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Villette
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Villette -Week 1 - Chapters 1 - 7
I have the read the first 4 chapters. So far it has been auite normal, though I see shades of Cathy (Wuthering Heights ) in Polly. She is quite the little house keeper, pouring tea, and waiting up for Graham etc. Also, most times I forget that Lucy Snowe is only 14 ot 15. She sounded like an adult in the chapters with Polly.
Bharathi wrote: "I have the read the first 4 chapters. So far it has been auite normal, though I see shades of Cathy (Wuthering Heights ) in Polly. She is quite the little house keeper, pouring tea, and waiting up ..."Lucy is writing as an adult remembering. That becomes clear in a little while.
At one point in Chapter One Mrs. Bretton says to Lucy "Take no notice" to which Lucy responds to herself "But I did take notice." These are key lines, I believe. I find it remarkable how many times Lucy portrays herself as a person who watches, records, observes and takes notice. I found Lucy's narration to be, at times, almost cinematic in its recording and watching. Lucy, I think, will be a very keen observer in terms of both what goes on around her and what happens to herself. Bronte's heroine is named Lucy Snowe. Is it me, or has anyone else noted the seemingly constant references to the colour white?
We are presented with many children and young adolescents in these opening chapters, all of whom are from homes without a mother, father, or both parents. It is evident that the reader is meant to see Lucy as an isolated character, one who is homeless. On the point of leaving England Lucy reflects on her circumstances by commenting "I had nothing to lose... . If I died far away from -- home, I was going to say, but I had no home -- from England, then, who would weep?"
Jane Eyre Spoiler next:
Like Jane Eyre, an orphan, Lucy in Villette is young, somewhat alone/homeless yet very self-aware. As each sets about their outward journey, the structure of the Bildungsroman is set into motion.
Peter wrote: "At one point in Chapter One Mrs. Bretton says to Lucy "Take no notice" to which Lucy responds to herself "But I did take notice." These are key lines, I believe. I find it remarkable how many tim..."Great observations. Lucy does seem to be a watcher. Are her perceptions reliable?
I was also very struck by how much of a watcher (and not a participant) Lucy was, particularly around little Polly. It would have seemed very natural to me that she would have been sympathetic and motherly/sisterly to the little girl and would have formed a bond with her, and yet she seemed not to try to engage with her at all-that role was left for Graham. Polly also struck me as a very Dickensian child, very solicitous of her father and then by transference of Graham, wanting nothing more than to serve them. I was also struck by the selfishness of the father-to ask his daughter not to cry on his departure so that HE wouldn't feel uncomfortable-in a sense asking the child to take care of the parent (although that seems to be a very acceptable role for children in Victorian literature). I felt that Polly and Adele were very different girls-Adele was the petted darling who expected things her way, while Polly was very much a child who expected very little from the world, and lived to serve those she loved.
Deborah wrote: "Peter wrote: "At one point in Chapter One Mrs. Bretton says to Lucy "Take no notice" to which Lucy responds to herself "But I did take notice." These are key lines, I believe. I find it remarkabl..."I think Lucy's observations are reasonably reliable so far. In part, as a young person without much life experience, so has less to hide or re-invent. As Lucy matures, however, and her life experiences expand, we need to be vigilant to the possibility she may slant the story to justify her actions.
Jane Eyre Spoiler: I found Jane to be a very reliable narrator, sometimes too candid.
I found the beginning very strange. I can't quite agree with the reader who thought Polly reminded her of Cathy from Wuthering Heights. Cathy never would have been so servile to the men of the house. She was far too independent and selfish for that.I couldn't figure out the ages of the characters. I see here that Polly is six. What a strange child! And I must say that her relationship with the men was making me a bit uncomfortable. The way she waits on them hand and foot, almost obsessively, and completely ignores the women of the house. I'm afraid to admit I must be jaded and suspicious--how sad! for I'm sure Charlotte had no idea of any sexual inapproriateness. But the way Graham forced Polly to kiss him, I found a bit uncomfortable and Polly doesn't seem to act like a child at all, but like a woman. Perhaps English children were far more adult like than our children are today.
I was also confused by the focus on Polly. I thought that Lucy Snowe was the protagonist, but the opening pages seem to suggest that Polly is. I must keep reading!
By the way, there are wonderful observations in this thread. I hadn't noticed all the references to white. Interesting.
Gea wrote: "I found the beginning very strange. I can't quite agree with the reader who thought Polly reminded her of Cathy from Wuthering Heights. Cathy never would have been so servile to the men of the ho..."I felt the plot was a bit disjointed with such an emphasis on Polly in the beginning. Also Lucy seems to bounce around from one extreme to another on an emotional level.
I find Bronte's style interesting. She frequently weaves in bits of foreshadowing and suspense. A short passage in Chapter VII especially struck me. "Yet I planned nothing, and considered nothing: I had not time. Providence said 'Stop here; this is you inn.'' Fate took me in her strong hand; mastered my will; directed my actions: I rang the doorbell."
The staccato shortness of the sentences, the use of the colon and semi-colon, the references to "Providence" and "Fate" blend together and form contrasting feelings of both urgency and resignation. Lucy is propelled forward, but clearly feels she is not the master of her destiny.
As Lucy arrives at the door of her destination, and is hired by Madame Beck, she has met with, and been guided by, a dark stranger, and approved by M. Beck.
Gea wrote: "I couldn't figure out the ages of the characters. I see here that Polly is six. What a strange child! And I must say that her relationship with the men was making me a bit uncomfortable. The way she waits on them hand and foot, almost obsessively, and completely ignores the women of the house. I'm afraid to admit I must be jaded and suspicious--how sad! for I'm sure Charlotte had no idea of any sexual inapproriateness. But the way Graham forced Polly to kiss him, I found a bit uncomfortable and Polly doesn't seem to act like a child at all, but like a woman. Perhaps English children were far more adult like than our children are today...."I was also a little creeped out by the relationship between Polly and the men in her life, not to mention her oddly adult ways. I was especially struck by Graham's behavior when he grabbed Polly the first time and swung her around over his head... she responded by asking how he would feel if someone did that to him, which is a very astute and modern reply. People abuse children because they don't think of them as people, but as pets and toys and possessions, something less than human.
I've wondered about Lucy's behavior around Polly, and I came to the conclusion that she felt very fond and interested in Polly, but would not force herself on her in any instance. It reminds me of how best to treat a cat that you meet for the first time, because it's a matter of trust... it's up to the cat to choose the time and place to make friends. Right at the end of Polly's stay, she showed Lucy her trust.
I don't know yet if Lucy is a reliable narrator, but I do like her ability to observe, which unfortunately is probably the result of feeling so isolated, and I would venture to guess, might also be the result of issues of distrust in her own life. A person who has suffered betrayal or abuse or heartbreak, especially as a child, is often more observant, just for the sake of self-preservation. Plus, that would explain her behavior with Polly (whose mother was apparently very neglectful and self-involved)... maybe it takes one to know one. At least, Lucy knew not to behave invasively to Polly.
Except that Polly clearly took to Graham and formed a very strong attachment to him, so something he did in reaching out to her worked on her heart. While Lucy might have hesitated out of a desire not to overwhelm her, I also found her somewhat cold to the clearly heartsick little child. And while Graham might have been overly boisterous, at least he tried to engage her. I never had a sense that he was in any way abusive, but in fact treated her very much the way most 16 year old boys would treat a loved little sister-neglecting her when his friends were there but otherwise being a good brother.
Frances wrote: "Except that Polly clearly took to Graham and formed a very strong attachment to him, so something he did in reaching out to her worked on her heart. While Lucy might have hesitated out of a desire ..."Hmmm. Lucy Snow cold toward somebody. Actually Bronte insisted she have a cold name :)
Deborah wrote: "Frances wrote: "Hmmm. Lucy Snow cold toward somebody. Actually Bronte insisted she have a cold name :)..."Well, all that's true too...
I was surprised by how little we know of Lucy's family, other than her godmother. When she goes home, she describes their end in 2 dream-like paragraphs, which I thought were meant to be read symbolically, except that her 'nightmare' of those memories is very vivid. An interesting way to cover 8 years of her youth, with the result that we learn very little about her own background.I was also surprised by Polly's age, reading bible chapters at age 6, and by the seeming lack of friendship, or even much interaction, between Lucy and Graham, since they are closer in age.
Mod
I, too, was a little creeped out by the beginning. Not only by Polly's obsession with the men, but just by her in general. There was so much emphasis on how very tiny she was, and yet her behavior was so mature that she soon started to seem a little freakish to me. I know that it was a different time, and children were often forced by circumstances and responsibilities to grow up quickly and be older than their years, but wow!
I was also confused by the focus on Polly. Lucy stayed very much in the background. Maybe Polly returns later in the book--I can think of no other reason to spend so much time on her story. Bronte spent all that time on Polly, and then disposes of Lucy's entire family in such a way that I wasn't even sure what had taken place. It was never stated that they were aboard the boat, but she is clearly alone in the world after that, so one must infer they were.
I can see the similarities to Jane Eyre in Lucy's situation as she arrives at the school. I haven't read ahead, but am very interested to find what type of job she will have. I assumed, when she set out for France, that she could speak French--it was common for young ladies to do so. I thought she would be teaching English to French children, having been given the idea by Mrs. Barrett, but that has not yet been established.
Jane Eyre is probably my favorite classic novel. I have seen a few adaptations of JE, but found that you really need the book to see what it is all about. The thought life of JE is an important part of the story. In that aspect (the thought life) Villette reminds me of JE.I would not have thought of asking whether Lucy is a reliable narrator. Interesting question. The narration is definitely form Lucy's point of view and how she experience life and other people. I think that is what allows me to get into the story and enjoy it so much.
Also, I have not read anything except JE by Charlotte Bronte before. I have no idea where the storyline is going. After reading the first few chapters, I was kind of surprised to see that it is Lucy and not Polly that seems to be the main character. I have read about 1/3 of the book and find myself wondering what will happen next.
Like several other readers, I also thought the novel felt a bit disjointed in the beginning due to Lucy's lack of participation. She seemed much more of an observer in those early chapters, but now that she's in France I'm hoping to see her break out of her shell a little. I do miss Polly, though. She was a strange creature but definitely more interesting than Lucy has been so far.
The beginning feels like three different stories. We get two false starts with the Bretton household and Miss Marchmont, then finally the actual plot seems to begin at Chapter V.
But oddly enough, I kind of liked the disjointedness. It gives the novel a dreamlike quality. Lucy doesn't seem like she has any solid identity or place of belonging. She's like a specter who slowly materializes out of the background - from barely being noticeable in Chapter I to becoming our central main character. It's almost as if other characters AND the narrative were treating her like an insignificant background person. Very unconventional, and more like an experimental approach you'd see in a 20th century novel.
But oddly enough, I kind of liked the disjointedness. It gives the novel a dreamlike quality. Lucy doesn't seem like she has any solid identity or place of belonging. She's like a specter who slowly materializes out of the background - from barely being noticeable in Chapter I to becoming our central main character. It's almost as if other characters AND the narrative were treating her like an insignificant background person. Very unconventional, and more like an experimental approach you'd see in a 20th century novel.
Jaq-Lin wrote: "The beginning feels like three different stories. We get two false starts with the Bretton household and Miss Marchmont, then finally the actual plot seems to begin at Chapter V. But oddly enough..."
Thanks for sharing this. It's a completely different take on it than mine, and I really enjoyed your viewpoint.
Re: three beginningsI agree you get the feeling we have multiple stories started. However, what I have learned is that to better understand a story or the characters of a story it pays to pay attention to the beginnings. The beginning frequently holds the key to later events and to what make the characters tick.
Wonder if we will meet Polly, Graham and/or Mrs. Bretton again and under which circumstances.
Jaq-Lin wrote: "The beginning feels like three different stories. We get two false starts with the Bretton household and Miss Marchmont, then finally the actual plot seems to begin at Chapter V. But oddly enough..."
I think your interpretation is very interesting and insightful. Lucy does begin by being rather insignificant which is much different from Jane in Jane Eyre.
Yes, and I think this might reflect Charlotte's frame of mind while she was writing this. Like she was projecting her feelings of insecurity and unhappiness into this novel.
No problem, Deborah! I'm curious to hear what your take on it was.
No problem, Deborah! I'm curious to hear what your take on it was.
Jaq-Lin wrote: "Yes, and I think this might reflect Charlotte's frame of mind while she was writing this. Like she was projecting her feelings of insecurity and unhappiness into this novel.No problem, Deborah! I..."
For me it feels disjointed, which was a criticism in Bronte's time. Lucy seems a bit unstable to me as she shifts emotions quickly, and they all seem to be very strong emotions. While there are many references to white, the story feels very gray to me, which might be Bronte's depression coming through to her writing. I think you may be right about the disjointed ness reflecting her frame of mind.
Deborah wrote: "Jaq-Lin wrote: "Yes, and I think this might reflect Charlotte's frame of mind while she was writing this. Like she was projecting her feelings of insecurity and unhappiness into this novel.No pro..."
I agree. The story does feel grey so far, rather than a sharper more vivid colour. While not as prominent as the colour white, we do get fewer, yet repeated references to the colour red in the first section as well. The colour red does offer a strong contrast to the story. As the novel progresses, Bronte may well develop these colours further and spin them off into deeper symbolic meanings.
The first chapters seemed intent on establishing Lucy as a kind, but unlucky person, who seems fated to be shuffled about from place to place, and thus not able to establish a home or secure a clear individual identity. As an orphan, she is following the pattern of many other Bronte novels where the heroine is plain in feature but strong in resilience to what she confronts. By the end of chapter 7 Lucy has already faced multiple loses of place and home; now, Lucy is in not only in a new place, but a new country as well.
I suspect that our Lucy Snowe, while still grey in colour, may well set off some fireworks before too long ... much like Jane and Agnes from earlier reads.
Having reached the end of chapter 7, I agree with the comments so far. Lucy seems to have begun showing some glimmer of colour in the last chapter. I feel this first segment of the book is setting future scenes as much as introducing characters and giving background to them and the story, as so often happens in books of this era. With the emphasis on Polly and her character, I feel she will probably appear again in Lucy's life sometime in the future. If/when she does it will be interesting to see how she has developed and compare her to her childhood - presuming of course she is a grown woman by then.
A few observations in the first few chapters:I get the feeling that Lucy is painted in words as an obscure and grey person, but emerges from this state steadily.
For example, we do not even learn her name until chapter 2. In the first chapter, I got the impression the Brettons would be the main characters.
Her family background is very obscure. I think she has living family, but what has caused a rift between Lucy and them. There are only a few paragraph mentioning her family situation. Miss Marchmont, a neighbor, "rescues" her from her family situation by offering her a position.
Did I miss her actual family history?
Miss Marchmont tells Lucy her story of loosing Frank and how she took charge. While overtly this does not have significance, I think it is an example and an encouragement for Lucy to excert and take charge of her life and destiny.
Looking forward to the discussion on the next set of chapters.
Brit wrote: "A few observations in the first few chapters:I get the feeling that Lucy is painted in words as an obscure and grey person, but emerges from this state steadily.
For example, we do not even lear..."
Brit, you did not miss her family history. It's somewhat inferred that they are dead, but it's not clear. The family just appears to be missing
Deborah wrote: "Brit wrote: "A few observations in the first few chapters:
I get the feeling that Lucy is painted in words as an obscure and grey person, but emerges from this state steadily.
For example, we do ..."
Check out this paragraph from the first chapter:
"I was staying at Bretton; my godmother having come in person to claim me of the kinsfolk with whom was at that time fixed my permanent residence."
It's so intentionally vague. She couldn't even say the word "family" or "parents." It really gives the sense of a character with no identity or background.
However, if I were to guess what happened to her family, I'm assuming some type of scandal occurred. First, there's this sentence which follows the one above:
"I believe she [Mrs. Bretton] then plainly saw events coming, whose very shadow I scarce guessed; yet of which the faint suspicion sufficed to impart unsettled sadness, and made me glad to change scene and society."
This gives the impression that something is brewing beneath the surface, and is about to explode. Probably something financially related (gambling, fraud, loss of all the family's money). Since Lucy is wearing a mourning-dress when she goes to see Miss Marchmont, this implies that there was death. So I'm picturing a massive financial scandal, that resulted in possibly suicide, imprisonment and execution, and seizure of assets. It needed to have been something so awful, that Lucy was left completely on her own with no resources or reliable connections.
I get the feeling that Lucy is painted in words as an obscure and grey person, but emerges from this state steadily.
For example, we do ..."
Check out this paragraph from the first chapter:
"I was staying at Bretton; my godmother having come in person to claim me of the kinsfolk with whom was at that time fixed my permanent residence."
It's so intentionally vague. She couldn't even say the word "family" or "parents." It really gives the sense of a character with no identity or background.
However, if I were to guess what happened to her family, I'm assuming some type of scandal occurred. First, there's this sentence which follows the one above:
"I believe she [Mrs. Bretton] then plainly saw events coming, whose very shadow I scarce guessed; yet of which the faint suspicion sufficed to impart unsettled sadness, and made me glad to change scene and society."
This gives the impression that something is brewing beneath the surface, and is about to explode. Probably something financially related (gambling, fraud, loss of all the family's money). Since Lucy is wearing a mourning-dress when she goes to see Miss Marchmont, this implies that there was death. So I'm picturing a massive financial scandal, that resulted in possibly suicide, imprisonment and execution, and seizure of assets. It needed to have been something so awful, that Lucy was left completely on her own with no resources or reliable connections.
Jaq-Lin wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Brit wrote: "A few observations in the first few chapters:I get the feeling that Lucy is painted in words as an obscure and grey person, but emerges from this state steadily.
For..."
There's also the implication of shipwreck and drowning i believe in chapter 1. The vagueness along with the multiple possibilities of what happened to her family makes me think Lucy is an unreliable narrator.
Re Lucy's family:Thanks for your comments Deborah.
Re Lucy's family:I went back to chapter 1 to see the references to her background. Deborah may be right in saying she is an unreliable narrator. I would probably give her the benefit of doubt and call her private in that she vaguely hints, but does not plainly reveal the tragedy that may have befallen her and her family. With others such as Mr. Home's tragedy Lucy is very specific.
This is what I see Lucy revealing:
Mrs. Bretton rescued her from her kinsfolk because she saw trouble looming for Lucy. Lucy says "I believe she then saw events coming, whose shadow I scarcely guessed; yet of which the faint suspicion sufficed to impart unsettled sadness, and made me glad to change scene and society."
Shortly thereafter Lucy describes life with the Brettons as bland, but finds that ok as she "liked peace so well."
When a letter arrives causing Mrs. Brettons concerns, Lucy reacts with fear and trembling. She fears disastrous news from home.
Why does Lucy like the calm waters and why the fear of news from home?
I don't think the specifics matter, but knowing she has a "dark" background helps in understanding her development and actions later in the book.
P.S. I could not find the reference to a shipwreck or drowning.
Thinking on Lucy as being an unreliable narrator, I tend to think perhaps she is. She tells us very little about her present life, likes, dislikes, and even less about her past. And she certainly doesn't gives us even an inkling as to why Polly takes such a dislike to her - something she refers to on more than one occasion.I can't help wondering whether Polly is as precocious as Lucy portrays her, or is this Lucy's own true character?
What I got from the opening chapters was that Lucy stays with her Godmother, Mrs Bretton, regularly, and this visit was just one of those times. Lucy is very cagey about her childhood and background, even though a close death is evident since she wears mourning dress. We don't learn who that was, although she does tell us how she has suffered.
Another point that made me think of Lucy being an unreliable narrator is when she corrects her old school friend's French making you think she was fluent in the language, yet later we learn she speaks no French.
Brit wrote: "Re Lucy's family:I went back to chapter 1 to see the references to her background. Deborah may be right in saying she is an unreliable narrator. I would probably give her the benefit of doubt and..."
The reference is really oblique. I will try to find it again
The reference to drowning is on the first page of Chapter 4. "However, it cannot be concealed that, in that case, I must somehow have fallen overboard, or that there must have been a wreck at last. I too well remember a time - a long time, of cold, of danger, of contention. To this hour, when I have the nightmare, it repeats the rush and saltiness of briny waves in my throat, and their icy pressure on my lungs. I even know there was a storm, and that not of one hour or one day. For many days and nights neither sun nor stars appeared, we cast with our own hands the tackling out of the ship; a heavy tempest lay on us all; all hope we should be saved was taken away. In fine, the ship was lost, the crew perished."Who is we? Lucy and her family?
Deborah wrote: "The reference to drowning is on the first page of Chapter 4. "However, it cannot be concealed that, in that case, I must somehow have fallen overboard, or that there must have been a wreck at last..."Good find Deborah. The passage gives us an early establishment of Lucy being alone, adrift without a family. I am torn two ways how to interpret the meaning of the passage.
We could interpret the word "we" as blood family, probably parents. Brit (message 32) quotes Lucy as saying of Mrs. Bretton "I believe she then saw events coming." [the impending death of Lucy's parents after the shipwreck] Ella, in message 33, comments that Lucy was wearing a mourning dress. The passage then becomes the recollection of a literal sailing disaster.
On the other hand, the sentences directly before the "shipwreck" passage are "I will permit the reader to picture me, for the next eight years, as a bark slumbering through halcyon weather, in a harbour still as glass - the steersman stretched out on the deck, his face up to heaven, his eyes closed: buried, if you will, in a long prayer." These sentences and the next sentences prior to the "shipwreck" sentences read as an extended simile/personification to create a tranquil, happy and contented little girl. Thus, the shipwreck passage could be a stylistic contrast of Lucy's early life rather than a literal event concerning a girl and her experiences on a bark.
It is always interesting to stretch an analysis a bit, and often that stretching will snap back at us, but the question of Lucy's reliability as a narrator may well be tempered if Bronte created a protagonist who, because of an early traumatic event, choses to re-frame certain events as a coping mechanism as a method of psychological survival.
As we read further it will be interesting to discover if, as an adult, Lucy grows into a more self-assured personality who the reader does not need to suspect in her comments or if Lucy continues to re-frame traumatic life events in order to protect her fragility.
To me, the biggest puzzle occurs after the" sailing" passages where Bronte introduces the next paragraph by having Lucy comment "As far as I recollect ..."
I think it will be exciting to follow this line of inquiry.
Re interpretation of the shipwreck:As I was reading the passage more closely, I also wondered, like Peter, whether this should be interpreted literally or metaphorically. Lucy seems very guarded in giving information about herself.
Some trauma occurred and the reoccurring nightmares involving water makes a case for a real drowning or shipwreck. It is also possible Lucy was so traumatized she does fully or clearly remember.
At first, I thought the shipwreck was a literal one. Then I dismissed it as metaphorical, because Mrs. Bretton and Lucy were already suspecting trouble on the horizon, eight years before the tragic event(s) occurred. A shipwreck would be more unexpected and random.
But then on second thought, it very well might have been a literal wreck. There could have been some long-term family troubles, which directly or indirectly lead to a shipwreck.
But then on second thought, it very well might have been a literal wreck. There could have been some long-term family troubles, which directly or indirectly lead to a shipwreck.
I do wonder if the shipwreck is metaphorical. Lucy had no qualms in boarding The Vivid which I would have thought she would had she experienced the trauma of an actual shipwreck.
Ella's Gran wrote: "I do wonder if the shipwreck is metaphorical. Lucy had no qualms in boarding The Vivid which I would have thought she would had she experienced the trauma of an actual shipwreck."Good point. I think it might be a good idea for us to remember these conversations for any events that might occur in the future ... ?
Jaq-Lin wrote: "At first, I thought the shipwreck was a literal one. Then I dismissed it as metaphorical, because Mrs. Bretton and Lucy were already suspecting trouble on the horizon, eight years before the tragic..."I read the trouble on the horizon as Polly arriving due to her father's illness. The letter arrives and the bed appears in Lucy's room.
I am a little confused. Who is Lucy? Why is it that the book is named Villette but so far there is no Villette on the stage? I confessed I have hardly had any time to read the posts about the background of the novel. Just to answer the first question, I do not think Lucy will be a very faithful narrator. I mean not thoroughly objective. Besides she certainly skips details or even more important pieces of information when telling her own story. For example: She does not explain her family situation at all. Why is it that she has to go and live with her godmother? What is it that she is all by herself by chapter seven? She tells about problems and grieve that stroke her life but she does not specifies which these were or how they affected her.
Lucy is only around 14 years of age I believe, and we know she regularly stays with her Godmother Mrs Betton, yet we don't know where else she lives when not there and, more importantly, under whose care she is when not with the Bettons. I wondered whether the Uncles were perhaps her guardians since, when she went to London, she went to stay at the Hotel she knew her Uncles used.
Mod
Theoretically, she narrates as an observer relating the behaviors of others, but those observations leave many questions. Certainly questions about her family of origin, but also of her true feelings/opinions of Polly and Graham. The fact that she has spent so much time watching and recording makes me suspect that her emotions run deeper than her words admit. For example, she doesn't admit censure but it is possible to take away censure from the scenes she describes. Also, fascination and perhaps jealousy. Does she truly care nothing for Graham as she tells Polly? Does she hold herself separate from the interactions or has she been somehow set aside?
She certainly gives the impression of someone wholly isolated, but the isolation isn't as clearly delineated as for Jane Eyre. I have to wonder if Lucy's isolation isn't partly circumstance and partly temperament.
Renee wrote: "Just finished both chapters 1-7 and the wonderful, thoughtful posts in this thread. The discussion of color was quite interesting, and also the speculation on Lucy's origins. I don't see her as a p..."Eloquently said :)
What a strange start to a novel... muddled, confusing. Lucy meant it to be that way? She doesn't want to talk too much about herself or her family tragedy of course, but the tragedy was great enough to have made her cross the sea and escape the outside world into the secluded world of the school. There was a passage right after she got hired by Madame Beck where she says she was saved from going out into the hostile street again. She just wants to blend in and live a bland life. Marks of someone who's undergone a deep trauma?
Even though this is Lucy's story, I feel like she's telling it more to get things off her shoulders than she is to entertain us readers... Why dwell so much on Polly, who then disappears and doesn't play an active role in the plot anyways? Maybe Lucy saw herself so much in Polly that she wanted to describe and dissect the kid because talking about her own self was too painful. Yet she reveals herself in how she talks about Polly. Aren't we often most interested in the people we have a lot in common with?
Dee wrote: "What a strange start to a novel... muddled, confusing. Lucy meant it to be that way? She doesn't want to talk too much about herself or her family tragedy of course, but the tragedy was great eno..."
Great comment. Lucy's selective sharing is making me crazy. Possible trauma yes. Possible something else yes
I am just starting the novel now and drawing some insights from the above comments. My initial reaction to the book shares the same sense of confusion, as the main focus of the narrator's attention is on Polly. (So far) Lucy has revealed very little about her own personal circumstances or thoughts, other than viewing herself as experiencing very little emotion. At one point Lucy states that Polly is uninteresting, however if that is true, then why is she focusing so much attention on Polly within the narrative?
I suppose at some point in the story, who or what Villette is will be revealed to us readers?
I suppose at some point in the story, who or what Villette is will be revealed to us readers?
Mod
Renee wrote: "So glad to have you join us Lisa Ann! Lucy is definitely an unreliable narrator, but it's interesting to see what she includes and what she omits. I agree that her actions often belie her words."
Thanks Renee for the warm welcome! I guess the unreliability of Lucy's narrative really could be true for many individuals, as we tend to filter experiences through our own lens and omit certain information when it suits us to do so?
Thanks Renee for the warm welcome! I guess the unreliability of Lucy's narrative really could be true for many individuals, as we tend to filter experiences through our own lens and omit certain information when it suits us to do so?
Here are some questions to get our thought processes started. Remember, other topics are also fair game.
1. Is Lucy a reliable narrator? Why?
2. What are the voices that direct Lucy to London and then to Mrs. Beck's?
3. We get a description of a 6 year old, womanly, child - Polly. How does childhood then compare to childhood now?
4. How does Polly compare to Adele in Jane Eyre?
5. "A great many women and girls are supposed to pass their lives something in that fashion (a calm see), why not I wish the rest" (chapter 4) What would living such an existence due to a woman's mental health? Confidence?