Charlotte started writing Villette on the 21st of December 1849 – 6 days after she came home from her first solo visit to London. She wrote it over 3 years – finishing it on November 20 1852. After her visit to London in 1851 (when she was supposed to marry George) she wrote some for about 5 months and then stopped writing for 8 months. She started again right after when her father had a stroke and was partially paralyzed for a few days. In June 1852 her father had said that he wanted to go to London – and then he had the stroke. The same thing happened the next year. June was also when Charlotte was in London in 1850 & 1851. It seems like when her father had the stroke in 1852 is when Charlotte decided she was not going to marry George. There are 40 passages in the manuscript from half a page up to 8 pages each that are cut out of the manuscript. Charlotte sent her refusal to George in the manuscript of Villette. 25 out of 40 of the gaps in the fair-copy manuscript are probably about Graham (the character based on George) – the part before and after the gaps are about him. (IF YOU HAVEN’T READ VILLETTE THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) There are also parts where she wrote something and crossed it out very lightly or otherwise marked it to be taken out. In the part of Villette where Lucy buries Graham’s letters (chapter 26) it says “I was not only going to hide a treasure—I meant also to bury a grief.” In the manuscript there is something else – 4 words – instead of “grief” but it is crossed out and unreadable. Also, in chapter 31 where Lucy is in the garden thinking about Graham it says “my foot rested on the stone sealing the small sepulchre at his root; and I recalled the passage of feeling therein buried; I recalled Dr. John; my warm affection for him; my faith in his excellence; my delight in his grace… Was this feeling dead? I do not know, but it was buried.” In the manuscript after it says “Was this feeling dead?” it says “no – not dead yet – to this day it is not dead.” Charlotte sent the first 2 volumes of Villette to George before she finished the 3rd. When she sent the 3rd he did not write to her and 11 days later she received 500 pounds – she had expected to get 750 pounds for her next book. She immediately got ready to go to London 2 days later, but on the day between got a letter from him. She wrote and said “The receipts have reached me safely. I received the first on Saturday, enclosed in a cover without a line, and had made up my mind to take the train on Monday, and go up to London to see what was the matter, and what had struck my publisher mute. On Sunday morning your letter came, and you have thus been spared the visitation of the unannounced and unsummoned apparition of Currer Bell in Cornhill. Inexplicable delays should be avoided when possible, for they are apt to urge those subjected to their harassment to sudden and impulsive steps. I must pronounce you right again, in your complaint of the transfer of interest in the third volume, from one set of characters to another. It is not pleasant, and it will probably be found as unwelcome to the reader, as it was, in a sense, compulsory upon the writer.” George would not let anyone else see the manuscript of the 2nd or 3rd volumes. Charlotte said that he was delaying printing the 3rd volume until she came to London and said he wouldn’t answer anything else about the book by letter. She went to London for the last time and was there 29 days. She had sent Villette November 20 1852, they broke up on January 24, 1853. Villette was published January 28, she left London February 2.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 22:16:13 +0000
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