Anne Bronte

by Maria H. Frawley (Editor)

"And none can hear my secret call / Or see the silent tears I weep!" These words from Anne Bronte's poem "The Doubter's Prayer" address the dual function of secrecy and silence, two of several key ideas explored in Bronte's prose and poetry. Secrecy, silence, isolation, and exile are all interrelated notions that her characters, like Bronte herself, not only struggled with but embraced. Like her fictional and poetic characters, Anne Bronte contended with the impact of physical and psychological confinement on one's identity, even describing herself in one of her last letters as a "silent invalid stranger." Her self-assessment was echoed by others who knew her, among them her sister Charlotte, who once described her as woman who "covered her mind, and especially her feelings, with a sort of nun-like veil." Anne Bronte, a new book in the Twayne English Authors Series, challenges the assumption that such labels point to artistic or personal weaknesses on Bronte's part. Rather, Maria Frawley, the author of previous studies of Victorian women writers, relates them to Bronte's life experiences and to her ongoing interest in self-understanding, self-representation, and social identity. Within Bronte's writings, Frawley examines a distinction between the characters' private and public selves and analyzes Bronte's understanding of the social construction of identities. Unique in Bronte family studies, this book acknowledges Anne's relationship to her more famous sisters but focuses on her individual artistic and intellectual achievements.

171 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Amy Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering that Anne only left behind a sheaf of Diary Papers written on her birthday, it's very difficult to write a bio of her. Frawley tries, but doesn't get much beyond the "silence & secrecy" theory of Anne's life. I think that reading Charlotte's Biographical Portrait of her sisters is more illuminating, and that's just a few pages.

[Katie R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this last, so I had a lot of background by the time I got to this one. It wasn't as enjoyable as Langland's as it was more informational, but I did get some valuable insight from it.