Meet the famous literary trio… Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë.
A watercolor portrait believed to be of the Brontë sisters, painted in the 1830s by a young Edwin Landseer
Greetings, Janeites! Welcome back to JASP’s ongoing series, Austen vs. Brontë. Over the next few weeks we will be taking a closer look at each one of these talented sisters in turn, but first, an introduction. Who exactly were the Brontë sisters?
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne respectively, were the third, fifth, and sixth of six children born to Rev. Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell Brontë– Charlotte in 1816, Emily in 1818, and Anne in 1820. During their childhood, they were very close, likely drawn closer due to the death of their mother, Maria, in 1821 and two elder sisters, Elizabeth and Maria, both in 1825. The remaining Brontë siblings were intensely inventive and explored their creativity by building worlds and writing stories. Charlotte and their brother, Branwell, collaborated on Gondal, an imaginary empire; Emily and Anne created a fictional island kingdom called Angria. Many of these youthful written escapades were recorded in minuscule, handmade books, created at such a small scale so that their twelve wooden soldiers could read them.
The Brontë sisters worked in assorted positions throughout adulthood, experiences that found their way into their later writing. Emily taught briefly, but preferred life at home in Haworth. Charlotte and Anne were governesses for numerous families; Charlotte and Emily studied abroad in Belgium with the goal of opening a school of their own. When no pupils could be found and their brother Branwell sank lower into disrepute, things began to look dim. Then, largely by chance, Charlotte found a book of Emily's poetry. Astonished by her sister's talent, she persuaded Emily and Anne to pursue publication. In 1846, the sisters released a book of their poetry, attributed to Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, pen names they would use throughout their careers. The book of poetry was not successful, however it gave the sisters a spark of needed creative motivation. By the end of 1847 all three had published a novel. For Anne, it was Agnes Grey, Emily, Wuthering Heights, and Charlotte, Jane Eyre. The sisters found great success after publication, notably Charlotte. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne's second and final novel, was published in 1848.
Unfortunately, ill health plagued the family. After a long period of decline, Branwell Brontë died in September 1848, from tuberculosis and the affects of opium and alcohol addiction. It was a shock to the family, but the tragedies did not end there. Emily– who became ill after Branwell's funeral– succumbed to tuberculosis in December of 1848. In May of 1849, Anne passed away, as much of physical illness as grief. While Charlotte was intensely impacted by the deaths of her dear siblings, she did not stop writing. She published Shirley in 1849 and Villette in 1853, and disclosed the true identities of Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell as herself and her sisters. In 1854, Charlotte married her father's curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls, who had loved her for a number of years. Their happiness was sadly short lived as Charlotte died in March 1855, likely due to a combination of tuberculosis and early pregnancy complications. Her novel, The Professor, was published posthumously in 1857. Passing away in 1861, Rev. Patrick Brontë outlived his wife and all six of his children. While they died young– at 29, 30, and 39– the legacies of the Brontë sisters continue to impact readers around the globe.
Stay tuned, Janeites! We'll return next week with Ten Facts About Charlotte Brontë. In the meantime, check out Jane Austen and Co.'s current program series: Austen & the Brontës.