Introduction


Charlotte Bronte
Inspired through events close to her heart and those she created in imaginary worlds, Charlotte Brontë continues to charm readers with her unconventional characters, particularly in the novel Jane Eyre, which features a strong, defiant, and independent heroine. Such a character was not typically seen in the fiction of the period (1816-1855), and may have had much to do with Charlotte and her sister’s tremendous sense of loss after the death of their mother. Through her work, Charlotte dealt with the tragedy and solitude of her upbringing, and she managed as well to provide financial security for herself and her family. Little did she know that her writing would also bring her literary immortality.

Essential Facts

  1. After being removed from school, Charlotte and her sisters spent nearly five years at home. It was during this time that they began writing stories of imaginary worlds. Charlotte and her brother, Branwell, created the world of Angria, while Emily and Anne created Gondal. The children wrote of these worlds on tiny sheets of paper, some of which were eventually published under the title Legends of Angria.
  2. Charlotte’s most famous work, Jane Eyre (1847), was originally published under her pseudonym, Currer Bell. However, inaccurate assumptions about Currer Bell eventually circulated, which encouraged Charlotte to reveal her true identity.
  3. Charlotte believed that the conditions at the school she and her sisters attended (Clergy Daughter’s School) affected her physical and emotional development.
  4. While teaching at a school in Brussels (1843), Charlotte met and fell in love with a married professor. This experience served as inspiration for some of her novels.
  5. Charlotte was the only one of her sisters to marry; unfortunately, it was during her pregnancy that she, and her child, passed away.