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A quick review: I know Virginia Woolfe loved this novel. Also L.M. Montgomery, which seems like quite a difference, until you realise that their literary careers were over almost the same period (1910s-1940s).
I thought it was OK, nothing to write home about. It explores the problem of a young, passionate, intelligent girl who does not want to marry and settle down and who transcends the limited education available at a proper girl’s school. It was just a bit dated, or timid, or manque.
The prose style is sparse and the character list limited. It does include some lengthy descriptions of childhood devotion turning into atheism. Previously I didn’t think of this as a common theme in nineteenth century literature but it has turned up regularly as I read in this century. Perhaps because religion was an accepted part of society, it was OK to write about doubts and diversity of belief. Whereas now you could write devotional stories for a purely religious audience or write for the mainstream and not touch on it at all. Odd to think of religion being more taboo now than it was one hundred years ago.
I thought it was OK, nothing to write home about. It explores the problem of a young, passionate, intelligent girl who does not want to marry and settle down and who transcends the limited education available at a proper girl’s school. It was just a bit dated, or timid, or manque.
The prose style is sparse and the character list limited. It does include some lengthy descriptions of childhood devotion turning into atheism. Previously I didn’t think of this as a common theme in nineteenth century literature but it has turned up regularly as I read in this century. Perhaps because religion was an accepted part of society, it was OK to write about doubts and diversity of belief. Whereas now you could write devotional stories for a purely religious audience or write for the mainstream and not touch on it at all. Odd to think of religion being more taboo now than it was one hundred years ago.
