“Bronte’s finest novel.”Virginia Woolfe “It is a still more wonderful book than Jane Eyre. There is something almost preternatural in its power.”George Eliot The book? Villette by Charlotte Bronte. As longtime readers of this here space know, I have long had a deep loathing of Jane Eyre. (More about that anon.) And so saying that Villette is a superior novel is potentially damning with faint praise. So, let us start with a declarative: Villette is good, really good, well worth … [Read more...] about Villette (and Jane Eyre)
Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre is an Awful Book
Jane Eyre is absolutely the worst book which ever, for reasons I cannot fathom, ended up on anyone’s list of Great Books. It is awful. Just awful. Now that we have established that fact, perhaps you can help me solve a mystery. I have talked about this book many times with students. I always have exactly the same experience. To take an example: I once read the book with five amazing students (all women) in a tutorial. I told the students they should each pick a Great Book … [Read more...] about Jane Eyre is an Awful Book