Villette

Lucy flees from England and finds work as a school teacher in the town of Villette, but her struggle to remain independent is overshadowed by despair and desire. This novel disguises the author's own life when she ventured away from the infamous Yorkshire parsonage to study, but fell passionately - and dangerously - in love.

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A new life beckons for Lucy Snowe, who leaves behind her past and flees from England. She finds work as a school teacher in the town of Villette, but her struggle to remain independent is overshadowed by despair and desire. Lucy's fevered imagination drives her to the edge, enduring fire, storms and callous rejection before pushing her teasingly close to a happy ending. "Villette" was Charlotte Bronte's last completed novel, and her most autobiographical. It thinly disguises her own life when she ventured away from the infamous Yorkshire parsonage to study but fell passionately - and dangerously - in love. This powerful, classic masterpiece is given a distinctive twist by the Stephen Joseph Theatre and award-winning theatre company Frantic Assembly. Production opens at SJT in October 2005.