happy little sigh

The moors. Just say the words and I immediately picture a young woman in dark, drab clothes, fighting the wind as she makes her
way across vast, boggy, windswept hills. This is, of course, because one of my favourite authors—Charlotte Brontë— lived for most of her life in the town of Haworth, in the moors of the historic county of Yorkshire, England. It seems that the often bleak, desolate landscape filled the imagination of Charlotte and her sisters Anne and Emily, and inspired their works of fiction.

The Moors

If you are not well acquainted with the Brontë  sisters, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily were literary geniuses and authors of some of the best-loved books in the English language. Nothing short of extraordinary, considering they all came from the same family. Their father, the Reverend Patrick Brontë, and their brother Branwell, also saw their works in print.

Anne, Emily, & Charlotte

Charlotte’s most famous novel is Jane Eyre. She also wrote Shirley, Villette, and the Professor. Anne wrote The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey, and Emily wrote Wuthering Heights. Since writing was not considered an appropriate profession for ladies in the middle of the 19^th century, the Brontës published under the nom de plumes (pen names) of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell.

At the time of publication, their works were acknowledged for their directness and passion, qualities which were sometimes considered by the critics to be “coarse” and “brutal”. The sisters certainly were extremely talented authors and had vivid imaginations, but writers write best about what they know, and the sisters led lives full of tragedy.

The girls had two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, and a brother, Branwell. Their mother died in 1821,when the children were very little. In 1824 the sisters first left home to attend a boarding school. It seems it wasn’t the nicest of places, and the experience provided Charlotte with a model for the infamous Lowood School in her novel Jane Eyre. The eldest daughter Maria was sent home from the school because of ill health and died at home, aged eleven. Ten-year-old Elizabeth was sent home shortly after and died the following month. It’s no surprise that the other girls were withdrawn from the school after that. But then their brother Branwell died while still a young man, and Emily and Anne died not long afterwards from tuberculosis, at thirty and twenty-nine years old. It’s hard to understand why they didn’t move from their home, when the sanitation and water supply in the town were so polluted and inadequate, and when the average age at death was only twenty-five. But perhaps it was too late by the time they realized the effects their environment had on them, and I suppose it’s hard to comprehend how ill-informed not only the general public but also doctors were in those days.

In spite of that, I would very much like to travel back in time and be a guest in the Brontë parlour. I would choose a howling windswept night, when the sisters would have pulled their chairs even closer around the fire so they could read to each other and discuss their novels. Perhaps being present for such discussions would have some beneficial effects on my own literary skills. But
alas, such a visit is not possible, and I shall have to content myself with reading their finished works.

Charlotte Bronte

While I must admit to having read only two of their books—Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre—both novels made a lasting
impression on my mind, unlike so many other books I’ve finished, whose characters, titles, and story lines have long faded from memory. That being said, I didn’t particularly like Wuthering Heights. It’s a bit too strange and a bit too sad for my liking, although
don’t take my word for it. The book isn’t considered one of the world’s best for nothing. Jane Eyre, on the other hand, is one of my very favourites. It’s that rags to riches theme again—the poor, plain, orphan girl who falls hopelessly in love with her wealthy yet
misunderstood and somewhat dangerous employer—combined with the dramatic setting of an English manor house and all the secrets, mysteries, and drama bound to be uncovered in such a place. And then there are the wonderful but surprising themes of redemption, forgiveness, and grace . . . but more on that next time.

At the moment, I’d like to hear which of the Brontë novels you like best. What is your opinion of Wuthering Heights? And which book do you suggest I read next? Something by Anne, perhaps?

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Let me suggest the following websites for more information and pictures on the Brontës and their works . . .

The Bronte Family – Exploring the lives, literature, and art of these important Victorian women writers.  http://www.brontefamily.org/

Jane Eyre – A guide to film and stage adaptations of the book from as far back as 1909.  http://eyreguide.awardspace.co.uk/adaptations.html

Haworth – The Bronte Parsonage Museum website. http://www.bronte.org.uk/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=26