Bronte
Our house is named after the Bronte Sisters. Emily, Anne and Charlotte Bronte Lived in Yorkshire during the Nineteenth Century. They each became successful novelists. Charlotte’s most successful book was ‘Jane Eyre’, Emily wrote ‘Wuthering Heights’ and Anne became famous for ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’. They grew up together in the Parsonage in the town of Haworth. They became interested in writing as children and used to make tiny books for each other.
As they grew up, they became victims of Victorian sexism. It was generally thought that writing was a male profession and not appropriate for women. Many people thought that women weren’t clever enough to write a successful novel. In order to get their work published, they pretended to be men. Using male names, they sent their books to publishers and were accepted. It was only when the books became successful that they revealed themselves to be women. Emily and Anne both died young, but Charlotte continued to become a very popular writer. Their books sold millions of copies and many have been made into films and TV programmes. They have been studied at schools and universities ever since. They have even appeared in ‘Family Guy’.
What we can learn from the Bronte sisters?
- They discovered their talent at an early age and nurtured it.
- They supported each other and worked together to get their work published
- They showed enormous determination, they didn’t take no for an answer.
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They were brave and were prepared to challenge conventional ideas. They proved that women were the equals of men.
- They pushed the boundaries of their art; they were imaginative and came up with fresh ideas.
- In their books, they exposed some of the injustice and unfairness of their times, particularly the way women and children were treated. In doing so they helped to modernise society.
In Bronte House, we aim to follow their example: to try hard, to do our best, to help each other and to stand up for equality.
Ian Brownhill is the Head of Bronte House.
