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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781853260643
ISBN: 1853260649
Label: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
Manufacturer: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 496
Publication Date: 1998-04-01
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
Studio: Wordsworth Editions Ltd

Following the tremendous popular success of Jane Eyre, which earned her lifelong notoriety as a moral revolutionary, Charlotte Brontë vowed to write a sweeping social chronicle that focused on "something real and unromantic as Monday morning." Set in the industrializing England of the Napoleonic wars and Luddite revolts of 1811-12, Shirley (1849) is the story of two contrasting heroines. One is the shy Caroline Helstone, who is trapped in the oppressive atmosphere of a Yorkshire rectory and whose bare life symbolizes the plight of single women in the nineteenth century. The other is the vivacious Shirley Keeldar, who inherits a local estate and whose wealth liberates her from convention.

A work that combines social commentary with the more private preoccupations of Jane Eyre, Shirley demonstrates the full range of Brontë's literary talent. "Shirley is a revolutionary novel," wrote Brontë biographer Lyndall Gordon. "Shirley follows Jane Eyre as a new exemplar--but so much a forerunner of the feminist of the later twentieth century that it is hard to believe in her actual existence in 1811-12. She is a theoretic possibility: what a woman might be if she combined independence and means of her own with intellect. Charlotte Brontë imagined a new form of power, equal to that of men, in a confident young woman [whose] extraordinary freedom has accustomed her to think for herself....Shirley [is] Brontë's most feminist novel."

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Tale of Two Women
Review: At first glance, "Shirley" by Charlotte Bronte can seem a daunting read; it is nearly 650 pages long. However, the sheer artistry of Charlotte Bronte's genius makes mostly short work of the story she weaves throughout the course of this novel. Much longer than her other works, it retains her thorough intelligence of the world around her, as she comments on the society and persuasions of the day.

To say that there is one or two main characters in "Shirley" is a slight understatement. While the novel does focus on the title character, a beautiful young rich heiress who soon finds herself with marriage proposals aplenty, it also spends much of its focus on the other main female of the book, Caroline Helstone, a shy and somewhat plain girl who fears the man she loves will fall in love with Shirley and leave her destitute. The narrative weaves between these two points of view, but also of the many other characters within the book, especially the object of Caroline's eye, Mr. Robert Moore. Moore is the owner of the local mill, hit upon hard times with the Napoleonic wars stopping his means of marketing. He must also contend with mobs and rioters, upset with the industrialization that has thrown many townspeople out of jobs.

In that regard, the narrative of "Shirley" is much darker than that of Charlotte Bronte's other works. Those readers who know something about the author's life will find certain comments to spring from her actual existence, especially perhaps the similarities between her and Caroline. However, others unfamiliar with her style may find her prose wearisome at times. Indeed, there are moments when she waxes eloquently far off plot for several pages before bringing the story back to its true direction. The reader must read through several wrapping-ups before the true wrap-up of the story occurs.

Yet these slight drawbacks do not taint the book, but add to the legend that is due Charlotte Bronte. She was a gifted writer, posing as a male in a man's world to get her books published. "Shirley" is full of the knowledge of its timeperiod, showing the intelligence of its author regarding the world around her. Bronte is able to offer insight and provocation without being preachy or sentimental, cloaking vindication in the form of poetic prose.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Just "OK"
Review: After reading Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I have to say Shirley is a disappointment. It was long, drawn out and at times very BORING. I really had to work to finish it; the others I breezed through because they were so good. I won't go into a dissertation about the book but it does not stand up to the other Bronte work.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Another wonderful novel
Review: This might be my favorite Charlotte Bronte yet. The plot involves so many characters, a long book, but I couldn't put it down! If you like her other books, you won't be disappointed.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great Read!
Review: An unpredictable plot, excellent character development, and many elements of wisdom from Charlotte Bronte. I greatly enjoyed this novel, much as I did Jane Eyre and Villette. In all honesty, this is a book that would not be for everyone. However, for those who greatly like Charlotte Bronte's works, it is a great read.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: The Best of Bronte
Review: I usually prefer Jane Austen over Charlotte Bronte, So I was surprised at how much I liked "Shirley". I definetly think that "Jane Eyre" and "Villette" are given undue credit, while "Shirley" is underrated. Though "Shirley" was a strange choice for a title, because the main character is Caroline. This was a perfect book with just the right amount of romance, tragedy, and happy endings.

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