The Life of Charlotte Bronte

This is an excellent biography by Elizabeth Gaskell, not just because it’s about the most unrelentingly tragic family ever, but because she’s an exceptional writer. There’s long descriptions of Yorkshire – historical and geographical – and interesting details about incidents that inspired various parts of Jane Eyre and Shirley. I never realised, either, what a complete nutcase the Bronte father was, nor what a complete loser Branwell was. And then of course the heaping up of horrors which was Charlotte Bronte’s life – poverty, mental instability (I don’t think any of them were free of it) and death after death. It’s almost an essay arguing against the whole “suffering is good for one’s character” case; Gaskell even mentions how ridiculous the philosophies of Day (who tortured some poor girl in hopes she’d turn out to be a good wife for him) were, in connection with some of Patrick Bronte’s actions. Of course, perhaps we would never have got Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights had their lifestyle been slightly more comfortable; but who knows – perhaps we would have got even better, if they hadn’t all died young and horribly at that. It’s interesting how even back then the Bronte’s story was seen as ridiculously tragic, although it does serve to remind you that only a hundred and fifty years ago, England was as diseased and poverty-stricken as the most underdeveloped country today. Charlotte Bronte does come across as slightly more prim and pious than in her books, but that may be because Gaskell was extremely religious herself. There are inaccuracies – deliberate changes and omissions, for example the Hegel situation – but it’s a brilliant piece of writing, even if terribly tragic to read.