Customer Reviews

Agnes Grey (Penguin Classics)

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After reading "Wuthering Heights" (by Emily), "Jane Eyre" (by Charlotte), and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" (by Anne), I found myself slightly disappointed by the lack of passion and romanticism in Anne Bronte's "Agnes Grey". This novel truly is simple, unpretentious, and down-to-earth--and, therefore, far too easy to underestimate and undervalue.

The title character is the younger daughter of a poor family, who seeks employment as a governess in order to help her parents make ends meet. This noble act of maturity on her part earns her nothing but disillusion, humiliation and hardship in the hands of the tyrannical children and over-indulgent parents of Wellwood House (Note the intriguing initials W.H., which stand for Wuthering Heights and Wildfell Hall in other Bronte books) and, later, Horton Lodge. For several chapters, Anne Bronte does not do much but--dare I say it?--complain about the lot of the Victorian governess. Though her portraits of the children and their parents were obviously drawn from reality, which certainly won sympathy from me, I wanted to tell her to "Get on with the story" many times.

The plot does pick up after the artful and exasperating Rosalie Murray has her "coming out" ball. Thoughtless rather than tyrannical, Rosalie has the most well-drawn character of all of Agnes' charges, which makes her such a great foil for Agnes. Rosalie delights in thinking that she could have any man she wishes and enjoys nothing more than toying with men's hearts. When she finds out that Agnes might be in love with the curate, Edward Weston, she makes every attempt to make Mr. Weston fall in love with _her_, thinking that it would be a grand joke to make Agnes miserable. Yet it is impossible to hate her, somehow. She steals every scene she is in; half the story is truly hers.

I am happy to say that both Rosalie and Agnes get what they deserve, which is, fittingly, what each explicitly asked and worked for. (Read that any way you wish--or better yet, read the book.) "Agnes Grey" has left me believing that we truly do sow what we reap and receive what we ask for.

Anne Bronte constructs a vivid Victorian world in AGNES GREY, which isn't surprising since it's drawn so strongly on her own experiences.

Agnes is a dutiful clergyman's daughter who goes into the world to seek employment as a governess in order to contribute to her family's financial well-being. Her several positions are described with deadly accuracy--the bratty children, the yapping dogs, the secretly disdainful other servants, the uninvolved parents. All are rendered here in minute and telling detail.

Agnes's familial background--and the familial background of Anne Bronte, of course--makes her especially well-suited to describing a local cleric she dislikes: "His favourite subjects were church discipline, rites and ceremonies, apostolical succession, the duty of reverence and obedience to the clergy, the atrocious criminality of dissent, the absolute necessity of observing all the forms of godliness, the reprehensible presumption of individuals who attempted to think for themselves in matters connected with religion, or to be guided by their own interpretations of Scripture, and occasionally (to please his wealthy parishioners), the necessity of deferential obedience from the poor to the rich--supporting his maxims and exhortations throughout with quotations from the Fathers . . . But now and then he gave us a sermon of a different order--what some would call a very good one; but sunless and severe: representing the Deity as a terrible taskmaster, rather than a benevolent father . . . [on leaving the church, I heard] his voice in jocund colloquy with some of the Melthams or Greens, or, perhaps, the Murrays themselves; probably laughing at his own sermon, and hoping that he had given the rascally people something to think about; perchance, exulting in the thought that old Betty Holmes would now lay aside the sinful indulgence of her pipe, which had been her daily solace for upwards of thirty years; the George Higgins would be frightened out of his Sabbath evening walks, and Thomas Jackson would be sorely troubled in his conscience, and shaken in his sure and certain hope of a joyful resurrection at the last day."

Bronte displays this same calm, measured, extraordinarily accurate descriptive skill throughout the novel, which more than makes up for the fact that the plot is simple and the action mostly calm and uneventful. The joys of the book lie chiefly in seeing how Bronte renders even the simplest character vividly lifelike.

In the beginning I thought that I wouldn't like this book because of the period in which it was written (Victorian Era). I liked this book because of the plot and characters. The love story, adventure, and decision making in this book, make it extremely interesting. The young girl is immersed in a wealthy society even though she is not wealthy herself. The portrayal of the differences in classes are evident. In this book, the young girl is a governess. It shows the frustration and feelings that a governess goes through. This book was incredibly easy to get into. The writing style made the reading a simple task. Many people have not read any books by the third Bronte sister, and I would recommend reading this book.

Imagine an evening at obscure Haworth parsonage in the depths of Yorkshire! Three female geniuses sat in the tiny parlor writing away at classics which will live forever. Emily with Wuthering Heights; Charlotte the eldest noted most for Jane Eyre. And then there is Anne....the least well known of the girls. In her short life (1820-1849) she wrote two novels: Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall which stand up well in the annals of English fiction.
Agnes Grey is a short novel of under 200 pages. It tells the story of Agnes Grey the daughter of an impecunious Church of England pastor. Anne leaves the love of her family to become a governess. She works for the horrible Bloomfield family noted for their son's torture of small animals; the bumptiious and repulsive hunting father and the snobbish mother. Disgusted with this family Miss Grey goes to the aristocratic family the Murrays. This is a wealthy family which is self-centered and as cold as a brisk day on the Yorkshire moors. Rosalie and Matilda are the two sisters who are to be taught by Agnes. They are shallow and ignorant girls. Rosalie weds a rich older man to get his estate but is very disappointed in her marriage.
Agnes finds happiness with the altruistic and kind clergyman the Rev. Weston.
The novel is plainly told with honesty and conviction. The life of a governess caught in the limbo between that of servant and family member is well captured. Women in the 19th century had a dfficult time if they had to support themselves outside of the home.
There have many copies of novels about governesses by Anne in Agnes Grey and Charlotte in Jane Eyre are at the top of this type of story.
Anne Bronte deserves to be read and appreciated for her literary gifts. She impresses me as a kind Christian woman who loved her family and those less fortunate than she. Her palpable love for animals is also evident.
This is a fine novel for anyone wishing to read a good story well told.

Agnes Grey is probably the simplest Bronte novel, but in my opinion the best, because it is a sincere story. It is always looked upon as inferior to "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights", but if reviewed as a story of a governess in the Victorian Era, it is suddenly far more interesting. "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre do not give a realistic view of the times the Brontes lived in, but "Agnes Grey" does and she does not spare us the details.

I myself believe that Anne was in love with William Weightman, her fathers curate and seeing that she lets het own heroine Agnes win Mr. Weston, makes me feel that she tries to show us her dream, if she could have had it. It is simple, but happy. And that is exactly what this book is about. It is not to say that love is a never ending passion and all hardships end when one finds THE ONE, but simply to state that joy and wisdom can be found in a happy union.

And now, after I have read it many times, I still cry when Agnes tells Mr. Weston that she loves him. That one word "Yes" says it all.

Mrs Brontė tells the tale of Agnes Grey, a young governess of a little over 20 and her experience working for two families, The Bloomfields and their 3 children Tom, Mary Ann and Fanny, and with the Murrays and their two daughters Mathilda and Rosalie.
In writing her first novel, Mrs Brontė must have drawn from her own experiences in 1839 when she worked for the Ingham family at Blake Hall and from 1840 till 1845 with the Robinsons at Thorp Green Hall. As her sister Charlotte sated, this personal experience lies behind many of the characters and events as well as Agnes's feelings in the novel.
As a first novel, it show an astonishing maturity and technical accomplishment since "Agnes Grey" is in many ways a very personal story. Mrs Brontė describes as vividly as possible the strong pressures that a governess' life involved at that time - the isolation, the frustrations, the insensitive treatment of employers and their families. Actually it transpires in this novel that middle-class households used to consider a governess as little more than a servant thus undervaluing her role as an educator. And the author's view of such households is sharply cynical: they are self-satisfied, vulgar, small-minded snobs who delight in social pretension. They are mercilessly depicted in their moral emptiness and Agnes actually suffers from moral isolation which becomes more and more oppressive and alienating, especially during her stay with the Murrays. In this family Agnes feel deprived from ordinary human kindness and warmth of affection so much so that she falls into depression because she feels that her moral identity is being destroyed, no longer confident in her "distinctions of right and wrong".
A remarkable novel about a young woman and such issues as moral behaviour, moral responsibility and individual integrity.

Less dramatic than her own Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and less read than her more famous sisters' works, Agnes Grey is a straightforward, semi-fictional chronicle of the experiences of a governess in 19th century England. Agnes is the younger daughter of a mother whose wealthy family disowned her for loving marrying an impoverished clergyman. To help ameliorate her family's dire financial condition , Agnes chooses to seek a situation as companion and teacher to the children of wealthier people. Though she understands well how to raise responsible children, their selfish parents undermine her attempts by neglecting yet overindulging them. Treated as underling by her employers, ignored by their servants, and plague by her students, poor Agnes must struggle alone under impossible working conditions, determined to help her own family regardless of the cost to herself. Her story comes to a happy conclusion, but Bronte was not interested in writing about "felicitous" times. Her intention with this book, to reveal some of the injustices of the class system, is achieved by example rather than preaching. Reminiscent of some of Jane Austen's stories, particularly Persuasion, Agnes Grey is a gracefully narrated, unpretentious story told with impressive effect.

Poor Anne Bronte. Her legacy will forever be overshadowed by the greater success of her elder sisters; Charlotte Bronte, the author of "Jane Eyre", and Emily Bronte, who gave the world "Wuthering Heights". I would love to be able to say that Anne is the hidden gem of the Bronte family, but the fact is that her work is simply not as good as that of her sisters'. She writes vividly and sympathetically, but ultimately her stories are rather forgettable, especially when compared with the trials and tribulations of Jane Eyre and the violent and passionate love affair between Heathcliff and Catherine in "Wuthering Heights" (okay, I'll admit it - it's my favourite book. I'm hopelessly biased).

Anne Bronte's most famous book "Agnes Grey", is without the timeless appeal of her sisters' novel, since it is a novel meant for her contemporary Victorian audience, one that underlined the trials and difficulties faced by governesses of the time. At this point in British history, economical and social problems had driven many young women to seek employment as governesses, and because of the influx of potential governesses, families could naturally whittle down the price of a teacher for their children (Charlotte Bronte for example, had to accept twenty pounds a year for her services as a governess). Being one of the first novels to address the hardships and indignities faced by governesses, Anne Bronte's book provided a valuable window into this world; and it did this so well in fact that one critic said of the author: "he must have bribed some governess very largely...to reveal to him the secrets of her prison house, or, he must have devoted extraordinary powers of observation and discovery to the elucidation of the subject."

In this critic's defense, Anne (along with her sisters) published their books under masculine pen names, but it is a testimony to her skill that the conditions of the governess were captured so vividly. Being a governess herself (with many similarities to her title character, as we shall see in a moment), Anne was in the prime position to `spill the beans' on the plight of the governess. By today's standards "Agnes Grey" provides a vivid and interesting history on this aspect of life in Bronte's time period, but it is more valued for its glimpses into the Bronte sisters' lives than its compelling story.

Agnes Grey is the story of a young heroine who - because of her family's financial struggles - advertises herself out as a governess. Stepping out into the world from a life surrounded by a loving family is trial enough, but Agnes is looking forward to achieving her independence and helping her family in its time of need. She is sadly disillusioned, as her new position in the Bloomfield household is not at all what she expected. The children are unruly and spoilt, the house servants are unfriendly and the master and the mistress hold Agnes responsible for their children's wild behaviour. Her second position is only moderately better; treated as little more than a servant; she is only gradually accepted by her two new charges: the flirtatious Rosalie and the tomboyish Matilda Murray. Her only spark of light is the sensible young curate Mr Weston, a man whom Rosalie is determined to add to her list of conquests before her upcoming marriage is made public...

The similarities between Agnes and Anne's lives are numerous: both are the youngest and adored little sisters of their families (and although all but one of Agnes's siblings are dead, six were born - the same as Anne's family), both had two positions as a governess at two different households and were unfairly dismissed for incompetence from the first one, both are the daughters of North England clergymen, and both are nineteen when they take up their first post. What makes Agnes especially unique in the large canon of literary governesses (of which she was one of the first), is that she is actively enthusiastic about going out into the world and earning money - a trait that is admittedly coupled with a real need to help her family, but one which is rare (most book-governesses are forced reluctantly into their positions). Agnes's situation as the adored little sister of the Grey family is akin to Anne's own place in her family (a position that scholars now believe Anne rebelled against), perhaps accounting for the unique characteristic of Agnes's initial desire to become as a governess - that she actively goes out in search of a job, rather than being helplessly driven to it solely by poverty.

There is nothing wrong with Bronte's writing technique - her language is crisp and concise, her heroine realistic and sympathetic, and her social commentary on the plight of the young unmarried Victorian woman's chances at a career is as thought-provoking as ever (though naturally a bit dated by today's standards). The problem lies with the story itself, which is somewhat uneventful. Bronte is particularly good in capturing the frustrations of being governess to a pack of ungrateful children; their naughty behaviour, their disinterestedness and the unfair treatment accorded to her by her employees, but ultimately nothing is done with it. Because it is predominantly an exposition on the requirements and hardships of governesses, we never really get any satisfactorily comeuppance to any of Agnes's pupils, save one, whose unhappy marriage is almost *too* tragic. Anne Bronte's novel is more didactic than that of her sisters', as Agnes is a paragon of virtue and patience in the face of ongoing frustration. Yes, her temper is worn at times, but she is remarkable in her ability to withhold her emotions and keep in place her calm exterior. Just once I would have liked one of the little brats to get slapped! Also, I don't think I'm alone in thinking that Agnes's romance with Mr Weston is a little flat - we never really get to know him very well, and Agnes's falling in love with him is as much a leap of faith on his perceived goodness then any real meeting of minds and hearts.

But "Agnes Grey" is certainly worth the read, for the historical insight as well as a comparative text for Anne Bronte's second novel, the much more rich and accomplished "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall."

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Oxford World's Classics)

I read this book for my freetime and have two points of views to address:
The academic in me found the book to contain a good amount of symbols and transgressions worthy of noting in any good size paper. A lot of parallels can be drawn as to parenting and class, and also working women in the Victorian era.
The romantic reader felt relieved to be suddenly swept into a novel plot (starting middle of the book) and taken almost directly from Cinderella's famous plotline, the good people and the bad get what they certainly endeavour to deserve.
I liked that this book was something I could learn from and also satisfy my need for gooey longing romance.
Bring a pencil when you read; the book notes are extremely vexing as the editor gives one about every paragraph so read them all after or first. Also its a short book so don't despair when Bronte begins drowning in her own philosophies and metaphors during the middle passages (you'll find them) and be happy for what this book can provide for anyone who has ever felt the need to take care of their family.

It is unfortunate that one is unable to enjoy this book without comparing it to Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights; however, it holds it own beauty.

I was delighted with the baby sitting scenes and found myself laughing with the narrator, and also feeling all of her pain and anguish.

She's "lighter" than her sisters and the ending reminds me a little of a Jane Austen novel. I may even compare her to Louisa May Alcott. I was pleasantly surprised.