Charlotte bronte (1816 - 1855) was a 19th century English novelist and poet. His pen created works that became classics of world literature. She is considered one of the first feminist authors.
Brontë's most famous work was Jane eyre (1847), who defended the rights of women in the Victorian era, showing them as beings with social and passionate needs. Aspects that were normally concealed and repressed in the society where it was developed.
Charlotte was the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, who would give the world an immense literary contribution with their works. The three women established, in different styles, their vision of the world in the 19th century and set a precedent for the authors at an international level.
Emily Brontë was the writer of Wuthering Heights (1847), while Anne was the author of Agnes Gray (1847). The sisters' three great works were published the same year and used the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell..
Charlotte was the third daughter, but outlived all of her siblings. He worked as a teacher for a time at Roe Head; He also lived in Brussels for a season, with the aim of improving his French. Shortly before her death, the author married Arthur Bell Nicholls.
Other of Charlotte Brontë's works were The teacher, Villette Y Shirley: a tale.
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Charlotte Brontë was born on April 21, 1816, in Thornton, England. She was the third daughter of Patrick Brontë, an Anglican clergyman of Irish origin, and Maria Branwell.
When Charlotte was four years old, the Brontë family moved to Hawort, a town near Keighley, in Yorkshire, because her father had been assigned to a permanent position at the local church of St. Michael and All Angels..
One year after the move, Maria died, presumably as a result of cancer. And he orphaned six children, five girls and a boy: Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell.
The young men were left in the care of Elizabeth Branwell, his maternal aunt, who moved from Cornwall to the residence of the Brontës..
At first the children were educated at home with the help of Patrick Brontë and his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Branwell. However, it was necessary for them to receive a formal education, more suited to young women..
In the summer of 1824 Patrick Brontë managed to enroll Mary and Elizabeth at Cowan Bridge School in Lancanshire for £ 14 a year. They would be joined by Charlotte on August 10 of the same year, and Emily on November 25..
At school, a very strict and disciplined regime was followed, especially focused on prayer and the training of young women in tasks considered feminine. In this institution Brontë was based to create the college that he describes in Jane eyre.
However, Cowan Bridge's academic curriculum was ambitious at the time, including: history, geography, grammar, writing, mathematics, activities such as knitting and preparation for female jobs of the time.
In 1825 the girls returned home after the death of the two older sisters as a result of tuberculosis. María, who was 11 years old, died on May 6 and Elizabeth, 10, on June 1.
From then until 1830, the Brontë girls remained at home educated by their aunt in manual work, French and readings, both stories and the Bible..
In January 1831 Charlotte, who was now the eldest of the Brontë sisters, had to attend Miss Wooler's school at Roe Head in order to obtain a certificate of education that would allow her to pursue a career as a governess or teacher.
There he made friends with several young women, including Mary Taylor and Ellen Nussey, who was his friend for life. Charlotte returned home the following year to help educate her sisters..
In 1835 she returned to Roe Head, but on that occasion as a teacher, until 1838. During this time, Charlotte felt very lonely, which affected her physical and emotional health and led her to pour all her feelings into poetry..
In 1839 the young Charlotte Brontë rejected the marriage proposal of two young clergymen, the first was Henry Nussey and then Mr. Bryce.
During this year she found it necessary to take various positions as a governess to help pay the debts of her brother, who had a promising career in the arts, but who ended up succumbing to addictions..
In 1842 Charlotte Brontë went to Brussels with her sister Emily, in order to improve her French and learn a little German so that she could start her own school in England..
The girls enter a school that was run by the Héger couple, who give scholarships to the girls in exchange for teaching English and music to the rest of the students. However, the sisters must soon return to England due to the death of their aunt Elizabeth..
Afterwards, Charlotte returns to Brussels alone, this time as a teacher, but she only remains there from January 1843 until the following year. Her stay becomes uncomfortable when she finds herself alone and facing an unrequited love for Professor Constantin Héger, who was married..
In 1846 the Brontë sisters published a collection of poems together. They used the pseudonyms of Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily) and Acton (Anne) Bell. Despite not being successful in sales, the three continued to write.
Some time later, Charlotte brought her manuscript of The teacher to different publishers without any hope, until Smith, Elder and Company said it would consider a longer and more exciting work, despite rejecting the text it had originally shown.
This is how in 1847 Jane Eyre: An Autobiography Went on sale. That same year his sisters also managed to publish their works.
But then the shadow of death would loom over the Brontë family: in September 1848 Branwell, the only male brother, died, in December of the same year Emily died and in May 1849 Anne died, the last two of pulmonary tuberculosis.
After the success of Jane eyre, Charlotte Brontë decided to reveal her identity and that allowed her to enter the meetings of London's high society, where her work was highly appreciated.
In 1851 he rejected the request for the hand of James Taylor, one of the printing workers who published his texts. That was the third marriage proposal that Brontë declined..
His third novel published in life was called Villette (1853). There, unlike Shirley: a tale, Brontë returns to the first narrative person who generated such good results for him with Jane eyre.
Despite the good comments about her second work, it was considered that the vision she showed in the case of a woman was not acceptable, both as a writer and as a protagonist in the story.
The fourth marriage proposal came from a clergyman who worked in his father's parish. However, he did not approve of the union, so Brontë rejected it at first..
But in June 1854 the link between Charlotte and Arthur Bell Nicholls took place, after Patrick Brontë agreed to the proposal.
Brontë and Nicholls decided to stay at Hawort's house so that they could help Patrick, who was already in an advanced age and with no other family than Charlotte..
She became pregnant shortly after the marriage. But her health began to deteriorate, with symptoms that at first seemed typical of pregnancy, such as nausea and dizziness. But with an intensity that was more serious than ordinary.
Charlotte Brontë died on March 31, 1855. Although her death is attributed to tuberculosis, others say it could have been typhus or dehydration.
Charlotte Brontë's work revolutionized the literature of her time due to its approach to the figure of women. Using the autobiography in Jane eyre As a narrative resource, the author can draw the reader into the reality of 19th century women.
For this reason, Brontë is considered one of the first authors of a feminist romantic novel, since in her work women show themselves as beings with passions and social needs that do not necessarily conform to what the conventions of the moment believed acceptable..
He used part of his own experiences to tell his stories, in almost all his works, but especially in Jane eyre, where scenes from his youth in England appear. While his stay in Brussels would serve as inspiration for themes of The teacher or Villette.
- Poems (1846).
- Jane eyre (1847).
- Shirley: a tale (1849).
- Villette (1853).
- The teacher (1857). Published after Charlotte's death, but written before her most famous work, Jane Eyre.
- Emma (Incomplete novel of which she only managed to complete two chapters before her death. It was continued and published by another author under the name of Emma Brown).
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