Agnes Grey

Description

The debut novel by the youngest of the Brontë sisters, Agnes Grey was written and published in 1847, only two years after the author stopped working as a governess herself.

The novel was inspired by Anne’s own experiences of tending to young children in a family that was not really supportive of the young governess’ efforts to instill discipline. Agnes Grey, her sister and her parents live among modest circumstances. To prove her worth to her family, Agnes decides to take a job as a governess. She finds work with the Bloomfields, a respectable and wealthy family – she has to take care of the family’s children, all of them spoilt, unruly and often abusive with their young governess.

Agnes is repeatedly called unfit for the job and is released from the position after only a year. She soon finds employment with another wealthy family, the Murrays and she takes care of their four children, two boys and two girls. Not long after her arrival, the two boys are sent away to a boarding school, so Agnes is in charge of the two girls after that.

Soon, Agnes meets a young parson, Mr. Weston and they forge a friendship, but Agnes receives a letter in which she is informed by her father’s illness and she leaves for home immediately, but he dies before Agnes arrives. The young woman decides to stay home and opens a school with her mother, but is very sad for having to leave Mr. Weston behind. Fortunately, not for long – while walking on the beach she meets Mr. Weston who has been looking for her ever since she left the mansion of the Murrays and the two reunite happily.

The novel ends with Mr. Weston and Agnes being happily married – in the last scene of the novel they already have three children.
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