Monday, June 09, 2025

Words of wisdom …

Morality Private and Public

Anne Bronte

 


On a recent visit to a bookstore, I happened upon Anne Bronte's Agnes Grey -- not a book I was familiar with, but one that tempted me all the same. And I have to say, I'm glad that I've now read it: because this is a solid, enviable piece of writing. 

Published in 1847, Agnes Grey takes as its primary subject the experience of being a governess. That position -- part teacher, part caretaker -- cannot have been easy: in Bronte's rendering, the children are distracted, coddled, and harsh. The caretaker can only accomplish so much -- which seems, in some ways, to be Bronte's point: that nature can, and will, overwhelm the tendency to nurture. 

But more than that, Agnes Grey seems to be about the random nature of social interaction, and the very good fortunate Agnes Grey has of meeting the curate, Mr Weston, as part of her second position with the Murray family. It is that relationship with sustains Grey, and which serves as the basis for the novel's matrimonial culmination. The phrase -- "silver lining" -- would not be entirely appropriate here, but there is certainly a degree to which Bronte suggest that, even in the most unpleasant of circumstances, unexpected positivity may result. From struggle with the wealthy came a meaningful marriage for two of the middling classes. 

Agnes Grey offers quiet commentary, even critique; and it functions, today, as a piece of the historical record. It is a fictional "document," providing an unobstructed view into the lives of unmarried women in the middle nineteenth century. The novel is perfectly crafted, with language both accessible and balanced. That refreshing quality -- of excellent prose, delivered with striking style -- is in itself worth the read. For my part, I throughly enjoyed Agnes Grey (and won't say a thing about how it compares with the work Anne's sisters)! 

Appreciation …

On Marianne Moore, Unexpected Celebrity Poet of Midcentury America (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

A poem for this morning …

Stephen A. Canada — Rain Rain

Emily Dickinson at the pond …

Banish Air from Air