In Anne Brontë’s Agnes Grey, the title character takes a job as a governess.
Agnes is the daughter of a clergyman’s family whose finances collapse after a disastrous investment. Determined to help her parents and prove that she is not helpless, she seeks employment looking after children in wealthy households. Her first position is with the unruly Bloomfield family.
Agnes later becomes governess to the Murray family, where her duties include educating and supervising the daughters Rosalie and Matilda. The role gives her some income and social usefulness, but it leaves her with little authority: parents often blame her for children’s behaviour while refusing to support her discipline.
The novel draws strongly on Anne Brontë’s own experience. Anne worked as a governess for about five years, including positions with the Ingham and Robinson families. Agnes Grey was published in 1847 alongside Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, making governess life a central Brontë subject alongside Jane Eyre.