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challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t even know where to begin.
First off, this book only triple confirmed for me that Charlotte Brontë is the best author of all time. If she knew how to do anything, it’s rip out your heart but leave you begging for more.
Villette starts off super slow, and I mean SUPER slow. The first couple of chapters truly take their time setting up the story and the overall mood of the novel. And after 75 pages or so, when Lucy (the protagonist) is finally settled, the next 200 pages are only to showcase her mundane, everyday life. However, despite how tedious it may seem, I almost feel it was necessary to truly understand her character. Lucy seems to be an unreliable narrator. After being left an orphan and dealing with a lonely and tragic childhood (similar to Jane Eyre), Lucy grows up to be overly cynical, reserved, and hyper-independent. Rather than letting herself love, she puts up a guard in an attempt to shield herself from more heartbreak. She also, as the story teller, has a habit of leaving important details out. She only ever tells you half of the story, and assumes you don’t want to hear the rest. It leaves me to wonder…is Madame Beck really a shady heartless wench? Is Ginevra really a clingy and insensitive brat? Is M. Paul really an angry asshole? It is up to us to decide.
When Lucy finds herself crushing on the seemingly cheerful, kind, and humble childhood friend of hers, Dr. John, the pace starts to pick up. His true character is shown after he finds himself in a love triangle with two other women, NOT including Lucy. He is not actually a humble man, but rather too proud. He is not kind, but rather laughs at Lucy while she cries, after she comes to the realization that he will never love her. And he is not cheerful, but rather a careless and neglectful friend to Lucy. On the flip side, M. Paul comes off as this misogynistic and patronizing douchebag, which honestly, he pretty much is. He’s an insecure man with anger issues and probably undiagnosed bipolar disorder. However, after Lucy and Paul discover that they both have seen the nun that haunts the school grounds, their strained relationship develops into friendship, and hints at possibly more. Although Paul is riddled with poor qualities, he is also secretly kind. He is generous behind closed doors, without wanting praise. He values authenticity. He is not materialistic. However, I want to be clear that this is NOT a man to be idolized, and Charlotte even says so herself in the book. Paul sucks. But the comparison between him and Dr. John is riveting! An outwardly good man who actually sucks vs an externally awful man who is actually generous.
I do not necessarily love the idea of Lucy settling for a misogynistic asshole, but alas, it was 1853. And the second to last chapter is the best in the whole novel. Paul is about to leave on a 3 year voyage, but has left Lucy his house that he has redone for her so she can live independently and open her own school for girls (which is her dream!). He then professes his love for Lucy, and says he will remain faithful and wait for her. “Lucy, take my love. One day share my life. Be my dearest, first on earth.” She spends the next 3 years in bliss, building a life for herself. And on the VERY last page, with uncertain and ominous writing (in true Brontë style), we are left to ponder the possibility that Paul has drowned on his journey home to Lucy. 550 pages of build up just for the guy to (maybe) die! UGH.
I feel that in a way, we are meant to be on the same journey as Lucy. She does not often let people into her life, for fear of heartbreak. And what have we done as readers? We grew fond of the heinous M. Paul, only for him to die and break our hearts. Charlotte Brontë you wicked, brilliant woman!
I also love the idea of Brontë “sticking it to the man” in a way. Female protagonists at the time often needed to be married or killed at the end of their books in order to be published. She received criticism from many people, including her father, for needing a “happier” ending. I feel that her decision in giving us a finale of uncertainty, was her way of rebelling. Because we as readers know, similar to Jo’s marriage in Little Women, that Paul did in fact die. Instead of killing off Lucy, she said “fuck it” and killed off the man instead. Charlotte Brontë will always remain iconic.
First off, this book only triple confirmed for me that Charlotte Brontë is the best author of all time. If she knew how to do anything, it’s rip out your heart but leave you begging for more.
Villette starts off super slow, and I mean SUPER slow. The first couple of chapters truly take their time setting up the story and the overall mood of the novel. And after 75 pages or so, when Lucy (the protagonist) is finally settled, the next 200 pages are only to showcase her mundane, everyday life. However, despite how tedious it may seem, I almost feel it was necessary to truly understand her character. Lucy seems to be an unreliable narrator. After being left an orphan and dealing with a lonely and tragic childhood (similar to Jane Eyre), Lucy grows up to be overly cynical, reserved, and hyper-independent. Rather than letting herself love, she puts up a guard in an attempt to shield herself from more heartbreak. She also, as the story teller, has a habit of leaving important details out. She only ever tells you half of the story, and assumes you don’t want to hear the rest. It leaves me to wonder…is Madame Beck really a shady heartless wench? Is Ginevra really a clingy and insensitive brat? Is M. Paul really an angry asshole? It is up to us to decide.
When Lucy finds herself crushing on the seemingly cheerful, kind, and humble childhood friend of hers, Dr. John, the pace starts to pick up. His true character is shown after he finds himself in a love triangle with two other women, NOT including Lucy. He is not actually a humble man, but rather too proud. He is not kind, but rather laughs at Lucy while she cries, after she comes to the realization that he will never love her. And he is not cheerful, but rather a careless and neglectful friend to Lucy. On the flip side, M. Paul comes off as this misogynistic and patronizing douchebag, which honestly, he pretty much is. He’s an insecure man with anger issues and probably undiagnosed bipolar disorder. However, after Lucy and Paul discover that they both have seen the nun that haunts the school grounds, their strained relationship develops into friendship, and hints at possibly more. Although Paul is riddled with poor qualities, he is also secretly kind. He is generous behind closed doors, without wanting praise. He values authenticity. He is not materialistic. However, I want to be clear that this is NOT a man to be idolized, and Charlotte even says so herself in the book. Paul sucks. But the comparison between him and Dr. John is riveting! An outwardly good man who actually sucks vs an externally awful man who is actually generous.
I do not necessarily love the idea of Lucy settling for a misogynistic asshole, but alas, it was 1853. And the second to last chapter is the best in the whole novel. Paul is about to leave on a 3 year voyage, but has left Lucy his house that he has redone for her so she can live independently and open her own school for girls (which is her dream!). He then professes his love for Lucy, and says he will remain faithful and wait for her. “Lucy, take my love. One day share my life. Be my dearest, first on earth.” She spends the next 3 years in bliss, building a life for herself. And on the VERY last page, with uncertain and ominous writing (in true Brontë style), we are left to ponder the possibility that Paul has drowned on his journey home to Lucy. 550 pages of build up just for the guy to (maybe) die! UGH.
I feel that in a way, we are meant to be on the same journey as Lucy. She does not often let people into her life, for fear of heartbreak. And what have we done as readers? We grew fond of the heinous M. Paul, only for him to die and break our hearts. Charlotte Brontë you wicked, brilliant woman!
I also love the idea of Brontë “sticking it to the man” in a way. Female protagonists at the time often needed to be married or killed at the end of their books in order to be published. She received criticism from many people, including her father, for needing a “happier” ending. I feel that her decision in giving us a finale of uncertainty, was her way of rebelling. Because we as readers know, similar to Jo’s marriage in Little Women, that Paul did in fact die. Instead of killing off Lucy, she said “fuck it” and killed off the man instead. Charlotte Brontë will always remain iconic.