My first impressions of Bleak House are the stark contrast it is in comparison to Villette. First and foremost, Villette is a gothic novel with minimal characters which takes a lengthy amount of time to fully comprehend the deeper motives and personalities of each individual. Bleak House, on the other hand, is filled with distinct characters right from the get go, and first impressions are easily stable or unstable within the first six chapters of the novel. In addition, Villette's focus in on the problems of a woman of small fortune but who does not suffer greatly and still lives a comfortable life with means of sustenance such as a roof, food and work. Bleak House, however, focuses on the middle and higher class yes, but also paints a realistic portrait of the lower and poor classes, giving the novel a more relatable and realistic feel than Villette. In addition, the problems, actions and overt judgments by Miss Lucy Snowe, in Villette, are dramatic, overstated and tire the reader with the intense focus and scrutiny upon the same character who is static throughout the duration of the novel. Bleak House, on the other hand, paints a vibrant fabric of characters who, although do not seem connected now; I am sure will be before the end of the novel. Each character is distinctly portrayed and each contains a unique place and name in life. Finally, Bronte seems much more concerned with the fate of the individual in an ever changing society and more concerned with the roles of women particularly, while Dickens seems more concerned with the fate of society upon the individuals involved and how society, as a cultural, political and economic force, shapes lives.
However, I did notice an interesting thing about a correlation between the works of Bronte and Dickens. Each main character, Lucy, Jane (Of Jane Eyre) and Esther all share a similar back story. Each woman is removed from her family at a young age, either by choice or by death and must make her way in the world, often working as a ladies maid or caretaker of the children. In addition, much mystery surrounds their family and we are not often told the entire story at any point in the work, leaving much to the reader’s active faculties to attempt to piece their own interpretation together. This seems to be a technique that is unique to writers of the Victorian Era and is an intriguing one in that the reader hopes, by continuing with the novel, to eventually learn the truth, despite the often disappointing reality that he/she does not. But, nonetheless, this character’s vision colors the world that the author has created and, it is through this lens that our perceptions and judgments pass. However, as see above, we must not always take the protagonists perceptions as the truth and must always be vigilant in questioning the motives and judgments that she passes upon us about others. It is my belief that here is truly where the essence of the reliable versus the unreliable narrator originates. But, as much of the novel still remains, we cannot know anything about how the plot, characters or perceptions of culture, society or economics will yet play out.
I like your comment about Bleak House being more relatable and realistic than Villette. Lucy is such a peculiar narrator, and she's the only one who tells the story or has control of it, so the novel is very much one woman's personal story. What do you think of Esther now that we're further into Bleak House? She still seems a bit too willing to forgive and subordinate her needs to the needs of others, but she's also becoming more pointedly opinionated in her assessments of other characters. At the same time, she's guarded with her emotions; she feels strongly for other people, but she rarely discusses her own feelings. I'd like to be able to read her feelings about John Jarndyce more clearly.
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