Valerie

"Valerie" by Captain Marryat is a novel written in the mid-19th century. The story centers around the life of Valerie, a young woman born into the complexities of familial expectations and societal norms in post-Napoleonic France. Unlike Marryat’s previous works focused on maritime adventures, this story delves into the life and struggles of a woman faced with a harsh mother and an oppressive domestic environment, exploring themes of resilience, identity, and the quest for freedom. The beginning of "Valerie" introduces readers to the protagonist as she recounts her early life and the problematic dynamics within her family. Born in France to a noble father and a talented, yet domineering, mother, Valerie soon becomes the target of her mother’s ire, who equates her daughter’s gender with disappointment and burdensome responsibilities. After experiencing neglect and harsh treatment, Valerie is sent to live with her grandmother, where she finds some semblance of happiness and nurturing. Despite her grandmother's best efforts to instill values and education, Valerie's life is soon complicated as her family dynamics shift, and she is reluctantly drawn back into her mother's oppressive sphere. This opening establishes Valerie’s resilience against emotional hardship, setting the stage for her ongoing struggles and growth throughout the narrative. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Captain Frederick Marryat was a Royal Navy officer and a novelist. He is noted today as an early pioneer of nautical fiction, particularly for his semi-autobiographical novel Mr Midshipman Easy (1836). He is remembered also for his children's novel The Children of the New Forest (1847). In addition, he developed a widely used system of maritime flag signalling, known as Marryat's Code.