Rise

Charlotte Brontë - A short biography

Written by:
Francesca Lewitton

Hidden Figures

Table of Contents

The Driving Question:

How has Charlotte Brontë contributed to society through her literature and how can I identify with her actions and beliefs?

Chapter 1 - In the beginning
Chapter 2 - The journey
Chapter 3 - A tragic ending
Timeline of Charlotte’s Life
Reviews
Bibliography

I hope that this book will provide the answers to that question!

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - In the beginning
Chapter 2 - The journey
Chapter 3 - A tragic ending
Timeline of Charlotte’s Life
Reviews
Bibliography

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IN THE BEGINNING

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“Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, to absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.”

For years, Charlotte Brontë lived in a world where women were pushed down, and placed in cages. A world in which women were believed to be inferior. Instead of maths and science, they were taught sewing and cooking, and society suffered because of the contributions women were not allowed to make.

This paragraph from ‘Jane Eyre’ betrays a fire within Charlotte Brontë’s soul. With each word, she protests against the belief of her time that women must not strive to learn or achieve more than men allow.

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Her determination to stand for her beliefs, and her courage to defy the rules she knew to be unjust have inspired people for almost 200 years.

Charlotte Brontë was born into a cold world where the rich enjoyed a life of beauty, luxury and simplicity, but the middle and working classes struggled in everyday life. Although the differences in the lives of the two groups were vast, one belief was shared.
This belief was that women were inferior and that while a man works to earn money and support his family, women should cook and sew and raise the children.

However, some women were not content to sit in the shadows and be calm while life went by. Charlotte Brontë defied the norms of that society by writing novels, and her stories made such an impact that almost 200 years later, she is remembered and admired.

‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Shirley’, and ‘Villette’ spoke about situations and frustrations she had experienced, and these resonated with similarly frustrated women. Her excellent ability to write sparked admiration from everyone, and she quickly rose to fame.

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She was one of many who felt this way during that time, but also one of very few who were brave enough to say something.

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Her determination to stand for her beliefs, and her courage to defy the rules she knew to be unjust have inspired people for almost 200 years.

Charlotte Brontë was born into a cold world where the rich enjoyed a life of beauty, luxury and simplicity, but the middle and working classes struggled in everyday life. Although the differences in the lives of the two groups were vast, one belief was shared.
This belief was that women were inferior and that while a man works to earn money and support his family, women should cook and sew and raise the children.

However, some women were not content to sit in the shadows and be calm while life went by. Charlotte Brontë defied the norms of that society by writing novels, and her stories made such an impact that almost 200 years later, she is remembered and admired.

‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Shirley’, and ‘Villette’ spoke about situations and frustrations she had experienced, and these resonated with similarly frustrated women. Her excellent ability to write sparked admiration from everyone, and she quickly rose to fame.

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Charlotte was born on April 21, 1816, the third child of Anglican clergyman, Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell in Thornton in Yorkshire England. A year after moving to the village of Haworth in 1820, her mother died of cancer, leaving behind 5 daughters and one son. They were brought up with the help of their aunt, Elizabeth Branwell.
I can relate to this, because while I have a wonderful stepmom, I too am growing up without the guidance and support of my biological mother.

In 1824, Charlotte, her two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, and her younger sister Emily enrolled at Clergy Daughter’s School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire.
This cheap school had harsh discipline and unpalatable food. Charlotte believed that it affected her health permanently, and contributed to the early deaths of her two older sisters, and she criticized it harshly in her novel, ‘Jane Eyre’, recreating it as the school Jane is sent to.
Her two older sisters died of tuberculosis in June 1825, causing Patrick to bring Charlotte and Emily back home. Now the oldest, Charlotte acted as a guardian of her younger siblings.

Together, they created imaginary lands about which they wrote Byronic stories in miniature writing on tiny sheets of paper. Charlotte’s land was called ‘Angria’, and it was ruled by the Duke of Zamorna. Charlotte and her brother wrote elaborate, romantic tales about him, and the other citizens of Angria.

She also wrote poems which were then published in their homemade magazine, ‘Branwell’s Blackwood’s Magazine’.

Charlotte and Branwell Brontë. 1830. https://news.artnet.com/market/bronte-book-goes-home-1709133

These were what prepared Charlotte for a life of writing books.
I can identify with this interest in writing, because I too wrote stories about my imaginary land, ‘Gibreosity’ when I was small.

In 1831, she returned to school at Roe Head where she stayed for a over a year and made lifelong friends. She spent a few years at home teaching her sisters. During this time, she began to write more realistic stories.
She returned to Roe Head from 1835 to 1838 to teach, but she became very lonely and unhappy, writing many sad poems during this time. She also disliked teaching considerably and said it was “wretched bondage” and described the students as “fat-headed oafs”. This opinion of teaching was shared by her sister, Emily.

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She also wrote poems which were then published in their homemade magazine, ‘Branwell’s Blackwood’s Magazine’.

Charlotte and Branwell Brontë. 1830. https://news.artnet.com/market/bronte-book-goes-home-1709133

These were what prepared Charlotte for a life of writing books.
I can identify with this interest in writing, because I too wrote stories about my imaginary land, ‘Gibreosity’ when I was small.

In 1831, she returned to school at Roe Head where she stayed for a over a year and made lifelong friends. She spent a few years at home teaching her sisters. During this time, she began to write more realistic stories.
She returned to Roe Head from 1835 to 1838 to teach, but she became very lonely and unhappy, writing many sad poems during this time. She also disliked teaching considerably and said it was “wretched bondage” and described the students as “fat-headed oafs”. This opinion of teaching was shared by her sister, Emily.

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THE JOURNEY

In December of 1836 she wrote to the Poet Laureate, Robert Southey. She asked him for encouragement in pursuing a career as a poet. His response later became famous.
He said: “Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be. The more she is engaged in her proper duties, the less leisure will she have for it even as an accomplishment and a recreation."

Robert Southey, English poet. 2010. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31455/31455-h/31455-h.htm

She respected this advice, but ignored it.

She worked as a governess from 1839 to 1841 partly because her brother, Branwell had debts that needed to be repaid, and this responsibility fell on her. Her family had high hopes for her brother because of his abundant talent, but he was unstable, and found comfort in alcohol and drugs.

Throughout this time, Charlotte and her sister Emily dreamed of opening a school together, and so in 1842, they travelled to Brussels to enroll at a boarding school run by Constantin Heger, and improve their French. Charlotte taught English while her sister taught music, to repay the institution for housing and tuition.

She and Emily returned home prematurely because their aunt, Elizabeth, had passed away, and when Charlotte returned to Brussels, she was alone.

Constantin Heger. 1865. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Constantinheger1.jpg

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She respected this advice, but ignored it.

She worked as a governess from 1839 to 1841 partly because her brother, Branwell had debts that needed to be repaid, and this responsibility fell on her. Her family had high hopes for her brother because of his abundant talent, but he was unstable, and found comfort in alcohol and drugs.

Throughout this time, Charlotte and her sister Emily dreamed of opening a school together, and so in 1842, they travelled to Brussels to enroll at a boarding school run by Constantin Heger, and improve their French. Charlotte taught English while her sister taught music, to repay the institution for housing and tuition.

She and Emily returned home prematurely because their aunt, Elizabeth, had passed away, and when Charlotte returned to Brussels, she was alone.

Constantin Heger. 1865. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Constantinheger1.jpg

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This time, she became homesick, and fell in love with the headmaster, a married man. He was extremely bright and charming, and was the first man to recognize the potential Charlotte had, and to treat her as an equal.

She wrote him love letters when she returned to England, but she was rejected, and stopped writing. This was a defining moment in her life, and inspired the plot for one of her books later in life.

She and her sisters opened their school, “The Misses Brontë’s Establishment for the Board and Education of a limited number of Young Ladies”, but the school failed to attract students, and in October 1844, they abandoned the idea.
I dreamed about being a professor when I was younger, so I can relate to her wish to open a school and teach.

After finding a collection of Emily’s poems, Charlotte was inspired. Together, the sisters published a joint collection of poems under their 3 pseudonyms: Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. They chose these to hide their identities but preserve their initials. They felt the need to hide their genders because they believed the works of female authors were not judged as harshly as those of men’s, and wanted an unbiased judgement of their work.
Only two copies were sold, but the sisters continued writing and sending manuscripts to potential publishers under their

pseudonyms.

Charlotte wrote a book, ‘The Professor’, and even though it was rejected by publishers, she received a positive response from ‘Smith, Elder & Co.’ They told her they were interested in any longer works from Currer Bell. She finished ‘Jane Eyre’ and sent it through in August 1847. Six weeks later, it was published.
I admire her perseverance even after her first book was rejected, and hope that one day I too can have this quality.

A story told from a woman’s perspective was unusual but ‘Jane Eyre’ was the story of Charlotte’s life that had been tweaked so that it was appealing to the public.

Curiosity about who this author was grew as Ellis and Acton Bell each published a successful novel.

‘Jane Eyre’ earned the title of an “improper” book, an opinion that became more popular when it was discovered that Currer Bell was a woman, but sales continued regardless.
After revealing her identity to a few individuals, Charlotte made occasional visits to London and began to move in more exalted circles.

A woman writing a book that became so well known seemed impossible to many people in that time, but Charlottë Brontë’s book forced individuals to acknowledge that women

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