Agnes Grey

Agnes Grey (Penguin Classics) revolves around a family that becomes impoverished after a financial breakdown. The central character in the novel is Agnes Grey who is determined to find work as a governess and help her family by working her way out. The storyline portrays the hurdles that Agnes faces because of the unmanageable Bloomfield children and again due to the apathy of the arrogant Murray family. The only person with any good will is Mr Weston. She is neither a member of the family nor a servant and faces much difficulty in her job as a governess.Agnes Grey is the author’s first novel and is based on her own experiences. This book shows the desperation of unmarried educated women to whom becoming a governess was the only respectable career in Victorian society.Agnes Grey (Penguin Classics) was published by Penguin UK in 1989 and is available in the form of a paperback.|Anne Brontë was born in 1820 the youngest of the Brontë family. She was educated at home in the Yorkshire village of Howarth and later held two positions as a governess difficult experiences which inspired her first novel Agnes Grey in 1847. This was followed by The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in 1848. Anne died of tuberculosis in 1849 aged twenty-nine.|Anne Brontë was born in 1820 the youngest of the Brontë family. She was educated at home in the Yorkshire village of Howarth and later held two positions as a governess difficult experiences which inspired her first novel Agnes Grey in 1847. This was followed by The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in 1848. Anne died of tuberculosis in 1849 aged twenty-nine.|Anne Brontë's first novel is the compelling autobiographical tale of a young woman desperately seeking a place in the world When her family becomes impoverished after a disastrous financial speculation Agnes Grey determines to find work as a governess in order to contribute to their meagre income and assert her independence. But Agnes's enthusiasm is swiftly extinguished as she struggles first with the unmanageable Bloomfield children and then with the painful disdain of the haughty Murray family; the only kindness she receives comes from Mr Weston the sober young curate. Drawing on her own experience Anne Brontë's first novel offers a compelling personal perspective on the desperate position of unmarried educated women for whom becoming a governess was the only respectable career open in Victorian society.