January 17: The Brontë Sisters

january-17On 17 January 1820, Anne Brontë was born in Thornton, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The youngest of the literary Brontë sisters, Anne wrote Agnes Grey (1847) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848). Her older sisters, Charlotte and Emily, wrote Jane Eyre (1847) and Wuthering Heights (1847), respectively. Mostly since Anne’s second novel was prevented from being republished by Charlotte a year after her death at the age of 29, she is not as well-known as her sisters.

Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë published under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Masculine names were used because the sisters worried their work would be criticized differently had they used their actual, female names. This was the custom of female writers of their time. They published a book of poetry together before going on to become authors of their own novels, one by Emily, two by Anne, and three by Charlotte.

Historically, the ability for women to publish their work has been restricted due to different legal, cultural, and social aspects. Literature was not considered an appropriate occupation for women in the Brontës’ time, although for over a hundred years they had been publishing fiction with economic, critical, and popular success. Women would publish anonymously or pseudonymously because literature was critically received differently depending on the author’s (perceived) gender. The amount of women being published escalated in the eighteenth century.

—Jennifer E. Orzel

Photo Credit: Painting of the Brontë sisters by their brother Branwell. Anne (left), Emily (middle), and Charlotte (right). 1834.


Meet the Author: Jennifer E. Orzel

I am a first year student at Schoolcraft College. After earning my Associates degree, I plan to transfer to a university to earn my Masters. I am a bibliophile and have read over two hundred books; I also enjoy drawing, playing the violin, and photography.

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