Weekend Writing: Celebrating Charlotte Bronte

There are very few classic writers who have withstood the test of time quite like Charlotte Bronte. Her novels have become one of the most widely read works of British literature, and I believe readers will continue to cherish her writing for decades to come.

"Jane Eyre" (photo/Simon and Schuster)

Today I'm celebrating her on my blog because it's her birthday. Charlotte was born on April 21, 1816 in Yorkshire--the third of six children, and the older sister of her famous writing sisters, Emily and Anne. After their mother passed away from cancer in 1824, their father sent Charlotte and Emily, and their two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, to the Clergy Daughters' School, which would become the inspiration for Lowood School in Charlotte's iconic novel, Jane Eyre. 

The school had poor living conditions, which Charlotte believed affected her health and physical development. Her older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, both died at the school from a tuberculosis outbreak, prompting their father to remove Charlotte and Emily from the school and return home. 

Charlotte was raised to become the motherly figure for her younger sisters since the family had lost their mother and the girls had lost their older sisters. During this time, Charlotte turned to writing as a hobby--writing her first poem at the age of 13. She would write over 200 poems during her lifetime, but Charlotte wouldn't be known to the public as a poet. She will forever be remembered as a novelist. 

Charlotte, along with Emily, Anne, and their brother, Branwell, created fictional worlds together. They became a dynamic quartet--the four of them all gifted with a talent for writing and dreaming of imaginative worlds. 

Charlotte wrote her first novella, The Green Dwarf, in 1833 under the pen name Wellesley. Shortly after this, however, she shifted from writing about the supernatural world to more realistic fiction tales--tales from her own life experiences. She became a teacher and governess, and whenever she was lonely, she would take out her frustrations in her poetry and fiction--writing about her life and her struggles. She was finished with writing about "make-believe" fairytales. She was determined to write about the "real world" and her experiences as a governess, and you can see this most prevalent in Jane Eyre. 

The Bronte sisters (photo/Daily Express)

In 1846, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne self-published a collection of poetry under the pen names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. The pen names kept the sisters' sex as a secret (because women couldn't possibly be seen as writers in the Victorian period), but the pen names preserved their initials--Charlotte as Currer, Emily as Ellis, and Anne as Acton. 

Only two copies of the poetry collection were sold, but the sisters didn't give up. They continued to write. We must be thankful they weren't discouraged from writing, or else we wouldn't have Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights today. 

In 1847, Charlotte sent out her first manuscript, The Professor, to publishers, but it wasn't published. She was encouraged to submit another manuscript--something different that the publishers may like. This second manuscript became Jane Eyre. Six weeks later, it was published. 

If you have never read Jane Eyre, what are you waiting for? The novel tells the story of a rather plain governess, Jane, who after many difficulties in her life falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. The novel's writing style was inventive for the time period--a combination of naturalism and gothic melodrama. It became a sensational hit with readers because the novel is written from an intense first-person female perspective.

Jane Eyre is and forever will be seen as a feminist novel. Charlotte certainly was ahead of her time.

A scene from "Friends" (photo/giphy).

As Charlotte was writing her third novel, Shirley, in 1848, tragedy struck the Bronte family. Within eight months, Charlotte went from having three siblings to being an only child. In September 1848, Branwell died of chronic bronchitis and alcoholism. Emily became ill shortly after his funeral and died in December from tuberculosis. Anne died from the same disease in May 1849.  

As you can imagine, Charlotte was unable to write at the time--suffering from the loss of her beloved family. Eventually, she returned to writing Shirley and it was published in October 1849. However, it was not a success, with readers and critics recognizing the difference between this novel and Jane Eyre. We can only imagine this is because of her loss and the pain she endured while writing the book. I can't blame Charlotte at all!

"Villette" (photo/Goodreads)

But one of the most interesting things I find about Charlotte is the controversial topic concerning her. Charlotte forcibly refused the republication of Anne's second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. No one knows why she made this decision, but this act received many criticisms toward Charlotte and hurt her reputation in society.

Finally, Charlotte published her third and last novel, Villette, in 1853. It is the most autobiographical of her works and is compared to Jane Eyre. It's sophisticated and critics stated back then that "Currer Bell" has returned! Charlotte would have most likely continued writing more fabulous works in her lifetime, but unfortunately, she never had the opportunity.

Shortly after her wedding to Arthur Bell Nicholls in June 1854, Charlotte became pregnant. Her health declined due to nausea and fainting spells. She died, along with her unborn child, on March 31, 1855--three weeks before her 39th birthday. Her death certificate stated that she died of tuberculosis, but biographers believe she died more from dehydration and malnutrition--common symptoms of severe morning sickness that are easily treated for today.

Her first novel, The Professor, was published posthumously in 1857 and readers still love her writing today. People continue to fall more and more in love with Jane Eyre--thus falling in love with Charlotte.

And people do love you, Charlotte. It would have been amazing to see what she would have accomplished if she had more time to write, but instead of dwelling on what we don't have, let's focus on what we do have: beautiful works of literature.

Happy birthday, Charlotte. I hope you know how much you're valued and loved today.

-KJL-