tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post3215245176046158663..comments2024-03-28T09:00:59.909+11:00Comments on The Vince Review: 'Shirley' by Charlotte BrontePaula Vincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-89266041799704018202021-12-04T07:52:28.921+11:002021-12-04T07:52:28.921+11:00Hi, Shirley is a bit of a slog and I can't den...Hi, Shirley is a bit of a slog and I can't deny it. I love Jane Eyre and Villette very much. But Charlotte's other two sort of missed the boat in comparison. I recently finished The Professor, which was worst of all, in my opinion. Review coming soon ☺️Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-43936577613759138082021-12-04T00:05:25.663+11:002021-12-04T00:05:25.663+11:00I feel that Jane Eyre is my favourite book of all ...I feel that Jane Eyre is my favourite book of all time, and in my estimation it surpassed "Pride & Prejudice" because it is a lot more gritty. However, I gave up on "Shirley" because the plot was non-existent for so long, but I might give it another go. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07989850857094253914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-70173255791498001802020-05-22T09:52:20.423+10:002020-05-22T09:52:20.423+10:00Hi Jillian, I'll be very interested to find ou...Hi Jillian, I'll be very interested to find out if you do 😊 The historical content of course, is brilliant. My overall favourite of Charlotte's is Villette. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-89901592055932531352020-05-22T01:57:14.658+10:002020-05-22T01:57:14.658+10:00This actually sounds pretty fascinating to me! I&#...This actually sounds pretty fascinating to me! I'm more interested than before to read it now. Thank you for sharing your remarks. :-)<br /><br />No idea if I'll prefer it to Jane Eyre, but I do like the sound of it. x*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-78338595275705641862019-05-16T14:45:27.858+10:002019-05-16T14:45:27.858+10:00Haha, I was probably a bit hard on her 😂 All that...Haha, I was probably a bit hard on her 😂 All that you say is true, but she seemed to be the one character who just irritated me the more I read. Lucky for her he did reciprocate her feelings, because if he didn't, she would have been in a real state all her life. Although as you say, hopefully her mother's wisdom might have helped her recover.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-41914335043510093672019-05-16T12:54:52.972+10:002019-05-16T12:54:52.972+10:00I actually related a lot to Caroline's pining ...I actually related a lot to Caroline's pining over Robert, yes a guy isn't worth it, but I think for her it comes down more to having something to live for her? Robert is who she loves and also a means of escape in a way? She lives a very isolated/cold life with her Uncle and even though she has friends and an especially close one with Shirley, she doesn't seem to have anyone shes particularly close to except Robert. She gets better when her mother reappears and she feels she has someone to live for....Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12828474470678999931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-78469530076671087912017-03-13T22:19:50.032+11:002017-03-13T22:19:50.032+11:00Mostly I remember a whole lot of French. I don'...Mostly I remember a whole lot of French. I don't remember much else about that book, but I remember thinking The Professor was boring 😊Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-90241457975199972142017-03-13T21:48:51.470+11:002017-03-13T21:48:51.470+11:00Villette was a bit long, in my opinion, and suffer...Villette was a bit long, in my opinion, and suffered from an extreme change of direction in the middle of it. I thought it picked up towards the end but the ending itself was atrocious.Lynne Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482326578634252234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-73084650959622796182017-03-13T18:55:06.205+11:002017-03-13T18:55:06.205+11:00Wow, Shirley was tamer in the romance department, ...Wow, Shirley was tamer in the romance department, that's for sure. But isn't it interesting that the aspects which made those nineteenth century critics complain are probably those which appeal most to so many twenty-first century readers?<br /><br />I'll re-read Villette some day too. Haven't read it since my teens and hardly remember a thing :) Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-8089420331995266142017-03-13T17:53:54.218+11:002017-03-13T17:53:54.218+11:00It's hard to remember off the top of my head ....It's hard to remember off the top of my head ... and spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't read it!!!<br /><br /><br />I know she was criticised because it was considered immoral that Mr Rochester ended up marrying her when he tried to commit bigamy by marrying her while he was still married. I think some critics felt that the romance of it was over the top and that it would have been better for Jane to go away as a missionary than what actually happened. I think this led her to try and write a novel that had all those elements virtually non-existent and Shirley was her attempt to stay away from that kind of thing.Lynne Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482326578634252234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-27769051398857731972017-03-13T09:38:04.741+11:002017-03-13T09:38:04.741+11:00Do you know what criticism she received from Jane ...Do you know what criticism she received from Jane Eyre that she was trying to fix? I'd be interested to know.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-63593740009409844842017-03-13T09:36:22.463+11:002017-03-13T09:36:22.463+11:00It was 1990 when I was there, such a long time ago...It was 1990 when I was there, such a long time ago now, but I imagine Haworth is one of those places that never changes 😊Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-55080934680453867412017-03-13T09:27:49.531+11:002017-03-13T09:27:49.531+11:00I'd love to go there! One day I will. :-)I'd love to go there! One day I will. :-)Lynne Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482326578634252234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-29074867089322408892017-03-13T09:27:02.789+11:002017-03-13T09:27:02.789+11:00Yes, I've always used Shirley as my watchword ...Yes, I've always used Shirley as my watchword when I'm looking at things I'm criticised for in my writing. Sure, you should try and correct things if you feel the criticism is valid but don't go toofar.Lynne Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482326578634252234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-19382377876094760942017-03-13T09:25:06.817+11:002017-03-13T09:25:06.817+11:00Hi Hazel,
There is a lot of good material in Shirl...Hi Hazel,<br />There is a lot of good material in Shirley, for sure. It was spring time when I visited Haworth with my parents, and far colder than ever Aussie winter ever! The town has a really fascinating, melancholic feeling, I thought, as if they're still exerting their influence. It must have been awesome to spend a few days there.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-88029179988293690882017-03-13T09:21:21.685+11:002017-03-13T09:21:21.685+11:00Hi Lynne,
Yeah, I knew about their deaths too. You...Hi Lynne,<br />Yeah, I knew about their deaths too. You've got to feel sorry for Charlotte. What a blow to have all three siblings die within such a small space of time, and what a time to be hard at work on a novel. <br />There must be a lesson in there, about listening to critics and trying to take everything on board. The parts I liked about Shirley, I really liked.Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-71174193821421812022017-03-13T09:01:41.492+11:002017-03-13T09:01:41.492+11:00Thanks for your review, Paula. 'Shirley' i...Thanks for your review, Paula. 'Shirley' is one of the few books I put aside after reading the first few chapters. Now that I've read your review, I think I'll make another attempt at reading it. My husband and I also visited the Bronte Parsonage and stayed at Haworth a few days to absorb the atmosphere of the great writers' birthplace. Hazel's bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15130890759088634619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533677737021490096.post-74875234770519424562017-03-13T08:54:36.302+11:002017-03-13T08:54:36.302+11:00Shirley wasn't as popular as Jane Eyre. Most f...Shirley wasn't as popular as Jane Eyre. Most fans of Jane Eyre didn't like it at all. Many people believe that one of the major differences between the books stems from Charlotte's attempt to fix all the things her critics accused her of doing wrong in Jane Eyre. Also, there was the personal turmoil she was going through with the deaths of her siblings. Both Branwell (her only brother) and Emily died while she was writing it. Anne died the same year it was released.Lynne Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482326578634252234noreply@blogger.com