Summary
Agnes Grey is a deeply personal and realistic novel by Anne Brontë, drawing heavily from her own experiences as a governess.
The story follows Agnes Grey, a young woman from a modest clergyman’s family, who becomes a governess to support herself and help her family financially.
Her journey takes her into the homes of the wealthy upper class, where she confronts arrogance, cruelty, and moral decay—particularly in how children are raised and how governesses are treated.
Through Agnes’s patient endurance and strong moral compass, Brontë critiques Victorian class hierarchy, the education of women, and the often-invisible labor of domestic caregivers.
Agnes remains true to her values despite mistreatment, and the novel ultimately rewards her quiet strength with personal fulfillment and love, offering a subtle but powerful narrative of dignity, faith, and resilience.