Charlotte Bronte

Sarah D’Angelo

Thesis Statement

In spite of her lack of direction given in her life, Charlotte Bronte grew up to become a masterful author during the Victorian age.

Birth

• 1816• 3rd daughter

Family

• Rev. Patrick Bronte & Maria• Mother died in 1821• 3rd of 5 kids• 1 brother, 3 sisters• 2 oldest sisters died @ early age

Childhood

• created imaginary kingdoms• Branwell's toy soldiers • create continuing stories of

fantasylands

Early School Life

• Pupil at the Clergy Daughter's School at Cowan Bridge

• 2 sisters died, other 2 came home

School

• Pupil at the school at Roe Head(1831)• Left year later to teach sisters @ home• Returned in 1835 as a governess • 1838, Charlotte left Roe Head School

More School & Work

• 1839 position as governess in the Sidgewick family

• Left 3 months later & returned home• 1841 governess in the White family • Left 9 months later

Big Hopes

• three sisters, decided to open their own school

• 1842 Charlotte and Emily went to Brussels to complete their studies

• trip home to Haworth, Charlotte returned alone to Brussels, until 1844.

• Charlotte attempted by herself, and failed in 1844

Love?

• While at Brussels, she fell in love with a married man, M. Heger, the owner of the Pensionnat Heger, a girls' school, where Charlotte and Emily were pupils and Charlotte later taught

Books Written By C. Bronte

• POEMS BY CURRER, ELLIS AND ACTON BELL (1846)

• THE PROFESSOR based on her experiences of teaching in Brussels (never published)

• Jane Eyre, October 1847 (immediate success)

• SHIRLEY (1848) and VILLETTE (1853)

Marriage

• 1854 Charlotte married her father's curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls

• Father didn’t approve @ first, then gave in

• Fourth to propose to her

Death

• 1854, pregnant, caught pneumonia and didn’t do anything about it

• March 31, 1855 in Haworth, Yorkshire

Jane Eyre

• October 1847• Currer Bell• Victorian Age

Jane Eyre: Part One

• Began in Gateshead• Both parents died• Only relative left, uncle, died soon after• Living with cruel Aunt Reed• Jane disliked, because she was treated

better by her Uncle then his own kids• Georgianna, Eliza, John• Bessie

Jane Eyre: Part Two

• Red room, haunted?• Jane became ill• Apothecary sends Jane to Lowood school• Evil headmaster• Illness swept school, & he left• Became teacher• Became governess in Thornfield• Love with employer, Rochester

Jane Eyre: Part Three

• Saves from fire, unknown• Rochester proposes to Jane• Previously married• Psychotic wife• Jane leaves town, heartbreak• Poor, until man takes her in• Cousins?!

Jane Eyre: Part Four

• Unknown uncle; dead• 20,000 pounds• Own cousin falls in love• Proposes• She loves only one man• Back to Thornfield to search

for him• Town of Ferndean• Married & happy life

Early Victorian Age

• 1837-1901• Bad working/living conditions• Working classes organized

movements trying to improve them• Chartists

Middle & Late Victorian Age• 1848, cotton goods, metal, woolens• Wealthy & productive• Population Grew• Center for banking, insurance, shipping• Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India,

and South Africa • Husbands worked, women stayed

home

Inspired Life• Charlotte’s life, & Jane Eyre were

similar• Used own life to create masterpiece• Ugly childhood = Amazing novel

Video Clip

• http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/E324/video/JE/janeey01.mov