I selected Syrie James’s The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë as my third reading selection for the All About the Brontes Challenge. I was intrigued by the premise behind the novel and found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read.
What if Charlotte Brontë had recorded her feelings, accomplishments, and disappointments in a diary? How much more would we know about the author of Jane Eyre? And what would we learn about her relationship with Arthur Bell Nicholls? James imagines the answers to these questions in her carefully researched novel and the result is a clever and believable narrative that brings a fresh perspective to the story of Charlotte Brontë.
Laura, creator of the Brontë challenge, recently noted the similarity between Charlotte’s relationship with Mr. Nicholls, as portrayed by James, and that between Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I noticed the connection as well and was amused by the possibility of Charlotte and Mr. Nicholls experiencing the sort of pride and prejudice that marked Lizzie and Darcy’s relationship, particularly in light of Charlotte’s views on the lack of passion in Jane Austen’s prim and proper love affairs.
James’s portrayal of the relationship between the Brontë siblings was very illuminating. I have read the Brontës, but I knew little about the circumstances surrounding their writing or the hardships that they experienced. Reading the novel has really sparked my interest in learning more about this fascinating group of writers; I am now curious to read Mrs. Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte Brontë and Charlotte’s letters. I am also interested in reading the sisters’ poems and Charlotte’s unfinished manuscript, Emma (perhaps I’ll give Clare Boylan’s Emma Brown a try).
I am glad that I chose to read this one after reading the Brontës’ novels, particularly Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley. James weaved so many incidents from the novels into the story to show how Charlotte and her sisters borrowed from life to create their narratives that I gained a new understanding of the novels.
Tags: 2010 challenges, all about the brontes, bronte challenge, syrie james
Recent Comments