Curiosity, Surveillance and Detection in Charlotte Brontë'sVillette

Female reaction against patriarchal oppression: Burial, resistance, and emancipation in Charlotte Brontë’s Villette

“…Having left England "intend on extending [her] knowledge" (p. 80), Lucy learns far more than the math, German, and composition she studies at the Pensionnat; more importantly, she learns that melancholic obsession can be productive both as a source of creative and critical writing and as a treatment against itself. (p. 915) Likewise, Sandro Jung (2010) notes that Lucy's craving for knowledge derives from her search of female selfhood as an emotionally motivated detective (p. 160). Her curiosity for learning more makes her identity distinct from the conventional women in the society she lives in.…”

“…Noticeably, her emotional and intellectual curiosity distinguishes her from M. Beck whose curiosity is based on material benefit that she aims to get through her spies, which is like M. Paul's method of monitoring the school. Jung (2010) describes her detective nature as a part of her job: "She terms surveillance her 'duty' (p. 132) and hopes that the supposedly universal benefit of surveillance will be a well-regulated society of spies and those who are manipulated" (p. 165). Counter to M. Beck's sneaking intentions, Lucy both succeeds in acquiring new knowledge and in concealing some truths to other characters and to the reader.…”