Restless Bodies, Rekindled Memories, and Somatic Encounters in Villette
摘要
Heartache and haunting remembrance plague the heroine Lucy Snowe while her restless body is caught between the dangers of disorientation, death, and the dark waters of a hungry sea in Villette. Published in 1853, Charlotte Brontë’s novel illuminates the manifold perils characters brave on travels, including delirious movement, illness-induced fainting, and tormenting recollections. When lonely Lucy relocates from London to the Belgium-inspired fictional kingdom of Labassecour on the Continent to find work as a teacher, she demonstrates her pedagogical and performative skills in addition to admiring art galleries and theater plays in the capital city of Villette.