Unit5 Enjoying Novels

s9: charlotte bronte was the most famous of the three bronte sisters. her most famous book, jane eyre, describes the growth of a poor, abused heroine with an unhappy childhood who finds eventual happiness after many struggles and disappointments. being immediately hailed as "the master work of a great genius", jane eyre became a great success.
t: do you want to know more about charlotte bronte and her work "jane eyre"?
ss: yes.
t: charlotte bronte came from a large family of irish origin. their father was a clergyman at haworth, yorkshire. when they were young, the bronte sisters were sent to a school for clergymen's daughters. the eldest two died there due to the poor and unhealthy conditions. this experience inspired the later portrayal of lowood school in the novel "jane eyre". as they grew up, the sisters worked either as teacher or governess in some private families. in 1842, in order to open up a school of their own, charlotte and emily went to brussels to improve their foreign language. the two years there left hardly any trace on emily but for charlotte the change was most fundamental.   there she fell in love with her german professor, a married man. this passionate yet one-side love was later recounted in her works, especially in villette. charlotte's works are all about the struggle of an individual consciousness towards self-realization, about some lonely and neglected young women with a fierce longing for love, understanding and a full, happy life.
t: look at the sixth paragraph, boys and girls. this paragraph has to do with george eliot and her work "silas marner". i would like to tell you more about george eliot and her work "silas marner". george eliot, pseudonym of mary ann evans, was born on nov. 22, 1819 into an estate agent's family in warwickshire, england. as a small child, she showed no evidence of special talent except a passionate longing to be loved. by the time of her teenage, however, her extraordinary intelligence began to be acknowledged both at home and at school. brought up with the strict orthodox teaching and influenced by her first school-teacher miss lewis, the bookish girl devoted herself, for four years, to a diligent study of the scripture. unfortunately, she was forced to drop school at the age of 16 on account of her mother's death and sister's marriage, and yet, meanwhile, she continued her study at home and managed to learn three foreign languages and music all by herself. in her works, she seeks to present the inner struggle of a soul and to reveal the motives, impulses and hereditary influences, which govern human action. so much for george eliot. have you read "david copperfield"?