The Brontes: Charlotte Bronte and Her Family, by Rebecca Fraser

People
Rev. Patrick Bronte: born 1777 (fear of fire, did not allow house curtains) Wife Maria Branwell:  died 1821 Maria: died 1825 (model for Helen Burns) Elizabeth: died 1825 Charlotte: born 1816 Patrick Branwell Emily Anne: born 1820 Mrs. Gaskell: Charlotte’s biographer Miss Elizabeth Branwell:  Maria’s older sister, came to take care of Maria and stayed for rest of life
Timeline
1820	Moved to Haworth Rev. Bronte became Perpetual Curate
1824	Maria, Elizabeth and Charlotte went to Clergy Daughter School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire Carus Wilson - Director
1826	Branwell and Charlotte invented imaginary world of Glass Town (also called Angaria) Emily and Anne invented imaginary kingdom of Gondals
1831	Charlotte went to Roe Head School to prepare for occupation of governess Margaret Wooler – headmistress Mary Taylor – friend Ellen Nussey – friend
1835	Charlotte (age 19) asked to teach at Roe Head School with full tuition for Emily included Emily did not stay, went home and Anne came as student Branwell applied to Royal Academy of Arts in London – not accepted
1839	Henry Nussey proposed  to Charlotte– rejected (Charlotte was second choice in one day) Mr. Bryce – Irish clergyman – also proposed to Charlotte and rejected Charlotte took temporary governess post with Sidgwich family (children 6 ½ and 4) Willie Weightman hired as clerical assistant to Rev. Bronte
1841	Charlotte became governess to White family
1842	Charlotte and Emily to Brussels to the Pensionnat de Demoiselles Anne – return to governess post (will be governess for 5 ½ years total) Madame Heger Monsieur Heger – Charlotte’s feelings toward him are questionable but nothing confirmed, wrote him numerous letters over the years Deaths: Willie Weightman Martha Taylor Miss Branwell
1843	Anne – governess post Emily – stayed at home with father Charlotte – back to Brussels
1844	Rev. Bronte’s health poor - Charlotte and Emily back to Haworth Tried to start school at Haworth but no students enrolled
1845	Charlotte decided to stay at home to nurse father Arthur Bell Nicholls hired – curate from Ireland Anne and Branwell returned home mid June Branwell fired from tutoring position with Robinsons
1846	Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell published in May Branwell declined – receiving money from anonymous source – suspected romance with Mrs. Robinson The Professor (rejected), Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey (both published) sent to publishers Charlotte started to write Jane Eyre Rev. Bronte cataract surgery successful, able to resume pastoral duties
1847	Jane Eyre published October 16 William Smith William – first reader at publishing house George Smith – publisher
1848	Third edition Jane Eyre published Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall published September 24 -  Branwell died December 19 - Emily died
1849	January 5 – confirmed that Anne had TB May 28 – Anne died October 26 Shirley published
1850	Identity of Currer Bell became known Charlotte met Elizabeth Glaskell
1851	Charlotte in poor health, traveled
1852	December 13 – Mr. Nicholls proposed
1853	Villette published
1854	Married Arthur Bell Nicholls
1855	March 31 – Charlotte died
1857	Mrs. Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte Bronte,  Life, published Charlotte’s The Professor published
1861	Patrick Bronte died Nicholls left ministry and moved to Ireland, became a farmer
1864	Nicholls married cousin
1906	Nicholls died

The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver

Characters
Part I Mexico 1929 - 1931	Part II Washington, DC 1932 – 1934	Part III San Angel and Cayoacan 1935 – 1941	Part IV Asheville, NC 1941 - 1947	Part V Asheville, NC 1948 - 1950
Harrison William Shepherd – Soli  – born 1916 Salome Huerta – mother Enrique – Mr. Produce the Cash,  PT Cash Diego Rivera – artist	Harry – father Billy Boorzair	Diego Rivera – artist Frida Kahlo – artist, wife Candelaria - servant Olunda – servant Trotsky – Lev Davidovich  (living in exile since 1927) Natalya – wife Van – secretary Jacson - assassin	Violet Brown – stenographer, VB Romulus – neighbor boy Arnold Gold – lawyer Tom Cuddy	Same as part IV
Loose pages, Montford:  June 1949 – January 1950
Afterward, 1959: by Violet Brown

For discussion:

1. Discuss the thread of lacunas throughout the novel. 

2. Discuss the various characters.  Who was your favorite?  Most disliked?
1. Discuss Frida Kahlo and some of her comments such as:

                                                               i.      “A story is like a painting.  It does not have to look like what you see out a window.”

                                                             ii.      Regarding Soli’s idea for a story, “Greatness is very boring.”

                                                            iii.      Frida said to Soli, “People will always stare at the queer birds like you and me.  We only get to choose if they’ll stare at a cripple, or a glare of light.”

                                                           iv.      “Soli, let me tell you.  The most important thing about a person is always the thing you don’t know.”

                                                             v.      Soli said when describing her, “But that is Frida, using her best, the devil can take the shards.”

3. When did you first suspect that Shepherd was gay?

4. Discuss Shepherd as a writer.  Why did he shy away from public life? 

5.  At one point Violet made him have regular excursions out of the house to help him “overcome my dread of the world and all things in it.”  How did his life’s story lead him to this point?

6. Shepherd compared the radio of the time to the monkeys that shrieked in the morning on the Isla Pixal.  He wrote to Diego Rivera that “radio is the root of the evil, their rule is: No silence, ever.  When anything happens, the commentator has to speak without a moment’s pause for gathering wisdom.”  Do you think the same is true today of the media in our world?  How?

7. Discuss the communist scare and subsequent mood in the country.  Do you think Shepherd could have avoided any of his attention and problems?  Why do you think Tom Cuddy sent the letter ending their friendship?

8. Did you agree with Violet Brown ‘s decision to not burn the journals and instead hide them in her apartment?  Do you think Shepherd would be pleased that she told his story?

9. Do you think The Lacuna was similar to the novels that Shepherd wrote?  How or how not?

10. Did you like the writing and format of the novel? 

11. Why do you think Barbara Kingsolver wrote this novel?  Just like Shepherd’s readers, can we read too much into a novel?

12. Discuss the ending.  Was it satisfying for you?
1. Were you surprised that Shepherd was still alive and in Mexico?

Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys

Characters
Part I Coulibri Estate, Jamaica	Part II Massacre, cottage	Part III Thornfield, England
Antoinette Cosway Mason Annette – mother Pierre – younger brother Mr. Mason – stepfather Aunt Cora Christophine – servant from Martinique, obeah “Sass” Disastrous Thomas Sandi – Alexander Cosway’s son Mailotte – Christophine’s friend Tia - daughter	Antoinette Mr. Rochester Christophine Mr. Richard Mason Daniel Cosway – letter writer Servants: Amelie Baptiste Hilda	Antoinette – Bertha Mr. Rochester Grace Poole Leah Mrs. Eff

For discussion:

1. Discuss the character of Antoinette.  What was the effect of her environment on her personality?  What was the effect of heredity?

2. Considering Annette, Antoinette’s mother, how much of her fate was decided by the political atmosphere of the times?

    3.   What do you think happened between Antoinette and Sandi?

4. Do you think Mr. Rochester should have made a different decision about marrying Antoinette?  Could he have made a different decision?

5. In the novel, who was your favorite character?  The most sympathetic character?

6. How well did the author develop the characters? 

Considering Wide Sargasso Sea along with Jane Eyre:

7. Both Jane Eyre and Antoinette spent years in a boarding school.  Discuss the similarities and differences in their experiences? 

8. How did Jane and Antoinette’s childhoods differ?  How did these differences affect their adult lives?

9. How much influence did your background knowledge of Jane Eyre affect your reading of Wide Sargasso Sea?

10. Do you think Wide Sargasso Sea could stand on its own without the connection to Jane Eyre?  Why or why not?

The Piano Teacher, by Janice Lee

Characters
1941	1952
Will Truesdale Trudy Liang (Portuguese and Chinese) Wan Kee Liang – Trudy’s father Victor and Melody Chen – Trudy’s cousin Dommick Wong – Trudy’s friend and cousin Regionald Arbogast Ned Young - Canadian Otsubo Edwina Storch Mary Winkle	Claire Martin Will Truesdale Victor and Melody Chen Locket Reginald Arbogast – business man and party host Edwina Storch Mary Winkle

For discussion:

1.       Discuss the prisoners’ treatment in the detention camps.  At one point the author wrote, “And the random cruelty makes them all wary.”  How do you think the prisoners were able to survive their conditions?

2.       The three people who knew where the Crown Collection was hidden were Victor Chen, Edwina Storch and Reginald Arbogast. 

a.       Were you surprised that Edwina was such an important figure in this part of the story?

b.      Why did Edwina tell Otsubo that Trudy knew where the collection was?

3.       Discuss Claire and Martin.  Why did Claire begin to steal?  Why was Martin so uninvolved?

4.       Discuss Will’s role throughout the novel. 

a.       Discuss his and Claire’s relationship.  Who benefited and who was hurt?

5.       When did you begin to suspect that Locket was Trudy’s baby?  What were the clues?

6.       Discuss the writing style.  In the beginning there was very little detail about the historical setting for the novel.  This changed about the time in the story when the foreigners were imprisoned.  Did you like this?  Did it add or detract from the story?

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

Characters
Gateshead Hall	Lowood School	Thornfield	Marsh End/Moor House
Mrs. Reed John Eliza Georgiana Bessie – nurse	Mr. Brocklehurst Miss Temple – superintendent Helen Burns Teachers: Miss Smith Miss Scatcherd Madame Pierrot	Mr. Rochester Mrs. Fairfax Adela Varens Sophie – French nurse Grace Poole Blanche Ingram Mr. Mason Bertha Mason       Rochester	St. John Rivers Diana Rivers Mary Rivers Hannah – housekeeper Rosamond Oliver – heiress from town

For discussion:

1. Discuss Helen Burns’ philosophy and how it helped Jane in her present and future life:
1.  “Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs.” 
2. “If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.”

2. What events from Jane’s early years helped her withstand the turmoil in your young adult life?

3. Jane seems quite joyless.  Did she find any pleasure in life?  If so, what?  What do you think would have brought her joy?

4. In chapter 14, when Jane met Mr. Rochester, he stated, “Dread remorse when you are tempted to err, Miss Eyre; remorse is the poison of life.”  Do you think Jane had any remorse in her life?  What about the other characters?

5. In chapter 21, when Jane went back to see a dying Mrs. Reed, were you disappointed in Mrs. Reed’s reaction?  What were you hoping would happen?

6. Discuss the party held at Thornfield in chapter 18 and Jane’s observation of the guests.  She stated that when she considered the environment in which they had been raised and lived, “the less I felt justified in judging and blaming either him or Miss Ingram for acting in conformity to ideas and principles instilled into them, doubtless, from their childhood.  All their class held these principles.” 
1. How did Jane’s upbringing form her personality?
2. How did the party guests’ upbringing compare to Jane’s? 

7. At the party in chapter 18, do you think the guests really would have been tricked into believing that Mr. Rochester was a gypsy fortune teller?

8. Discuss the characters in the novel.
1. Who did you like the most? Find the most sympathetic?
2. Who did you like the least?
3. Which characters added the most enjoyment or meaning to the novel?
4. Is there anyone or anything you would change?

9. This novel is often studied in high school and college literature classes.  Why do you think it is so important?

10. What themes did Charlotte Bronte address in the novel?  How successful was she?  Did she broaden your understanding of the time period or of people in general?

11. Think about your reading experience:
1. If you read this book before, did you enjoy it more or less the second time and at a different stage in your life?
2. Did you read every word or skim?
3. Which part did you find the most moving?

12. Discuss Charlotte Bronte’s writing style, particularly when Jane spoke directly to the reader, for example look at the beginning of chapter 11.