Jennifer McDermott
Charlotte Bronte was born on April 21, 1816, in Thornton, Bradford, Yorkshire. She was the third child of Patrick and Maria Bronte (preceded by sisters Maria and Elizabeth). In 1817, her only brother Patrick Branwell was born, followed by Emily Jane in 1818 and Anne in 1820. Later that year Mr. Bronte accepted a job as perpetual curate of Hayworth, Yorkshire (Gaskell xxxv). In 1821, Mrs. Bronte died; her sister Aunt Branwell had helped nurse her while she was sick and stayed to help care for the children. In 1824, Charlotte began attending the Cowan Bridge school for daughters of clergymen. Cowan Bridge was later to be represented as "Lowood" by Charlotte in Jane Eyre. On May 6, 1825, Maria Bronte died of tuberculosis at the age of twelve. On June 15, slightly more than a month later, Elizabeth Bronte died, also of tuberculosis (Gaskell xxxv).
For the five years that followed, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne remained at home under the care of their Aunt. In 1831, Charlotte began attending school at Roe Head, taught by Miss Wooler. She was very successful here, won a silver medal for ladylike manners, and met Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor, who became her lifelong friends (Gordon 343). In 1832, Charlotte left school and spent the next three years teaching her sisters at home. She returned to Roe Head in 1835 as a teacher, but was miserable. She recorded her private outbursts in her "Roe Head Journal" (Gordon 343). The school moved to Dewsbury Moor in 1837, but Charlotte left a year later (Gaskell xxxv).
In 1839, Ellen Nussey's brother, Henry, proposed marriage to Charlotte; but she found him dull and refused. She spent a few months working as a governess for a family named the Sidgwicks, but again was miserable. She received her second marriage proposal from Reverend David Bryce, but she refused him because she felt he was beneath her (Gordon 344). In 1841 Charlotte worked as a governess for the Whites, whom she considered to be "low" (Gordon 344). She was offered a school of her own by her former teacher Miss Wooler but turned her down because she longed to study abroad (Gordon 344).
In 1842, Charlotte and her sister Emily traveled to the Pensionnant Heger in Brussels. M. Heger recognized Charlotte's gift as a writer, but her aunt died and she was forced to return to Hayworth. In 1843, Charlotte returned alone to the Pensionnant Heger to study and teach. She fell in love with M. Heger, and when he withdrew she became depressed and lonely (Gordon 344). After a year, she returned to Hayworth. She wrote passionate letters to M. Heger in French and waited obsessively for replies (Gordon 344).
In 1845, the three sisters resumed their creative work and devised a plan for joint publication of their poems. They invented the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell for Charlotte, Emily, and Anne respectively. Their poems were published in 1846. Charlotte completed The Professor, but it was rejected six times. She began work on Jane Eyre and it was completed in August-September, 1846 (Gordon 345). It was accepted by George Smith of Smith, Elder and was published in October. The book met success instantly.
In 1848, Charlotte and Anne presented themselves to George Smith in an attempt to end the rumor that the Bell brothers were one person. In September of that year, Branwell Bronte died suddenly; Emily died three months later. Anne fell ill in 1849, so Charlotte and her friend Ellen took her to Scarborough for one last look at the sea. Anne died there in May (Gordon 345).
Charlotte completed and published Shirley, and it was published in 1849. She visited George Smith in London where she met her literary hero, Thackeray. She continued her friendship with Smith and spent some time with his family in London in 1850. The two spent a few happy days together in Scotland. Later she stayed with "literary lion-hunter " Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, where she met and befriended Elizabeth Gaskell (Gordon 346).
In 1851, Charlotte began Villette. She turned away her third suitor, James Taylor, who was the literary manager of Smith, Elder. In May and June, she again stayed with George Smith and his family. Charlotte and George took a trip to Richmond, disguising themselves as "Mr. and Miss Fraser" (Gordon 346). Upon their return, they had an intense correspondence, but after a while it declined, as did Charlotte's health. She again became obsessive with waiting for letters, this time from Smith, but she refused repeated invitations to visit his family (Gordon 346).
In January 1852, Charlotte resumed work on Villette, in which she incorporated parts of her friendship with Smith along with her memories of M. Heger. In November, she shocked Smith with the third volume, in which the hero she based on Smith is dismissed in favor of a Belgian teacher (Gordon 346). Smith underpaid Charlotte for the novel. In December, Charlotte refused a proposal from Mr. Nicholls. In 1853, Charlotte went to London to see Villette through the press. George Smith was engaged in November, and Charlotte relented to Mr. Nicholls and they too became engaged. She continued to have doubts about marriage, however, which she revealed to Mrs. Gaskell (Gordon 347).
Charlotte was married in June, 1854, at the age of thirty-eight. She was given away by Miss Wooler because Mr. Bronte refused at the last moment. Ellen Nussey attended the wedding and the couple honeymooned in Ireland. Charlotte was increasingly happy and well despite Nicholls' lack of encouragement about the unfinished novel, "Emma," and his desire to burn her correspondence with Ellen (Gordon 347).
In 1855, the parsonage servant, Tabby, developed a digestive tract
infection
that was possibly typhoid. Charlotte, who was pregnant, may have been
infected
by Tabby. Tabby died six weeks later on February 17. Charlotte died on
March 31, after six weeks of vomiting blood and being unable to eat.
Her
last letters to Ellen thanked her husband and she left everything to
him
in her will (Gordon 347).