A shadow is not distinct or clear, it can be altered, it is not a true representation of the real object, and (perhaps most importantly here), it can be interpreted in a myriad of ways.

The stormy nights are the ones in which new discoveries are made, new secrets come to light, and when she must internally struggle with herself and her life’s path.Īnd the shadows? When I think of what exactly a shadow is, I see how well it fits with Lucy. The metaphors of storms and shadows occur over and over throughout the narrative, reflecting Lucy’s inner world as it describes the outer setting. Lucy Snowe is a woman of storm and shadow - the first she denies and stifles within herself, the other she uses to hide and protect herself from what she does not want to face. The focus of the book lies primarily with the development of Lucy’s character. Lucy Snowe: A woman of storm and shadowĬharacter reigns supreme over the novel - that of the narrator, Lucy Snowe, as well as those around her. Ultimately, it is a book in which the plot is only secondary. I read it with an eye for what it said about Charlotte - her life, her experiences, her opinions - and I think this colored my experience of it. Even though I had never read it before, the style was so familiar because it was so apparently Charlotte.īecause I had read Lyndall Gordon’s amazing biography of Charlotte beforehand, I felt prepared for Villette. My first impression of Villette by Charlotte Brontë (1853) was the familiarity of the writing - if I had no inclination of the author or book title, but merely “read it blind,” I think I would still know it was Charlotte Brontë.

Shirley by charlotte brontë illustrated