The Life of Charlotte Brontë in Two Volumes
Dublin Core
Title
The Life of Charlotte Brontë in Two Volumes
Description
The Life of Charlotte Brontë is a biographical account of the life of author Charlotte Brontë from the perspective of her friend and fellow author Elizabeth Gaskell. It is widely considered the most comprehensive account of the lives of the Brontës ever written, and has remained the predominant source of inspiration for countless Brontë biographers since its original publication in 1857.
The biography has long been the subject of significant controversy, with many Brontë scholars believing that the account is inaccurate and unreliable due to Gaskell’s fabrication and omission of many of the details of Charlotte’s life. Gaskell describes Charlotte as a model of Victorian and feminine virtue despite the fact that Charlotte’s own words very often contradict this image. Gaskell's decision to leave out revelations which might have been offensive or shameful (such as infatuations with married men) suggests that she sought to preserve Charlotte’s honor for the sake of both her close relations and her readership, as well as to avoid legal action from anyone who may have taken offense at such unflattering revelations.
The relationship between biographer and subject, particularly when the subject is dead at the time of publication (as was the case with Charlotte, who died two years before the biography's publication), is complex in that the enduring memory of the subject is dependent on the biographer's commitment to the truthfulness and thoroughness of the account. As the biographer, Gaskell functions as a sort of intermediary between those interested in Charlotte’s life and Charlotte herself; however, Gaskell appears to have abused her role as intermediary by deliberately excluding important details of Charlotte’s life.
Is it possible to ever truly know the Brontës if significant details of their lives are fabricated or omitted altogether? While Gaskell’s account is valuable for its first-hand insight into the world in which the Brontës lived and wrote, it cannot be fully relied upon as an accurate representation of the lives of Charlotte and her family members. Perhaps Charlotte’s own words, both in her novels and her letters, are the most reliable source of information about how she lived her life.
The biography has long been the subject of significant controversy, with many Brontë scholars believing that the account is inaccurate and unreliable due to Gaskell’s fabrication and omission of many of the details of Charlotte’s life. Gaskell describes Charlotte as a model of Victorian and feminine virtue despite the fact that Charlotte’s own words very often contradict this image. Gaskell's decision to leave out revelations which might have been offensive or shameful (such as infatuations with married men) suggests that she sought to preserve Charlotte’s honor for the sake of both her close relations and her readership, as well as to avoid legal action from anyone who may have taken offense at such unflattering revelations.
The relationship between biographer and subject, particularly when the subject is dead at the time of publication (as was the case with Charlotte, who died two years before the biography's publication), is complex in that the enduring memory of the subject is dependent on the biographer's commitment to the truthfulness and thoroughness of the account. As the biographer, Gaskell functions as a sort of intermediary between those interested in Charlotte’s life and Charlotte herself; however, Gaskell appears to have abused her role as intermediary by deliberately excluding important details of Charlotte’s life.
Is it possible to ever truly know the Brontës if significant details of their lives are fabricated or omitted altogether? While Gaskell’s account is valuable for its first-hand insight into the world in which the Brontës lived and wrote, it cannot be fully relied upon as an accurate representation of the lives of Charlotte and her family members. Perhaps Charlotte’s own words, both in her novels and her letters, are the most reliable source of information about how she lived her life.
Creator
Elizabeth Gaskell
Source
Manhattan College, Fales Collection
Publisher
London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Date
1857
Rights
Manhattan College Library
Format
Octavo, 2 volumes, 352 pages (vol. 1), 327 pages (vol. 2), 1 illustration each
Type
Biography
Files
Citation
Elizabeth Gaskell, “The Life of Charlotte Brontë in Two Volumes,” Manhattan College Omeka , accessed September 19, 2024, https://omeka-pilot.manhattan.edu/items/show/17.