolutely loved some parts of chapter 15: The Long Vacation, where Lucy speaks about her metal state and how it affected her physical health. She obviously longs for some love and understanding. There were some beautiful passages that I can't help but admire. Other parts of the same chapter I didn't like at all, namely the harsh description of a disabled girl left behind in the school.
Overall, I have some mixed feelings for now, but I'm intrigued and enjoying it more with every new chapter.

Marcus wrote: "I have to say the extensive French in the novel is a partial barrier to enjoying the story. At times, when the dialogue is extensive, I have to quickly flick to the Appendix almost every other line..."

My edition doesn't have an appendix (d'oh!) so I've unfortunately been just skipping the French. I'm sure I'm missing a ton, but for me trying to type it into a translator would take too long and I feel like that would put me even more out of the story.