“ And it is you, spirit—with will and energy, and virtue and purity—that I want: not alone your brittle frame. ”
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (16 October 1847). copy citation
| Author | Charlotte Brontë |
|---|---|
| Source | Jane Eyre |
| Topic | will spirit energy |
| Date | 16 October 1847 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm |
Context
“If I tear, if I rend the slight prison, my outrage will only let the captive loose. Conqueror I might be of the house; but the inmate would escape to heaven before I could call myself possessor of its clay dwelling-place. And it is you, spirit—with will and energy, and virtue and purity—that I want: not alone your brittle frame. Of yourself you could come with soft flight and nestle against my heart, if you would: seized against your will, you will elude the grasp like an essence—you will vanish ere I inhale your fragrance. Oh!”
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Meaning and analysis
