1.1. Bronte Sisters - Charlotte and Anne and Their Work
As the three famous Brontë sisters grew up, they wrote stories even as young girls. They developed their characters and plotlines over the years, and these two works would later become their best works - Charlotte with Jane Eyre and Anne with Agnes Grey.
Anne Bronte was born in Thornton, Yorkshire. She was the youngest of six children and educated largely at home. In 1839 Anne worked for a short period as a governess to the Inghams at Blake Hall and later in some position to the Robinsons at Thorpe Green Hall near York. It is said that Thorpe Green appeared later as Horton Lodge in her novel Agnes Grey.
Anne published two novels, but the second novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was a much larger work than her first. Charlotte saw three of her novels published, Shirley, Villette, and Jane Eyre, and the fourth, The Professor, was released after her death. Charlotte was obviously the more productive one, but she lived to be 39, while Anne died at 29. Anne has been described mild and less-talented youngest sister although, but her novels were sharp and ironic.
Anne’s sister Charlotte Bronte was an important force in the reasons behind Agnes Grey’s publication. Charlotte made attempts to have the novel published. A gentleman by the name of Thomas Newby accepted Agnes Grey. Newby promised Charlotte that he would have 350 copies of the novels published. In 1847, 250 copies were finally published. The first edition of publication among these 250 copies contained many errors. Anne began to make revisions of Agnes Grey in hopes that a second edition would be published. However, Anne was unable to finish her revisions and died in 1848. Charlotte Bronte began to finish the revisions of Agnes Grey and had a second edition published in 1850. Within this edition and publication, Charlotte chose to write an introduction and helped to greatly influence the literary reputation of her sister.
1.2. Influence of own life and experience in their works - “Agnes Grey” and “Jane Eyre”
Focusing on the key works of Charlotte and Anne, readers get a glimpse into the writers' opinions of being a governess and perhaps life in general. Charlotte and Anne spent a great deal of their adult lives as governesses. Looking exclusively at Agnes Grey and Jane Eyre then, one can see that the writers used much of their own lives and experiences in their works.
Like her sister Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey is a novel that addresses what the precarious position of governess entailed, and how it affected a young woman. Some critics, in fact, feel that Agnes Grey deserves the reputation of a "governess novel" far more than Jane Eyre, as it is decidedly more realistic and down-to-earth in its depiction of the life of a governess.
To have a better understanding of Agnes Grey and its critics, we must learn of Anne Bronte’s life.
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