Well I finally got around to reading "Villette", Charlotte Bronte's last novel. And I have to report that in spite of many plot similarities, it is no "Jane Eyre." The ending is very dissatisfying and while of course Bronte could not be expected to predict the existence of "Scooby Doo" there are events in Villette that unfortunately reminded me very much of the adventures of those crazy kids and their dog.
I thought maybe I could adapt "Villette" into a play but the main narrative interest is protagonist Lucy Snowe and her relationships with a hot blond guy and a not-so-hot but charismatic dark-haired guy. And that is pretty much the main narrative thread of interest in "Jane Eyre" too.
Also, 25% of the dialog of "Villette" is in French, which is very annoying. I know enough French to get the general gist of what the characters are saying, but still - geez lady, you could at least provide translations!
One very interesting aspect of the novel - Bronte really rips into the Catholic Church which, as a former Catholic I found amusing. And this was a subject close to Bronte's own heart - I've read a bunch of her letters and she really was Catholic-phobic herself.
