O Enjeitado: um conto de nosso tempo (2024)

~ I’m on to my third study of the literary works of the young Charlotte Brontë, and it’s a testament to how intriguing and unique her tales are that I have been able to get through them so quickly. In less than three weeks’ time, I’ve been able to plow through The Secret, The Spell and now The Foundling – that might seem like a typical feat for an avid reader, but considering that I do work full-time, it’s hard to find time to sit down and read unless I’m truly motivated. If I don’t like the book I’m reading, it’s really unfortunate because I will struggle to convince myself to pick it up during my lunch break or on the bus ride home. But, with Charlotte’s works, there has been no hesitation; all I want is to know what will happen next, and because each of her stories contains layers of mystery and confusion, I’m eager to get to the conclusion and sort everything out.
The Foundling was no different from The Secret and The Spell in that regard: I needed to figure out what was happening, I needed to untangle the various threads Charlotte set up, and I needed to do it quickly, apparently. It took me two days to finish this novella, and if I add up the amount of time I spent actually reading in those two days, it probably amounted to about four hours in total. Not too shabby! This novella is shorter than both The Secret and The Spell, but the pace is quite a bit slower, so it shouldn’t be taken for granted that I got through it so fast – I was genuinely interested in what would happen to the characters (even if they weren’t my absolute favourite of Charlotte’s cast) and I was expecting a surprise or shock at every turn.
Here are my thoughts on The Foundling, written chronologically as I read:
-as with Jane Eyre, CB’s narrator (Captain Tree) claims to be documenting a true story (“plain relation of facts”); again, the narrator is critical of his own work = “I am sensible that my tale is totally devoid of interest…”
-here we finally learn that Verdopolis is a new English colony, founded in Africa.
-First Impressions: Edward Sydney (22 years old) lacks the fire, depth and personality of Zamorna as a hero.
-Douro (aka Arthur Wellesley, aka Zamorna) is featured here as well, although his circ*mstances are different = but is his personality?
-“He was almost tempted to think himself in the hands of magicians or genii, who, he had heard, yet retained influence over the inhabitants of Africa.” = magic and fantasy is a fixture of CB’s imaginary kingdom. “‘Surely…the stories of enchantment are not all false…’”
-Finic(k) is also featured (from The Spell) (Douro’s servant).
-details about Douro’s talents and birth are provided; because he is only 19 years old, we are given more insight into his early days.
-Douro’s wife’s name is Julia…who on Earth is she?!
-note states that Lady Zenobia Ellrington is Alexander Rogue’s wife = Alexander Rogue is Douro’s enemy and so I wonder if Zenobia loves Douro in this tale as she does in the others?
-Charles Wellesley (narrator of The Spell) is abhorred, ugly and disliked. “‘that strange ape-like animal.’”
-CORRECTION: Julia Wellesley is Douro’s cousin; auburn-haired girl is his wife = Marian Hume (of The Secret)?
-Douro dances with Zenobia = the plot thickens! → Okay, so she loves him and did before marrying Rogue = so why did she marry his enemy?
-Zamorna = “He then took leave with…one of his smiles.” = his charm and intoxicating nature are widely recognized and are something he is famous for.
-this story is full of poems = CB is exercising and testing her ability in different styles = the poems are very simply constructed, with basic rhyme scheme, and all treat the theme of love = not very risky!
-at the end, when Rogue’s murder plot against Douro is revealed, things become VERY mystical and fantastical = a secret philosophers’ society in Verdopolis is revealed, and more layers are added to the nation’s history (and mystery).
-BUT, Rogue is a villain precisely because he has no respect for this society and for the order and hierarchy established in Verdopolis = CB clings to hierarchies (which she will later challenge in Jane Eyre).
-mystery man (40 years old) who will reveal Sydney’s identity resembles Douro = is it his father, the Duke of Wellington? Zamorna is constantly doubled. “‘Because your accent and manner of speaking are so exactly similar to his that I thought no two persons could own the same mode of utterance.’”
(Sidenote: This text would also have benefited from a List of Characters, like The Spell.)
-narrator is ill-equipped to articulate some strong emotions of certain characters. “I will not attempt to describe his subsequent anguish. It was far too deep and intense for my feeble pen to venture upon.”
-moment of Divine Intervention on the part of the Four Genii (Tali, Brani, Emi and Anni).
-Sydney’s mother = “‘She had that rich dark cast of loveliness, that air of graceful majesty which chiefly belongs to natives of a sunnier clime than that of Britain.” = CB favours foreign, exotic beauty!
-allusion to Arabian Nights and borrowing of its characters = CB adores exotic stories as well.
Overall, I have to say that The Foundling has been my least favourite of Charlotte’s juvenilia so far. The story seemed less coherent and memorable. There were too many plots and narratives mixed together (Sydney’s origin story, Sydney’s love for Julia, Douro versus Rogue and Montmorency, Douro’s strange relationship with Zenobia). None of these separate threads seem 100% properly fleshed out or treated, and I feel that each element could’ve been taken up in an individual story. However, I do have one more piece of Charlotte’s juvenilia left to tackle (The Green Dwarf), so it is possible that The Foundling will rise in standing after my reading of this last novella. Nevertheless, it feels like a privilege to see inside the young Charlotte’s mind, and so the themes and perspectives presented in The Foundling are valuable to establishing a complete picture of Charlotte’s character and preoccupations. ~

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I had to remember this was written by a 17 y/o Charlotte Bronte and a novella. It was slightly disjointed and probably deserves another read but at a young age Charlotte clearly knew how to write.

Reading “The Foundling: A Tale of our Own Times by Captain Tree” by Charlotte Bronte is, I think, arguably agreeable if its readers are familiar with her famous longer novels including Jane Eyre, Shirley and Villette. Having never read her works before, I fairly enjoyed reading this short novel with respect since it has been “Written when Charlotte Bronte was just seventeen. The Foundling is a classic fairy tale, rich in detail, and displaying her prodigious, lively imagination to the full.” (inner front cover)

This book reminded me of reading a well written paper by a peer and because of that I wavered between a 2 and a 3. It was fun to read immediately after reading The Return of the Twelves, but it was still hard to get into at some points.

well she certainly has a vivid imagination

This novella is part of Charlotte Bronte's juvenilia. She wrote this book when she was 17 and it's part of several other novellas and short stories about the Bronte's fictional kingdom, Verdopolis. Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and their brother, Branwell, engaged in creating literature in their childhood--it was their succor as they were raised by a stoic aunt and busy father and lost their mother and two older siblings when they were younger. All they had were each other. I love this little work because it is a great fairy tale and shows the unsurpassed imagination of one of the world's greatest writers. Though it lacks the sophistication of her later works, as one would expect, it hints at the greatness that Charlotte would become and indeed, already was.

Just finished this one the other day. It was a fairy tale set in England and Africa. The characters were British royalty and conqueror types. Classic good versus evil with the happy ending of the hero winning the hand of his true love in the end. Sorry to spoil the ending, but how else could it have gone? I was a bit disappointed in the lack of the 'fantastic' and day to day magical feel of a fairy tale. But, it was an enjoyable read on the train up to Edinburgh (now I need to find another book for the trip home). I especially enjoyed her gramatical structuring and word choice when describing the characters.

A fascinating example of the Bronte juvenilia, this short novel was written by Charlotte while she was still in her teens. It's a fairy story, following the journey of young Edward Sydney - the foundling of the title - as he seeks his parentage in Africa; not the Africa of real life, but the Africa of the Brontes' shared imagination and fantasy. There's much of the childish in this book, not least in the names of many of the characters, but it's well crafted and very readable.

The beginning was good and quite interesting, but in the last chapter it suddenly went crazy--magic and gods and fairies and genies and all sorts of weird stuff that didn't match the rest of the story. It was okay overall, but thank God she got better at wrapping up plot lines without magic spells and resurrection.

This book was recommended to me by my sister because she wrote it when she was only 17. It is only about 100 pages, and is pretty good. It is kind of like a fairytale and true to that genre it has a happily ever after. I can't believe she wrote something like this at such a young age!

I liked this novel better than The Spell only because it was easier to follow. I enjoyed reading both early works. Neither one is a great work of literature, but I liked peeking into the childhood world of the imaginative Bronte siblings.

The big surprise I had from this book was that the Brontës, Anne, Charlotte, Emily and Bramwell all wrote fantasy novellas. They did this for their amusem*nt and Charlotte penned this story when she was seventeen. An amazing writer even as a teenager.

A nice rainy day book.
Reading this made me feel like I was at a sleepover with a very creative story telling friend.

short and sweet. it was a nice quick read with tons of imagination. i can't believe she was so young when she wrote this.

It should be 3 stars actually but it's Charlotte Bronte, so you know, I'll read and celebrate everything she wrote even if it was a shopping list, sorry not sorry at all.
So first thing first, imagine waking up nowadays discovering you're a foundling after the death of your supposed father to then discover that you're the son of the Duke of York, like please let me get back to my previous life and pretend we don't have that info, LOL! That would be a shock honestly!
OK, seriously this was really caothic, I didn't understand some passages, but I know that Charlotte wrote this at 17 as a game with her brother and sisters so you know, at 17 I was still playing with Barbies and makeup so who am I to say that this is not an incredibly great job. Nonetheless Jane Austen wrote Northanger Abbey, not to mention her Juvenilia, at approximately the same age so... Yeah, I think this is not a masterpiece but, again, CHARLOTTE BRONTE, so whatever...
ALSO, let's face the fact that I HATE short stories, which is pretty lame from me considering I'm a scholar and I write and study about short stories, especially fantasy genre like this one, but you know, a girl gotta have struggles to feel validated and I decided to take that challenge so booh me.
ALSO 2: I think the mother of Edward and the setting of the story may have been the model for the character of Bertha in Jane Eyre, VERY INTERESTING, I will dig in to find out more!

NOW here's the plot for those of you who want to dig in:
The Foundling is one of a series of stories set in the fictional world of Verdopolis (or Glass Town). Sub-titled ‘A Tale of Our Own Times’, the story has magical elements but also touches on themes relevant to Victorian society, such as child cruelty, social class, orphans and inheritance.

The story opens in England, where an abandoned baby by the name of Edward Sydney is found and brought up as the son of a Derbyshire gentleman, Mr Hasleden. On Hasleden’s death, Edward is astonished to learn that he was a foundling. Grieving, but full of ambition, he sets sail for the colony of Verdopolis.

SPOILER:

There he is befriended by Zamorna, Marquis of Douro, who not long afterwards is declared missing. Meanwhile, Edward is approached by a mysterious stranger, who promises to unveil the secret of his birth. The stranger takes him on a voyage to Philosopher’s Island, and reveals himself to be Zamorna’s father, the Duke of Wellington. On reaching the island they learn that Zamorna has been killed by his arch-enemy, the Duke of Northangerland. Brontë then uses the Genii (the god-like characters based on the four Brontë children) for the last time in her fiction, as they intervene to resurrect Zamorna.
The Duke of Wellington reveals that Edward’s father is the late King of Angria, Frederick of Guelph. Wellington recounts the story of Edward’s birth and his kidnap by the fairy Maimoune, who whisked him away from Angria to protect him from the evil god Danasch. On Maimoune’s instructions they perform a ritual to protect Edward from the forces of Danasch forever. Edward arrives back in Verdopolis just in time to prevent Julia, the woman he loves, from being forced into marriage. The tale closes with Edward receiving his birth-right (inheritance) and marrying Julia.

A C. BRONTE WITH AN HAPPY ENDING WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT MUTILATED! HUUHUUU 🙏

I’d actually give this 4.5 so I’m rounding up-

Anyways, this book was actually not that bad. I mean considering a 17 year old wrote it (what?!) and for the majority of it it feels like a lower quality Jane Austen novel?!? Charlotte had some crazy writing skills.
The only bummer was the ending, which I still feel like she wrapped up nicely, I just felt it was a little rushed. I mean she tried to cram in the entire point of the book into the last chapter, but personally I think it ended up working really nicely.

In essence it’s the story of an orphan feeling a “calling” to go to a new land and begin his life there. Little does he know what he’s gonna find out about his life and this new land.

It was rather lovely and well thought out. Nothing compared to Jane Eyre but still a lot better than most of what we get nowadays.

Loved this novella , almost like a gothic fairy-tale. Such a beautiful writer, i think 'The secret' is the only story from Charlotte Bronte that I wasn't mad about. Love all of her Later major works and am now indulging in her earlier juvenilia. I would also recommend 'The Spell', 'The Islanders, ' The green dwarf ' and everything from the outstanding 'Tales Of Angria'.

Não gostei, mas levando em consideração que ela era muito nova quando escreveu... dá para ler.

fiquei meio sem enjeito pra ler esse aqui

Interessante a história do órfão que vai em busca da sua ascendência e encontra uma ilha mágica, além de cair em disputas políticas desta ilha

Haiku:

Eh, she was young then,
What more could I thus expect?
The plot, I forgot.

It would be unfair to criticize this for content or style when considering that it was never meant to be shared with the reading world.

When Charlotte wrote this aged 17 she'd never have dreamed that anyone other than siblings Branwell, Emily, or Anne would lay eyes on it, never mind it being published for readers worldwide over 100 years after her death.

Therefore, taking this into account, the only fair negative comments are the likes of, "It's not to my taste." That said, I wouldn't have rated this 3 stars if it had left me totally bored or vexed. Every so often I came across a page or so that proved entertaining, but overall I found this unappealing.

I suspected this would be the case having read much of Charlotte's other juvenilia, but being a fan of the "adult" Brontë works I still felt the need to check out all and everything the famous three sisters have written. Unlike their more famous works, however, I wouldn't read any of their juvenilia twice.

I'd recommend reading this only if you're a Charlotte Bronte fan and want to be a "completist" about reading all of her work, which is why I read it. It's melodramatic, full of cliches, and often overwritten -- just as any 17-year-old's writing would be. As long as you recognize that this is juvenalia, you'll get through it.

Who knew? First off that the Bronte sisters juvenilia was so readily available, and secondly, that they would contain at least one fantasy? I feel like I did when I discovered the murder mysteries that Louisa May Alcott wrote; delightfully surprised. I now plan on reading all of the Bronte's teenage works.

A nice read if you like books where the hero and heronie of the story fall in love but obstacles stop them from being happy together. This is Charlotte Bronte of course so expect a happy ending and frustration with the notes at the back which sometimes stop a person from reading, because that person has to look up what some of the words mean in the back of the book.

Charlotte Bronte was only 17 when she wrote this, which excuses some of it. Read the character summaries/notes in the back before starting in on the book and you'll save yourself some headaches. It's a simple fairy tale - if you want to escape from logic for an afternoon, here's your chance.

It was an alright read. Started off interesting, but the ending felt rather rushed.

Not as good as Villette but still enjoyable

I liked it for its imagination and its glimpse into the world that the Bronte siblings created for themselves.

Cleaver but not uniquely capturing, Bronte's Jane Eyre far surpasses this work. Although, “The Foundling” was written when she was 17.