Charlotte Bronte Sarah D’Angelo
Jan 23, 2016
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