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[[Image:CBRichmond.jpg|thumb|right|Charlotte Brontë by George Richmond, 1850]] | [[Image:CBRichmond.jpg|thumb|right|Charlotte Brontë by George Richmond, 1850]] | ||
| − | '''Charlotte Brontë''' {{IPA|/bɹɑnti/}} ( | + | '''Charlotte Brontë''' {{IPA|/bɹɑnti/}} (April 21, 1816 – March 31, 1855) was an [[England|English]] novelist, the eldest sister of the remarkable Brontë family which also included the novelists Anne and [[Emily Brontë]]. Along with her sisters, Charlotte Brontë was one of the foremost [[Romanticism|Romantic]] novelists to write in English. While the realism of [[Honore de Balzac|Balzac]] and [[Gustave Flaubert|Flaubert]] was still developing, English writers continued writing in the vein laid down by such fanciful and melodramatic authors as [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]] and [[Walter Scott|Scott]]. The presence of the supernatural and the melodramatic in Brontë's novels most owe their debt to this tradition (as opposed to, for instance, her close contemporary [[Jane Austen]], who attempted to stay as far from sentiment as possible); but she is, in many ways, a much more fascinating author than many of those same Romantic novelists from whom she learned her craft. Charlotte Brontë is, like her sisters and like so few other authors of early 19th-century England, acutely aware of the limitations of Romantic thought and her novels attempt again and again to place her characters in situations of extremity in order to expose all the problems and paradoxes of the society in which they exist. She is in this regard remarkably similar to Austen despite their sharp differences in tone and style, and, like Austen, she is one of the most important and most powerfully insightful authors of the early 19th century. |
| − | + | ==Life== | |
| − | + | Brontë was born at Thornton, in Yorkshire, [[England]], the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë, an [[Ireland|Irish]] [[Anglican]] clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved to Haworth, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. Maria Branwell Brontë died of cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving her five daughters and a son to the care of her sister Elizabeth Branwell. In August 1824, Charlotte was sent with three of her sisters to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire (which she would describe as Lowood School in ''Jane Eyre''). Its poor conditions, Charlotte maintained, permanently affected her health and physical development, and hastened the deaths of her two elder sisters, Maria (born 1814) and Elizabeth (born 1815), who died of [[tuberculosis]] in 1825 soon after they were removed from the school. | |
| − | + | At home in Haworth Parsonage, the surviving children - Branwell, [[Emily Brontë|Emily]], and [[Anne Brontë|Anne]] - were influenced by their father's library of [[Walter Scott]], [[Lord Byron|Byron]], ''Tales of the Genii'' and ''[[The Arabian Nights]]''. They began chronicling the lives and struggles of the inhabitants of their imaginary kingdoms. Charlotte and Branwell wrote stories about their country - Angria - and Emily and Anne wrote articles and poems about theirs - Gondal. The sagas were elaborate and convoluted (and still exist in part manuscripts) and provided them with an obsessive interest in childhood and early adolescence, which prepared them for their literary vocations in adulthood. | |
| − | In May | + | Charlotte continued her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she returned as a teacher from 1835 to 1838. In 1839 she took up the first of many positions as governess to various families in Yorkshire, a career she pursued until 1841. In 1842 she and Emily travelled to Brussels to enroll in a pensionnat run by Constantin Heger (1809 - 1896) and his wife Claire Zoë Parent Heger (1804 - 1890). In return for board and tuition, Charlotte taught English and Emily taught music. Their time at the pensionnat was cut short when Elizabeth Branwell, their aunt who joined the family after the death of their mother to look after the children, died of internal obstruction in October 1842. Charlotte returned alone to Brussels in January 1843 to take up a teaching post at the pensionnat. Her second stay at the pensionnat was not a happy one; she became lonely, homesick, and deeply attached to Constantin Heger. She finally returned to Haworth in January 1844 and later used her time at the pensionnat as the inspiration for some of ''The Professor'' and ''Villette''. |
| − | + | ||
| − | Her | + | In May 1846, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne published a joint collection of poetry under the assumed names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Although the book failed to attract interest (only two copies were sold) the sisters decided to continue writing for publication and began work on their first novels. Charlotte continued to use the name 'Currer Bell' when she published her first two novels. |
| − | *'' | + | Her novels are: |
| − | *'' | + | *''Jane Eyre'', published 1847 |
| − | *'' | + | *''Shirley'', published 1849 |
| − | *'' | + | *''Villette'', published 1853 |
| + | *''The Professor'', written before ''Jane Eyre'' and rejected by many publishing houses, was published posthumously in 1857 | ||
Her novels were deemed coarse by the critics. Much speculation took place as to who Currer Bell really was, and whether Bell was a man or a woman. | Her novels were deemed coarse by the critics. Much speculation took place as to who Currer Bell really was, and whether Bell was a man or a woman. | ||
| − | Charlotte's brother, Branwell, the only son of the family, died of chronic | + | Charlotte's brother, Branwell, the only son of the family, died of chronic bronchitis and marasmus exacerbated by heavy drinking, in September 1848, although Charlotte believed his death was due to tuberculosis. Emily and Anne both died of pulmonary tuberculosis in December 1848 and May 1849, respectively. |
| + | |||
| + | Charlotte and her father were now left alone. In view of the enormous success of ''Jane Eyre,'' she was persuaded by her publisher to visit [[London]] occasionally, where she revealed her true identity and began to move in a more exalted social circle, becoming friends with Harriet Martineau, Elizabeth Gaskell, [[William Makepeace Thackeray]] and G. H. Lewes. However, she never left Haworth for more than a few weeks at a time as she did not like to leave her aging father's side. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In June 1854, Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls, her father's curate. She died nine months later during her first pregnancy. Her death certificate gives the cause of death as phthisis (tuberculosis), but there is a school of thought that suggests she may have died from her excessive vomiting caused by severe morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy. There is also evidence that Charlotte died from typhus she may have caught from Tabitha Ackroyd, the Bronte household's oldest servant, who died shortly before her. Charlotte was interred in the family vault in The Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Haworth, West Yorkshire, [[England]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The posthumous biography by Elizabeth Gaskell, for a long time a standard source on her life, has been much criticised by feminists such as Elaine Showalter, for suppressing details of Charlotte's life and her apparently passionate nature. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===''Jane Eyre''=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Published pseudonymously in 1847, ''Jane Eyre'' rocketed Charlotte Brontë into immediate fame and success. [[William Makepeace Thackery|Thackery]] took an immediate liking to the novel and, because of it, introduced Brontë to the circles of literary London. It is still considered, over a century later, to be her masterpiece, and to be one of the finest works of literature produced in England. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====Plot summary==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The narrator and main character, Jane Eyre, is a poor orphan. The opening chapters introduce the reader to her joyless life as a child. Her wealthy relatives have agreed to take care of her after her parents' deaths. However, the widowed Mrs. Reed and her three spoiled children, John, Georgiana and Eliza, are unkind to Jane and never fail to emphasize how Jane is below them. Jane is a plain, quiet, and intelligent girl with a passionate soul and an occasional tendency to inappropriate honesty and direct outbursts. This, combined with the fact that she sometimes has "visions" or very vivid dreams, certainly does not help to secure her relative's affections. (See also Brontë's novel ''Villette,'' in which Lucy Snowe shows similar tendency to visions/the supernatural or possibly hysterics.) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Tensions escalate, and Jane is sent to Lowood, a boarding school run by the inhumanely strict Mr. Brocklehurst. Jane is branded a liar, a charge that hurts her even more than malnutrition and cold, but Miss Temple, the headmistress Jane admires, later clears her of these charges. She also finds a friend in Helen Burns, who is very learned and intelligent, has a patient and philosophical mind, and believes firmly in God. While Jane responds to the injustices of the world with a barely contained burning temper, Helen accepts earthly sufferings, including her own premature death from consumption, with calmness and a martyr-like attitude. | ||
| + | |||
| + | After a serious typhoid fever epidemic, the conditions in Lowood improve; Jane slowly finds her place in the institution and becomes a teacher. When Miss Temple marries and moves away, Jane decides to change careers. She is desperate to see the world beyond Lowood. She advertises and soon secures a position as a governess in Thornfield Hall. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Life at Thornfield is very quiet at first. Jane teaches a young French girl, Adele, and spends time with the old housekeeper, Mrs Fairfax. But everything changes when the owner of the manor — brooding, Byronic, fiery Mr. Rochester — arrives. He and Jane slowly get to know and respect each other. Mr. Rochester creates an elaborate set-up by seemingly courting a proud local beauty, Miss Blanche Ingram. Finally, after suffering over this in silence, Jane protests; Mr. Rochester then admits to her that his courtship of Miss Ingram was a ruse to arouse Jane's jealousy and that it is Jane whom he truly loves. Jane returns his feelings, and she and Mr. Rochester get engaged despite their differences in social status, age, and experience. Jane is young and innocent at 19 years old, while Rochester is nearly 40, worldly, and thoroughly disillusioned, but they complement, respect, and bring out the best in each other. Jane is determined to stay modest, plain, and virtuous, and Rochester is almost equally determined to offer her expensive presents and finery. Jane has the moral high ground, though, and the weeks before the wedding are spent mostly as she wishes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The wedding ceremony is interrupted by a lawyer, who declares that Mr Rochester is already married. His mad wife Bertha Mason, a Creole from Jamaica, lives in the attic of Thornfield Hall, and her presence explains all sorts of mysterious events that have taken place during Jane's stay in Thornfield. Mr. Rochester offers to take Jane abroad to live with him, but Jane is not willing to sacrifice her morals or self-respect for earthly pleasures, let alone accept the status of mistress, even though Rochester insists Jane will break his heart if she refuses him. Torn between her love for Rochester and her own integrity, Jane flees Thornfield in the middle of the night, with very little money and nowhere to go. | ||
| + | |||
| + | She wanders for a few days and finally finds safe haven, under an alias, with a vicar, St. John Rivers, and his two sisters. They bond, and in due course Jane is given a position as village schoolteacher. She finally leads an independent life in her own little house. Later, St. John learns Jane's true identity, and, in an incredible coincidence, it transpires that St. John and his sisters are actually Jane's cousins. Jane also conveniently inherits a large sum of money from an uncle who lived abroad. The cousins are left without inheritance because of an old family feud, but Jane promptly splits the money so that all four of them are now financially secure. This gives St. John the means to pursue his true calling, to go to India as a missionary. He asks Jane to marry him and to accompany him to India. Now Jane has the opportunity to choose a husband of high morals, but she knows St. John does not truly love her. This is the opposite of the situation she had with Mr. Rochester. Pressured by St. John, Jane nearly succumbs to his proposal, but at the last minute, she hears Rochester's voice calling her in the wind, and she feels she must respond to that call. | ||
| − | + | She travels immediately to Thornfield Hall, only to find it abandoned and ruined by a devastating fire. She learns that Mr. Rochester, who lost a hand, an eye, and the sight of the other eye as a result of trying unsuccessfully to save Bertha from the flames, lives nearby at a house called Ferndean. Jane goes to him, they reconcile, and she marries him. She writes in the perspective of ten years after their marriage and tells of their firstborn son. Eventually Mr. Rochester gains part of one eye's sight back and is able to see the child. Jane's long quest to find love and a sense of belonging is finally fulfilled. The book does not end with their story, however, but with a look at the noble missionary death of St. John Rivers far away in India, which might represent the righteousness of the path Jane hasn't taken. | |
| − | + | ====Themes==== | |
| − | + | There are several recurring themes in the novel. Relations between social classes and genders are crucial; ultimately, Jane overcomes obstacles on both fronts. It is clearly indicated that her marriage to Rochester is equal in spirit and strength of feeling but not in social position or experience. Jane's emotional growth and the change in her financial situation, however, combined with Rochester's diminished physical capabilities and loss of his manor, turn the initial situation almost upside down. Now Jane is the one with options and independence. | |
| + | Religion is another important theme. Jane meets three religious authorities: Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John Rivers. They represent different religious ideals, but Jane subsequently abandons all these models in favour of her own approach, which combines duty and romantic notions of love. | ||
| + | ''Jane Eyre'' also addresses themes of love, responsibility, and the conflict between personal integrity and the desire to fulfil the wishes of others.'' | ||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
| Line 45: | Line 72: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| − | |||
* [http://www.bronte.info/ Website of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire] | * [http://www.bronte.info/ Website of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire] | ||
* [http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/b/bronte/charlotte/ Online editions of Charlotte Brontë's works] | * [http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/b/bronte/charlotte/ Online editions of Charlotte Brontë's works] | ||
| Line 56: | Line 82: | ||
[[Category: Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]] | [[Category: Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]] | ||
| − | {{ | + | {{credit2|Charlotte_Bronte|5366356|Jane_Eyre|55281292}} |
Revision as of 01:20, 28 May 2006
Charlotte Brontë /bɹɑnti/ (April 21, 1816 – March 31, 1855) was an English novelist, the eldest sister of the remarkable Brontë family which also included the novelists Anne and Emily Brontë. Along with her sisters, Charlotte Brontë was one of the foremost Romantic novelists to write in English. While the realism of Balzac and Flaubert was still developing, English writers continued writing in the vein laid down by such fanciful and melodramatic authors as Dickens and Scott. The presence of the supernatural and the melodramatic in Brontë's novels most owe their debt to this tradition (as opposed to, for instance, her close contemporary Jane Austen, who attempted to stay as far from sentiment as possible); but she is, in many ways, a much more fascinating author than many of those same Romantic novelists from whom she learned her craft. Charlotte Brontë is, like her sisters and like so few other authors of early 19th-century England, acutely aware of the limitations of Romantic thought and her novels attempt again and again to place her characters in situations of extremity in order to expose all the problems and paradoxes of the society in which they exist. She is in this regard remarkably similar to Austen despite their sharp differences in tone and style, and, like Austen, she is one of the most important and most powerfully insightful authors of the early 19th century.
Life
Brontë was born at Thornton, in Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë, an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved to Haworth, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. Maria Branwell Brontë died of cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving her five daughters and a son to the care of her sister Elizabeth Branwell. In August 1824, Charlotte was sent with three of her sisters to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). Its poor conditions, Charlotte maintained, permanently affected her health and physical development, and hastened the deaths of her two elder sisters, Maria (born 1814) and Elizabeth (born 1815), who died of tuberculosis in 1825 soon after they were removed from the school.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, the surviving children - Branwell, Emily, and Anne - were influenced by their father's library of Walter Scott, Byron, Tales of the Genii and The Arabian Nights. They began chronicling the lives and struggles of the inhabitants of their imaginary kingdoms. Charlotte and Branwell wrote stories about their country - Angria - and Emily and Anne wrote articles and poems about theirs - Gondal. The sagas were elaborate and convoluted (and still exist in part manuscripts) and provided them with an obsessive interest in childhood and early adolescence, which prepared them for their literary vocations in adulthood.
Charlotte continued her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she returned as a teacher from 1835 to 1838. In 1839 she took up the first of many positions as governess to various families in Yorkshire, a career she pursued until 1841. In 1842 she and Emily travelled to Brussels to enroll in a pensionnat run by Constantin Heger (1809 - 1896) and his wife Claire Zoë Parent Heger (1804 - 1890). In return for board and tuition, Charlotte taught English and Emily taught music. Their time at the pensionnat was cut short when Elizabeth Branwell, their aunt who joined the family after the death of their mother to look after the children, died of internal obstruction in October 1842. Charlotte returned alone to Brussels in January 1843 to take up a teaching post at the pensionnat. Her second stay at the pensionnat was not a happy one; she became lonely, homesick, and deeply attached to Constantin Heger. She finally returned to Haworth in January 1844 and later used her time at the pensionnat as the inspiration for some of The Professor and Villette.
In May 1846, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne published a joint collection of poetry under the assumed names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Although the book failed to attract interest (only two copies were sold) the sisters decided to continue writing for publication and began work on their first novels. Charlotte continued to use the name 'Currer Bell' when she published her first two novels. Her novels are:
- Jane Eyre, published 1847
- Shirley, published 1849
- Villette, published 1853
- The Professor, written before Jane Eyre and rejected by many publishing houses, was published posthumously in 1857
Her novels were deemed coarse by the critics. Much speculation took place as to who Currer Bell really was, and whether Bell was a man or a woman.
Charlotte's brother, Branwell, the only son of the family, died of chronic bronchitis and marasmus exacerbated by heavy drinking, in September 1848, although Charlotte believed his death was due to tuberculosis. Emily and Anne both died of pulmonary tuberculosis in December 1848 and May 1849, respectively.
Charlotte and her father were now left alone. In view of the enormous success of Jane Eyre, she was persuaded by her publisher to visit London occasionally, where she revealed her true identity and began to move in a more exalted social circle, becoming friends with Harriet Martineau, Elizabeth Gaskell, William Makepeace Thackeray and G. H. Lewes. However, she never left Haworth for more than a few weeks at a time as she did not like to leave her aging father's side.
In June 1854, Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls, her father's curate. She died nine months later during her first pregnancy. Her death certificate gives the cause of death as phthisis (tuberculosis), but there is a school of thought that suggests she may have died from her excessive vomiting caused by severe morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy. There is also evidence that Charlotte died from typhus she may have caught from Tabitha Ackroyd, the Bronte household's oldest servant, who died shortly before her. Charlotte was interred in the family vault in The Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England.
The posthumous biography by Elizabeth Gaskell, for a long time a standard source on her life, has been much criticised by feminists such as Elaine Showalter, for suppressing details of Charlotte's life and her apparently passionate nature.
Jane Eyre
Published pseudonymously in 1847, Jane Eyre rocketed Charlotte Brontë into immediate fame and success. Thackery took an immediate liking to the novel and, because of it, introduced Brontë to the circles of literary London. It is still considered, over a century later, to be her masterpiece, and to be one of the finest works of literature produced in England.
Plot summary
The narrator and main character, Jane Eyre, is a poor orphan. The opening chapters introduce the reader to her joyless life as a child. Her wealthy relatives have agreed to take care of her after her parents' deaths. However, the widowed Mrs. Reed and her three spoiled children, John, Georgiana and Eliza, are unkind to Jane and never fail to emphasize how Jane is below them. Jane is a plain, quiet, and intelligent girl with a passionate soul and an occasional tendency to inappropriate honesty and direct outbursts. This, combined with the fact that she sometimes has "visions" or very vivid dreams, certainly does not help to secure her relative's affections. (See also Brontë's novel Villette, in which Lucy Snowe shows similar tendency to visions/the supernatural or possibly hysterics.)
Tensions escalate, and Jane is sent to Lowood, a boarding school run by the inhumanely strict Mr. Brocklehurst. Jane is branded a liar, a charge that hurts her even more than malnutrition and cold, but Miss Temple, the headmistress Jane admires, later clears her of these charges. She also finds a friend in Helen Burns, who is very learned and intelligent, has a patient and philosophical mind, and believes firmly in God. While Jane responds to the injustices of the world with a barely contained burning temper, Helen accepts earthly sufferings, including her own premature death from consumption, with calmness and a martyr-like attitude.
After a serious typhoid fever epidemic, the conditions in Lowood improve; Jane slowly finds her place in the institution and becomes a teacher. When Miss Temple marries and moves away, Jane decides to change careers. She is desperate to see the world beyond Lowood. She advertises and soon secures a position as a governess in Thornfield Hall.
Life at Thornfield is very quiet at first. Jane teaches a young French girl, Adele, and spends time with the old housekeeper, Mrs Fairfax. But everything changes when the owner of the manor — brooding, Byronic, fiery Mr. Rochester — arrives. He and Jane slowly get to know and respect each other. Mr. Rochester creates an elaborate set-up by seemingly courting a proud local beauty, Miss Blanche Ingram. Finally, after suffering over this in silence, Jane protests; Mr. Rochester then admits to her that his courtship of Miss Ingram was a ruse to arouse Jane's jealousy and that it is Jane whom he truly loves. Jane returns his feelings, and she and Mr. Rochester get engaged despite their differences in social status, age, and experience. Jane is young and innocent at 19 years old, while Rochester is nearly 40, worldly, and thoroughly disillusioned, but they complement, respect, and bring out the best in each other. Jane is determined to stay modest, plain, and virtuous, and Rochester is almost equally determined to offer her expensive presents and finery. Jane has the moral high ground, though, and the weeks before the wedding are spent mostly as she wishes.
The wedding ceremony is interrupted by a lawyer, who declares that Mr Rochester is already married. His mad wife Bertha Mason, a Creole from Jamaica, lives in the attic of Thornfield Hall, and her presence explains all sorts of mysterious events that have taken place during Jane's stay in Thornfield. Mr. Rochester offers to take Jane abroad to live with him, but Jane is not willing to sacrifice her morals or self-respect for earthly pleasures, let alone accept the status of mistress, even though Rochester insists Jane will break his heart if she refuses him. Torn between her love for Rochester and her own integrity, Jane flees Thornfield in the middle of the night, with very little money and nowhere to go.
She wanders for a few days and finally finds safe haven, under an alias, with a vicar, St. John Rivers, and his two sisters. They bond, and in due course Jane is given a position as village schoolteacher. She finally leads an independent life in her own little house. Later, St. John learns Jane's true identity, and, in an incredible coincidence, it transpires that St. John and his sisters are actually Jane's cousins. Jane also conveniently inherits a large sum of money from an uncle who lived abroad. The cousins are left without inheritance because of an old family feud, but Jane promptly splits the money so that all four of them are now financially secure. This gives St. John the means to pursue his true calling, to go to India as a missionary. He asks Jane to marry him and to accompany him to India. Now Jane has the opportunity to choose a husband of high morals, but she knows St. John does not truly love her. This is the opposite of the situation she had with Mr. Rochester. Pressured by St. John, Jane nearly succumbs to his proposal, but at the last minute, she hears Rochester's voice calling her in the wind, and she feels she must respond to that call.
She travels immediately to Thornfield Hall, only to find it abandoned and ruined by a devastating fire. She learns that Mr. Rochester, who lost a hand, an eye, and the sight of the other eye as a result of trying unsuccessfully to save Bertha from the flames, lives nearby at a house called Ferndean. Jane goes to him, they reconcile, and she marries him. She writes in the perspective of ten years after their marriage and tells of their firstborn son. Eventually Mr. Rochester gains part of one eye's sight back and is able to see the child. Jane's long quest to find love and a sense of belonging is finally fulfilled. The book does not end with their story, however, but with a look at the noble missionary death of St. John Rivers far away in India, which might represent the righteousness of the path Jane hasn't taken.
Themes
There are several recurring themes in the novel. Relations between social classes and genders are crucial; ultimately, Jane overcomes obstacles on both fronts. It is clearly indicated that her marriage to Rochester is equal in spirit and strength of feeling but not in social position or experience. Jane's emotional growth and the change in her financial situation, however, combined with Rochester's diminished physical capabilities and loss of his manor, turn the initial situation almost upside down. Now Jane is the one with options and independence.
Religion is another important theme. Jane meets three religious authorities: Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John Rivers. They represent different religious ideals, but Jane subsequently abandons all these models in favour of her own approach, which combines duty and romantic notions of love.
Jane Eyre also addresses themes of love, responsibility, and the conflict between personal integrity and the desire to fulfil the wishes of others.
Further reading
- The Letters of Charlotte Brontë, 3 volumes edited by Margaret Smith
- The Life of Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell
- Charlotte Brontë, Winifred Gerin
- Charlotte Brontë: a passionate life, Lyndal Gordon
- Charlotte Brontë: Unquiet Soul, Margot Peters
- In the Footsteps of the Brontës, Ellis Chadwick
- Charlotte Brontë, Rebecca Fraser
- The Brontës, Juliet Barker
- Charlotte Brontë and her Dearest Nell, Barbara Whitehead
- The Brontë Myth, Lucasta Miller
- A Life in Letters, selected by Juliet Barker
- Charlotte Brontë and her Family, Rebecca Fraser
- The Oxford Reader's Companion to the Brontës, Christine Alexander & Margaret Smith
- A Brontë Family Chronology, Edward Chitham
External links
- Website of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire
- Online editions of Charlotte Brontë's works
- Works by Charlotte Brontë. Project Gutenberg
- Web news magazine of the Brontë Parsonage Museum
- News and information about the Brontës using a blog format.
- Charlotte Brontë - Drawing by George Richmond (National Portrait Gallery)
- Bronte Sisters Links: the biggest collection of links regarding the Bronte Sisters
- Brontëana: Brontë Studies Weblog
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