Agnes Grey, A Novel is the debut novel of English author Anne Bront� (writing under the pen name of "Acton Bell"), first published in December 1847, and republished in a second edition in 1850. The novel follows Agnes Grey, a governess, as she works within families of the English gentry. Scholarship and comments by Anne's sister Charlotte Bront� suggest the novel is largely based on Anne Bront�'s own experiences as a governess for five years. Like her sister Charlotte's 1847 novel Jane Eyre, it addresses what the ...
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Agnes Grey, A Novel is the debut novel of English author Anne Bront� (writing under the pen name of "Acton Bell"), first published in December 1847, and republished in a second edition in 1850. The novel follows Agnes Grey, a governess, as she works within families of the English gentry. Scholarship and comments by Anne's sister Charlotte Bront� suggest the novel is largely based on Anne Bront�'s own experiences as a governess for five years. Like her sister Charlotte's 1847 novel Jane Eyre, it addresses what the precarious position of governess entailed and how it affected a young woman. The choice of central character allows Anne to deal with issues of oppression and abuse of women and governesses, isolation and ideas of empathy. An additional theme is the fair treatment of animals. Agnes Grey also mimics some of the stylistic approaches of bildungsromans, employing ideas of personal growth and coming to age. The Irish novelist George Moore praised Agnes Grey as "the most perfect prose narrative in English letters," and went so far as to compare Anne's prose to that of Jane Austen. Modern critics have made more subdued claims admiring Agnes Grey with a less overt praise of Bront�'s work than Moore. Agnes Grey was popular during what remained of Anne Bront�'s life despite the belief of many critics at the time that the novel was marred by "coarseness" and "vulgarity," but it lost some of its popularity afterwards because of its perceived moralising. However, in the 20th century, there was an increase in examination by scholars of Agnes Grey and of Anne Bront�. In Conversation in Ebury Street, the Irish novelist George Moore provided a commonly cited example of these newer reviews, overtly praising the style of the novel. F. B. Pinion agreed to a large extent that Agnes Grey was a masterwork. However, Pinion felt that Moore's examination of the piece was a little extreme and that his "preoccupation with style must have blinded him to the persistence of her moral purpose" of Agnes Grey. (Wikipedia.og)
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Agnes Grey tells of the trials and silent agonies suffered by a gentle governess, commenting on the families she lives with and yet is not a part of - the vulgar Bloomfields and the worldly, grasping Murrays - all the while quietly yearning for Mr. Weston, the curate of the parish. Outwardly it may seem to lack the excitement of the story of Jane Eyre, Agnes' literary sister, but this novel positively sings with quiet happiness, warmth, and rewarded patience. Edward Weston may not be Jane's Mr. Rochester, but I like him infinitely better.
