bout de papier, Vol. 4, No. 3 (1986) — Fall 1986 // Automne 1986, p. 27
Villette, by Charlotte Bronté, published
by Penguin, 1980, $5.95.
Villette has relevance to the modern experience of foreign life. It explores the themes of alienation and identity through the evolution of the character of the narrator, Miss Lucy Snowe, an English school teacher in Villette, a fictional portrait of 19th century Brussels. Critic Mark Lilly calls Villette one of the great studies of “self without society” in our literature.
Biographical references seem inevitable in discussing Brontë novels. Although her characters showed considerable independence, in real life Charlotte Brontë was exceedingly shy and more conscious of the need to compromise with conventions than the free spirit of her sister Emily. Charlotte’s own short life of almost unrelenting illness, sorrow and misery makes her development as a novelist one of courage as well as artistry. It was her experience at the Pensionnat Héger in Belgium that provided the inspiration for Villette.
Lucy Snowe’s search for a role in a society where she is not only an alien but a “nobody” is painful. She rejects imposed roles, expediency, and offers of comfort in the shadow of wealthy friends. Her fits of rebellion and the discord among the major characters ensure that her path through life is a rocky one. In the end Lucy Snowe may not marry the man she loves, but she finds fulfillment in her love for him and her career where she is useful to others and financially secure. She becomes aware that the tallibility of human justice is tempered by the transience of human suffering.
The unforgettable cast of characters is solid and bourgeoise, is devious and a very successful manager of her establishment. In an emotionally charged scene she is exposedas Lucy’s rival. Ginevra Fanshawe, an English student at Madame Beck’s, is weak and selfish, endowed with beauty and good fortune. One rather likes her in spite of her character faults because of her absence of malice and her friendship with the narrator. Paul Emmanuel is the short tempered, authoritarian and generous professor who notices Lucy’s merits and wins her esteem.
Villette was recognized by the Victorians as a revolutionary novel. They were shocked by its “coarseness.” It extended the English novel into new areas – psychology, sexuality, mental disorder, oppression of women, passion, surrealism, and even the effect of drugs. Charlotte Bronte’s imagination has more in common with her French contemporaries Hugo and Balzac than with most English novelists. It is interesting to note that her works were generally better received in France than at home, in spite of some traces of anti- Catholicism. Eminent critics of this century such as Herbert Read have recognized Villette’s seminal role in the development of the English novel.
Isolation from language, religion, family, familiar society are things that foreign service personnel have all experienced, especially when new at a post. In exploring such subjects, Villette is a profoundly modern novel. Charlotte Brontë’s critique of society was radical for her day. Its message retains its poignancy. This is not really a review: I hope for some readers it will serve as an introduction.
Those who know Brussels may well recognize it in the descriptions of the grey and brooding streets of Villette. The city is, in fact, more than a title and setting. It becomes an active character, contributing to Lucy Snowe’s depression and sense of alienation.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 4, No. 3 (1986) — Fall 1986 // Automne 1986, p. 27. Read the rest of this issue →
