Anne Brontë's first novel, Agnes Grey, combines an astute dissection
of middle-class social behavior and class attitudes with a wonderful
study of Victorian responses to young children which has parallels with
debates about education that continue to this day. In writing the novel,
Brontë drew on her own experiences, and one can trace in the work many
of the trials of the Victorian governess, often stranded far from home,
and treated with little respect by her employers, yet expected to
control and educate her young charges. Agnes Grey looks at childhood
from nursery to adolescence, and it also charts the frustrations of
romantic love, as Agnes starts to nurse warmer feelings towards the
local curate, Mr. Weston. Sally Shuttleworth's fascinating introduction
considers the book's fictional and narrative qualities, its relationship
with Victorian child-rearing and the responsibilities of parents, and
the changing attitudes to the book influenced by modern concerns for
children's
rights. The new edition includes a revised and updated bibliography as
well as revised notes drawing on the latest critical material.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has
made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the
globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to
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valuable features, including expert introductions by leading
authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date
bibliographies for further study, and much more.
