Charlotte Brontë, Villette

Judy Giles (York St John University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1853

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Gothic & Ghosts
Novel
Romance

Resources

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Villette

, first published in 1853, was Charlotte Brontë’s last novel. It was also the only novel to be published under her own name and not that of Currer Bell. It differs in location from her previous fictions, being set in Belgium rather than her native Yorkshire but its themes are continued from her earlier works - unrequited love, the plight of the single woman, education, and the tension between duty and desire. Of all her novels

Villette

proved the hardest to write. Wracked with numerous debilitating illnesses, grieving still for Emily and Anne, and lonelier than ever, Charlotte struggled with the first two volumes of the novel. However, the approbation of her publisher, George Smith, on reading the initial volumes, enabled her to complete the final volume with unprecedented…

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1918 words

Citation: Giles, Judy. "Villette". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 August 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8625, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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