The Bronte family was a literary phenomenon unequalled before or since.
Both Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights have won lofty places in the pantheon and stirred the romantic sensibilities of generations of readers. This title unites these two favourites along with Anne's most well-known novel Agnes Grey.
Jane Eyre
Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartless aunt and later attends a charity school with a harsh regime, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds a position as governess at Thornfield Hall.
However, when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves?
Wuthering Heights
Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, situated on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before. What unfolds is the tale of the intense love between the gypsy foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.
Catherine, forced to choose between passionate, tortured Heathcliff and gentle, well-bred Edgar Linton, surrendered to the expectations of her class. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance at his betrayal is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.
Agnes Grey
The well-educated daughter of a penniless clergyman, Agnes Grey is treated like a child by her family and so sets out to prove herself by seeking employment as a governess. Soon, however, her idealistic notions regarding the education and care of her wards are dashed as she battles to control the wild Bloomfield children in her first situation, and is then held in low regard by the superior Murray household.
Drawing on Anne Bronte's own experiences, and dealing with themes such as the nature of childhood, the rise of the middle classes and the loneliness, cruelty and even ill treatment that life as a governess could entail, Agnes Grey is full of quiet passion and remains a beloved classic to this day.
About the Authors
Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Bronte were born in West Yorkshire. Charlotte was the oldest born on 21 April 1816, followed by Emily born on 30 July 1818 and Anne who was born 17 January 1820.
After the death of their mother in 1821 and two siblings who died in childhood, they grew up in relative seclusion as preacher's daughters. They were mostly brought up by their aunt Elizabeth. They all attended different schools and were also taught at home.
Highly imaginative romantics, the women wrote novels and poetry to stave off boredom. Because women were not allowed to publish in the 1840s, the three sisters wrote under the male pen names Ellis, Currer and Acton Bell. They published their first anthology of poetry under these names in May 1846.
Despite acclaim for their works upon publication, the sisters were unable to follow up on their success due to illness. Emily died in December 1848; Anne in May, 1849; Charlotte in March 1855, the oldest and longest-lived at just 38.
