Villette

Historical Context and Significance

«Villette» by Charlotte Brontë is a work born at the intersection of the Victorian era and the author’s personal drama, absorbing the atmosphere of mid-19th-century Europe with its inner contradictions, religious and social barriers. The novel, filled with subtle psychological prose, became a voice of loneliness and female independence, expressing through Lucy Snowe’s fate a longing for freedom and the search for one’s own place in the world. Brontë boldly shatters illusions, exposing the complexity of the female soul, her struggle with prejudice and the invisible walls of society. «Villette» had a profound impact on the development of the psychological novel, anticipating many themes of modernism, and inspired subsequent generations of writers exploring the inner world of the individual and the fragility of human feelings. The book left a significant mark on culture, opening new horizons for the female voice in literature and affirming the right to individuality and inner freedom.