The Bronte Sisters
By MimiLou
In 1816, and again in 1818, Reverend Patrick Bronte and his wife, Maria Branwell Bronte, welcomed two very unique, but also incredibly talented daughters. Charlotte wrote under the name of Currer Bell, while Emily wrote as Ellis Bell. In their era, women were not allowed to write, so these sisters created alternate identities, as it were, and wrote as men. At that time, men wrote romance novels. It was not a disputed issue.
As authors, these women have contributed a lot to the literary world. Much like Jane Austen, their works are still read and revered. Charlotte Bronte wrote a lot about food. She learned from Shakespeare that it added imagery to her work. Poor, starving orphans ate porridge and potatoes. Rich, beautiful people ate griddle cakes and roast chicken, with French pastries for dessert. Food played an important role in her novels. If you did not know who she spoke of, you need only to examine what they are eating, and immediately you know their political standing or class. (Roberts, 2003)
A lot of what Emily and Charlotte wrote was at least partly autobiographical. Their mother died in 1821, and they were brought into the care of her elder sister, Aunt Elizabeth. She sent four of the five daughters to a boarding school, where they were treated poorly, and lived in incredibly terrible conditions. They endured it fairly well, hindered only by the death of two of the five sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, and eventually Charlotte went on to be a teacher, as well as a governess. Emily joined her in the profession later on. In 1842, Emily and Charlotte moved to Brussels, Belgium to attend the school of a friend, but also to perfect their French and German language skills. When Aunt Elizabeth died in October of that year, they returned home. Their plans to build a school in their area fell away, and they turned to their writing. Anne, their younger sister, revealed that she had also been writing, and they published a poetry compilation together, “Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell” . (Dimnet, 1910)
Emily’s best known written work and only novel, “Wuthering Heights” continues to amaze and please readers. It inspired Kate Bush’s first single, of the same name. The song is written from the point of view of Catherine, and it is her begging Heathcliff from outside his window, asking only to be allowed inside. It has numerous film and stage adaptations, as well as a musical. Charlotte’s novel, “Jane Eyre” is also very well known. It is one of the first pro-feminist novels, as the title character, Jane, is never portrayed as a damsel in distress. Through writing and publishing this novel, Charlotte let her views about Victorian-era women known. She believed that women and men should be equals, thus her themes of pro-feminism and equality. She was an architect of the feminist movement in literature in her time. Her books continue to be loved, and “Jane Eyre” has sparked quite a few adaptations as well.
Keep in mind that “Jane Eyre” was published only a few years before Charlotte died. You could say that the very thing she wrote about, love, killed her. Nine months after marrying the love of her life, a pregnant Charlotte Bronte died. There is speculation that she died of dehydration and malnourishment, rather than the tuberculosis diagnosis that is on her official death certificate. (Mapes, 2007) After her death, and that of her sisters, the popularity of their books exploded. To this day, they still grace the “Most Popular Sellers” shelves at book stores. They are loved by readers all over the world, and have been translated into various languages.
It is argued that “Wuthering Heights” with its darker themes of mental and physical cruelty, as well as passion and love, is the better of the two novels. The reasoning behind “Wuthering Heights” being called the better novel is solid. It is darker, and it takes a great measure of control and deep thought to write literature of that kind. In comparison, “Jane Eyre” is a fantastic novel, but it is not as dark. Sure, it is thoughtful, but it just does not scare people the way Emily’s novel does. Its themes are not quite as controversial, even though feminism was a new movement at that time. Basically, prominent literary minds can argue about which is the better novel, but the bottom line is that they are both truly amazing, with weaknesses and strengths. These women were not perfect, and neither are their novels.
Both of them contributed to the literary world in ways that they could not foresee. They did not know that their novels would have this amount of impact on literature, over 150 years later. They accomplished much in their short lives, and that is amazing. It is hoped that their books will continue to enrich minds and contribute to literature for many years to come.
Bibliography
Dimnet, E. (1910). Bronte Sisters. Kessinger Publishing.
Mapes, D. (2007, September 25). CNN Living. Retrieved September 12, 2011, from CNN International: http://articles.cnn.com/2007-09-25/living/mf.plot.twists_1_horatio-alger-charles-dickens-barnaby-rudge/3?_s=PM:LIVING
Roberts, M. (2003, May 5). Culture. Retrieved September 12, 2011, from New Statesmen: http://www.newstatesman.com/200305050048
The Bronte Parsonage Museum & Bronte Society. (n.d.). The Brontes. Retrieved September 12, 2011, from The Bronte Parsonage Museum & Bronte Society: http://www.bronte.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=35
