I3rit-lit-lover
12-25-2006, 07:53 AM
Because my sister and I share the same unwavering predilection for British Literature we always feel the need to show off our so called reading-prowess via animated and lengthy discussion (sounds weird I know).On reading I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, the question: would you prefer to be in a Bronte or Austen novel caught my interest and this I applied to my sister.
"Jane Austen, hands, down!”:crash:-here was accompanied by a thumping action to emphasise her point. Upon inquiring why she felt so, she came back with “Because there’s always a happy ending and you’ll almost certainly end up with a nice husband.”
"Yes, but that’s not sufficient enough for me. What are you’re other reasons?” I observed that my sister had an almost unconcealed prejudice against Bronte books (what can I say, I have a sixth sense?)
"Well,” I don’t think she meant to sound so superficial; she’s very candid in her ways, “why does Charlotte Bronte feel the need to make her characters so homely looking? Wouldn’t it kill her to make a good-looking heroine?” I can see my sister was still very bitter about the whole Paullina-Doctor Bretton falling in love thing. Clearly, she felt Lucy Snowe had more rights to him than little Polly ever did.
"I know, it would have been nice for Lucy to run off with the handsome doctor. Too bad she wasn’t handsome enough,” this last part I said and assented good-humouredly.
“I mean I know the approach she’s getting at; she’s trying to be practical and everything…etc, etc” on this point my sister starts condemning the whole plain heroine and unprepossessing hero route Charlotte Bronte always takes ( Jane Eyre to her Rochester and Lucy Snowe to her Paul Emmanuel). In other words my sister's reasoning can be explained by imagining half of England’s population as beautiful and the other ugly. So why did she have to portray the ugly half?!
Lengthy discussion, see? Anyway, if you followed the above transaction between my sister and I, you’d probably want my point. Readers, take this into consideration, it is only an opinion and without any intention of sounding shallow: why does Charlotte Bronte- undoubtedly brilliant as she was-feel the need to make her heroines plain and not prepossessing, homely and never beautiful. My sister and I wonder, my sister especially. We can’t help contemplating that if Lucy Snowe had some beauty in addition to her other charms as a character, would she have been able to capture Dr. John’s affections? Can you sense how badly we wanted them two to get together? Life it seems is full of contradictions and can we not doubt that a person’s attractiveness renders even the most reserved character personable? Especially in the eyes of a man who becomes impressionable by beauty and loveliness in a woman? By this I’m talking about Dr. John by Ginerva then by Polly. :ladysman:
In my estimation readers, it seems in order to get the leading role in a Charlotte Bronte novel, homeliness and a quiet, perceptive nature is a job requirement. Feel free to discuss.
"Jane Austen, hands, down!”:crash:-here was accompanied by a thumping action to emphasise her point. Upon inquiring why she felt so, she came back with “Because there’s always a happy ending and you’ll almost certainly end up with a nice husband.”
"Yes, but that’s not sufficient enough for me. What are you’re other reasons?” I observed that my sister had an almost unconcealed prejudice against Bronte books (what can I say, I have a sixth sense?)
"Well,” I don’t think she meant to sound so superficial; she’s very candid in her ways, “why does Charlotte Bronte feel the need to make her characters so homely looking? Wouldn’t it kill her to make a good-looking heroine?” I can see my sister was still very bitter about the whole Paullina-Doctor Bretton falling in love thing. Clearly, she felt Lucy Snowe had more rights to him than little Polly ever did.
"I know, it would have been nice for Lucy to run off with the handsome doctor. Too bad she wasn’t handsome enough,” this last part I said and assented good-humouredly.
“I mean I know the approach she’s getting at; she’s trying to be practical and everything…etc, etc” on this point my sister starts condemning the whole plain heroine and unprepossessing hero route Charlotte Bronte always takes ( Jane Eyre to her Rochester and Lucy Snowe to her Paul Emmanuel). In other words my sister's reasoning can be explained by imagining half of England’s population as beautiful and the other ugly. So why did she have to portray the ugly half?!
Lengthy discussion, see? Anyway, if you followed the above transaction between my sister and I, you’d probably want my point. Readers, take this into consideration, it is only an opinion and without any intention of sounding shallow: why does Charlotte Bronte- undoubtedly brilliant as she was-feel the need to make her heroines plain and not prepossessing, homely and never beautiful. My sister and I wonder, my sister especially. We can’t help contemplating that if Lucy Snowe had some beauty in addition to her other charms as a character, would she have been able to capture Dr. John’s affections? Can you sense how badly we wanted them two to get together? Life it seems is full of contradictions and can we not doubt that a person’s attractiveness renders even the most reserved character personable? Especially in the eyes of a man who becomes impressionable by beauty and loveliness in a woman? By this I’m talking about Dr. John by Ginerva then by Polly. :ladysman:
In my estimation readers, it seems in order to get the leading role in a Charlotte Bronte novel, homeliness and a quiet, perceptive nature is a job requirement. Feel free to discuss.