Review of The Life of Charlotte Brontë in The British Quarterly Review (July-October 1857)
Dublin Core
Title
Review of The Life of Charlotte Brontë in The British Quarterly Review (July-October 1857)
Description
This review, which first appeared in an issue of The British Quarterly Review, contains an overview of Charlotte’s life as documented in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Life of Charlotte Brontë. Additionally, the review offers insightful commentary on the relationship between author and fiction.
The first paragraph considers the way in which Gaskell’s biography represents the relationship between the events of Charlotte’s life and her literary works. The reviewer writes that Charlotte’s life story is “told with such deep and simple pathos” that it “becomes as interesting as the tale of a second Jane Eyre” (218). The comparison of Charlotte’s “interesting” life to that of her gothic heroine (whose misfortunes ultimately lead to happiness) reflects the common inclination to conflate author and character, and thus to romanticize the events of an uncommonly miserable life.
Nevertheless, to look at an author’s life through the lens of her fiction is almost inevitable. In accordance with Gaskell’s own claims, the review states that the feelings and opinions that formed Charlotte’s character “became, of necessity, impressed upon her works” (218). Moreover, it is conversely true that an author’s fiction should be looked at through the lens of their own life; the details of an author’s fictional worlds tend to arise from the environment in which they live and write (which, according to Gaskell, was never more true than for the Brontës, whose collective works were produced in and reflect the relative isolation of their dreary home in Haworth).
Perhaps an author cannot possibly separate herself completely from her works, particularly when that author’s public persona is based almost solely on those works (as was the case with Charlotte and her sisters). After all, fiction is inherently informed by the observations and experiences of the author, and thus it must be looked at as an outgrowth of that author’s unique perspective of the world.
The first paragraph considers the way in which Gaskell’s biography represents the relationship between the events of Charlotte’s life and her literary works. The reviewer writes that Charlotte’s life story is “told with such deep and simple pathos” that it “becomes as interesting as the tale of a second Jane Eyre” (218). The comparison of Charlotte’s “interesting” life to that of her gothic heroine (whose misfortunes ultimately lead to happiness) reflects the common inclination to conflate author and character, and thus to romanticize the events of an uncommonly miserable life.
Nevertheless, to look at an author’s life through the lens of her fiction is almost inevitable. In accordance with Gaskell’s own claims, the review states that the feelings and opinions that formed Charlotte’s character “became, of necessity, impressed upon her works” (218). Moreover, it is conversely true that an author’s fiction should be looked at through the lens of their own life; the details of an author’s fictional worlds tend to arise from the environment in which they live and write (which, according to Gaskell, was never more true than for the Brontës, whose collective works were produced in and reflect the relative isolation of their dreary home in Haworth).
Perhaps an author cannot possibly separate herself completely from her works, particularly when that author’s public persona is based almost solely on those works (as was the case with Charlotte and her sisters). After all, fiction is inherently informed by the observations and experiences of the author, and thus it must be looked at as an outgrowth of that author’s unique perspective of the world.
Source
HathiTrust
Publisher
London: Jackson & Walford
Date
July-October 1857
Contributor
Robert Vaughan (Editor)
Rights
New York Public Library
Format
Review, 13 pages
Type
Review
Files
Citation
“Review of The Life of Charlotte Brontë in The British Quarterly Review (July-October 1857),” Manhattan College Omeka , accessed November 23, 2024, https://omeka-pilot.manhattan.edu/items/show/90.