Below you will find two versions of a book review. The first is the one I submitted to the editor of Teach Secondary magazine, while the second is the version he actually published. In this article I invite readers to say which version you like, and why. If you wish to leave a comment, please subscribe to my Write\! newsletter and comment on the article there.
My version
(Brontë, Milne Rae, Teale, Bodleian, £9.99)
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This collection of quotations from the works of Charlotte Brontë is not dissimilar to that of Dickens, The Funny Bits (Teach Secondary magazine issue 14.1). As well as an accessible introduction to one of the great writers of the nineteenth century, it provides some excellent material for discussion with students in areas other than literature.
Take, for example, the poet Southey’s response to a letter from Brontë stating her desire to be a poet. He lectured her that she should concentrate on her duties as a woman. There is a lesson there about attitudes to women, and how Brontë serves as a role model in her response.
The quotations range over the whole of life in effect: prejudice, poetry, men and women, and even teachers and pupils. You can read the book in any order, because it lends itself to dropping in at random. A good example of great things coming in small packages.
Reviewed by Terry Freedman
Published version
This collection of quotations from the works of Charlotte Brontë isn’t dissimilar to the book Dickens, The Funny Bits, which I previously wrote about back in issue 14.1. As well as providing an accessible introduction to one of the 19th century’s great writers, it also serves up some excellent material for classroom discussion, even in areas outside of literature.
Take, for example, the poet Southey’s response to a letter from Brontë stating her desire to be a poet - lecturing her on how she should ‘Concentrate on her duties as a woman’ - making for a stark illustration of attitudes towards women at the time, and how pioneering Brontë was. The quotations included here span her whole life, taking in her thoughts on prejudice, poetry, men, women and even teachers and pupils, and are presented in a way that makes dipping in and out of this book’s pages a genuine pleasure.
Reviewed by Terry Freedman.