And if I can gain the public ear at all, I would rather whisper a few wholesome truths therein than much soft nonsense.
~ Preface to the second edition of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Saturday, August 05, 2006
"Miss Austen and Thackeray have admirers; Charlotte Bronte has worshippers" --a statement found in a newspaper from the latter half the nineteeth century. Quoted in Lucasta Miller's The Bronte Myth.
5 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I wonder, do you agree with this statement? Its very interesting...
Really nice quote. I have read the book but don't remember reading it. It might be true to some extent - especially considering when it was written - but nowadays Jane Austen does have worshippers, don't you think?
Hi Mandy and Cristina! This statement was written by a critic in the late nineteenth century and it was at a time when admiration for Charlotte Bronte was at its peak. People were interested in her seemingly docile life, her martyr-like submission to her husband and family, and her performance as a dutiful daughter, sister, and wife. Yet, she was learned enough to write powerful works of literature. All these facts, including the publication of Gaskell's Life of Charlotte Bronte compelled readers to learn more about her. This resulted in her elevation to the status of being worshipped, because people flocked to visit her home in Haworth, and went to such lengths to possess a Bronte memorabilia, including fakes, such forged paintings. The view of Charlotte as an example of an Angel in the House particularly appealed to the Victorians because it implied distinct roles for women: women strove to follow her example, and men liked the standard she set for their women. Thus, she had a large following, resulting in a Bronte-mania.
I think that the treatment of Charlotte Bronte reflects society's attitude towards literature, and as this is bound to evolve, so will the former. It does make for an interesting study, however.
Nowadays I believe Jane Austen has just as much, if not more, of a following as Charlotte Bronte. I think they are worshipped to the same extent, though Charlotte might induce more interest in some circles because of her literary family. Nevertheless, the gap between Austen and the Brontes is not distinct now as it was during the latter part of the nineteenth century.
What impresses me is how much of a following Charlotte Bronte has now, in the twenty-first century. Back when 'Life' was published, CB was the mystic 'angel in the house', a saint. Now she has an equally intrigued (maybe larger) following, yet I'd venture to say her image has somewhat changed in our minds. There's still the same desperation, but now we know of her interest in M.Heger, and there's alot of people pushing her as a rabid feminist and rebel. I think she may have been all these things. Charlotte was a human remember, and its hard to peg humans as just being one thing. We know so much about her through her letters, her books, her biographer, her friends; yet, there are places in each of us that we reveal to no one; places, that if revealed, would shock, mystify, maybe even repulse those around us. Its fascinating to speculate the secrets of the heart, and even addicting when the person your investigating delights in revealing glimpses of their heart to you. I think this is part of the attraction to CB. Because CB was a brave and open writer, who lets us deep within her mind and heart (just look at the intensity of Lucy Snowe), we are drawn to her work, and are probally looking for something we can identify with.
Hi Mandy! I agree. There is a lot to discover in Charlotte because she is a complex writer. This is precisely what draws biographers toward her in an attempt to depict the 'definitive Charlotte': each reader or biographer is looking for something to identify with her.
Lucasta Miller agrees that "we should celebrate, rather than regret, this potential richness [attempts at writing various biographies of Charlotte] as a means of illuminating the extroadinary mind which created The Professor, Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Villette, and of communicating to each new generation the enduring value of these works"
5 comments:
I wonder, do you agree with this statement? Its very interesting...
Really nice quote. I have read the book but don't remember reading it. It might be true to some extent - especially considering when it was written - but nowadays Jane Austen does have worshippers, don't you think?
Hi Mandy and Cristina!
This statement was written by a critic in the late nineteenth century and it was at a time when admiration for Charlotte Bronte was at its peak. People were interested in her seemingly docile life, her martyr-like submission to her husband and family, and her performance as a dutiful daughter, sister, and wife. Yet, she was learned enough to write powerful works of literature. All these facts, including the publication of Gaskell's Life of Charlotte Bronte compelled readers to learn more about her. This resulted in her elevation to the status of being worshipped, because people flocked to visit her home in Haworth, and went to such lengths to possess a Bronte memorabilia, including fakes, such forged paintings.
The view of Charlotte as an example of an Angel in the House particularly appealed to the Victorians because it implied distinct roles for women: women strove to follow her example, and men liked the standard she set for their women. Thus, she had a large following, resulting in a Bronte-mania.
I think that the treatment of Charlotte Bronte reflects society's attitude towards literature, and as this is bound to evolve, so will the former. It does make for an interesting study, however.
Nowadays I believe Jane Austen has just as much, if not more, of a following as Charlotte Bronte. I think they are worshipped to the same extent, though Charlotte might induce more interest in some circles because of her literary family. Nevertheless, the gap between Austen and the Brontes is not distinct now as it was during the latter part of the nineteenth century.
What impresses me is how much of a following Charlotte Bronte has now, in the twenty-first century. Back when 'Life' was published, CB was the mystic 'angel in the house', a saint. Now she has an equally intrigued (maybe larger) following, yet I'd venture to say her image has somewhat changed in our minds. There's still the same desperation, but now we know of her interest in M.Heger, and there's alot of people pushing her as a rabid feminist and rebel. I think she may have been all these things. Charlotte was a human remember, and its hard to peg humans as just being one thing. We know so much about her through her letters, her books, her biographer, her friends; yet, there are places in each of us that we reveal to no one; places, that if revealed, would shock, mystify, maybe even repulse those around us. Its fascinating to speculate the secrets of the heart, and even addicting when the person your investigating delights in revealing glimpses of their heart to you. I think this is part of the attraction to CB. Because CB was a brave and open writer, who lets us deep within her mind and heart (just look at the intensity of Lucy Snowe), we are drawn to her work, and are probally looking for something we can identify with.
Hi Mandy!
I agree. There is a lot to discover in Charlotte because she is a complex writer. This is precisely what draws biographers toward her in an attempt to depict the 'definitive Charlotte': each reader or biographer is looking for something to identify with her.
Lucasta Miller agrees that "we should celebrate, rather than regret, this potential richness [attempts at writing various biographies of Charlotte] as a means of illuminating the extroadinary mind which created The Professor, Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Villette, and of communicating to each new generation the enduring value of these works"
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