Whilst Agnes Grey can still speak to a modern reader, does it have the same impact today? Although novels about governesses are arguably products of their time and society, there are some, such as Jane Eyre, which seems only to mature rather than tire or wither, which is unfortunately what I believe has happened to Agnes Grey. Once a firework, it is now a mere sparkler, but that does not mean it is not a good book. However, in a world (largely) without governesses and servants, but one fit to burst with addictions, questions of masculinity, gender roles, and women’s rights, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has lost none of its power over time. Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall are narratives that forced the 19th-century reader into an uncomfortable examination of their society and their treatment of others, and they have a similar effect on the 21st-century reader. Anne Brontë’s novels are firmly grounded in reality and the world around her.
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