Analysis Of Excessive Vanity In Agnes Grey By Charlotte Brontë And Austen

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Brontë and Austen both seem to agree on the increasingly negative aspects of excessive vanity. In Agnes Grey, Agnes’ role as a governess enables her to impose her own version of morals and upbringing upon other peoples’ children, even to the extent of interrupting familial bonds. For example, when “Uncle Robson” comes to visit the Bloomfields, Agnes condemns the fact that “he was continually encouraging [Mary Anne’s] tendency to affectation … talking about her pretty face, and filling her head with all manner of conceited notions concerning her personal appearance.” The uncle is expressing a form of endearment towards his niece through praising “her pretty face” yet Agnes twists this into a portrayal of corruption of him “filling her head,”