Right
away, since the book was about a woman and seemed to be from the
point of view of a woman, people suspected that the author wasn't
really a man. Perhaps, some people thought, it was written by a
woman.
Everyone
was sure that Currer Bell was a pen name (or pseudonym). There didn't
seem to be a man knocking about in London by that name!
Jane
Eyre was successful right away—people bought it and read it and
discussed it! They discussed who this mysterious Currer Bell was even
more when the books Wuthering Heights, by Ellis Bell, and
Agnes Grey, by Acton Bell.
Actually,
the three novels written by three “Bells” were really written by
three sisters who lived in Yorkshire. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne
Bronte wanted to hide the fact that they were women—but they didn't
want to use common male names, since they felt that that would be
too much of a lie. Notice that their pen names—Currer, Ellis and
Acton—started with the same letters as their real names, and of
course Bell started with the same letter as Bronte. So their pen
names shared the same initials as their real names.
Charlotte
Bronte was born on this date in 1816. Reading a little bit about her
life reminds me how lucky we are to live now, rather than back in the
1800s. Her mother died of cancer when Charlotte was just five years
old (baby sister Anne was only one). Her two older sisters died of
tuberculosis when they were just 11 and 12 years old. Her younger
brother Brandon died in 1848 (they were both in their early 30s at
this point), and her younger sisters Emily and Anne died of
tuberculosis soon thereafter. Charlotte was devastated—all five of
her siblings had now died!
Charlotte
herself married and lived to a grand old age of – yikes! only 38!
She died of complications from pregnancy. Only Charlotte's father
lived what we today would consider a full life of 84 years. And
remember, this was a middle-class family living in one of the most
“advanced” countries of the world, at the time—not a family
living in dire poverty far away from the latest medical advances.
Jane
Eyre—one of the all-time greats!
Some
people consider Charlotte Bronte's book Jane Eyre one of the
greatest works of fiction ever written in English. The title
character is one of the strongest, most intelligent, and most
independent female characters, for sure.
Many
people have compared Bronte's writing, plots, and characters with
Jane Austen's (who wrote Pride and Prejudice and five other
novels). Perhaps these comparisons are made because both authors were
women living in England in the 1800s—but there is little overlap in
their lives. Austen died the year after Bronte was born, and Austen
lived among the landed gentry of the south of England, whereas Bronte
and her sisters lived a much more secluded life in the colder,
harsher north.
Here
is one comparison:
Charlotte Bronte wrote 4 novels.
Jane Austen wrote 6 novels.
Bronte: only Jane Eyre is very well known and loved today.
Austen: all of her books are very well known today (and I would argue that most are still well-loved today.
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| This is the best version of P&P ever! |
Bronte's Jane Eyre: at least 17 film and TV versions made.
Austen's Pride and Prejudice: at least 10 film and TV versions made, plus at least 7 looser adaptations. (Many of Austen's other works have been filmed multiple times, as well.)
Bronte's Jane Eyre: millions sold worldwide.
Austen's Pride and Prejudice: an estimated 20 million sold worldwide. (About 110,000 P & P sold in bookstores in 2002 alone!)
Weird but true: Both Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice have been made into series of board books for toddlers. I honestly think that that is just silly!
Also on this date:
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