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Agnes Grey

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë is a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1847 that draws from the author's own experiences as a governess. It tells the story of Agnes Grey, a young woman from a modest clerical family who decides to become a governess to help support her family after her father loses their savings in a failed investment.

Plot Summary:

Agnes, the youngest daughter of a poor clergyman, is determined to contribute to her family's income despite being only eighteen and having led a sheltered life. Against her parents' wishes, she takes a position as governess with the Bloomfield family, who have several badly behaved children: Tom, Mary Ann, and Fanny.

The Bloomfield children are spoiled, cruel, and completely undisciplined. Tom tortures animals, the girls are vain and disobedient, and the parents undermine Agnes's authority at every turn. Mrs. Bloomfield criticizes Agnes for being too strict, while Mr. Bloomfield expects her to control the children without any real power to discipline them. After eighteen months of frustration and failure, Agnes is dismissed.

Her second position is with the Murray family at Horton Lodge, where she governs Rosalie and Matilda Murray. While these girls are older and less physically destructive than the Bloomfields, they present different challenges. Rosalie is a beautiful, vain flirt who delights in breaking men's hearts, while Matilda is a tomboy interested only in horses and hunting. Both girls look down on Agnes due to her lower social status.

During her time with the Murrays, Agnes develops feelings for Edward Weston, the local curate who is kind, sincere, and shares her values. However, she believes her feelings are hopeless due to their different social positions. Meanwhile, Rosalie becomes engaged to Sir Thomas Ashby, a wealthy but disagreeable man, despite having encouraged the affections of Mr. Weston.

After several years, Agnes leaves the Murrays when her father dies, and she and her mother open a small school. To her surprise and joy, Mr. Weston seeks her out, having obtained a living in a nearby parish. He proposes to her, and they marry, finding happiness in their shared faith and values.

Major Themes:

• Social class and inequality: The novel exposes the difficult position of governesses, who were educated but had no fortune, placing them in an awkward social limbo
• The treatment of children: Brontë criticizes the way wealthy families often failed to properly raise their children
• Religion and morality: The contrast between genuine Christian virtue (embodied by Agnes and Mr. Weston) and superficial religiosity
• Women's limited opportunities: The few respectable options available to educated but poor women
• The value of sincerity over superficiality: True worth versus social status and wealth

The novel is considered one of the most realistic and unromanticized portrayals of governess life in Victorian literature, offering a critique of the class system and the treatment of dependent women in 19th-century society.