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The Works of the Brontë Sisters
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte are much less well known as Curer, Ellis and Acton Bell, the pseudonyms under which they published this collection of poems. This edition of poems is a reprint of the original edition first published in 1846 at the Brontes' own expense.
146 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 1995
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About the author
Charlotte Brontë
2,198 books19.2k followersCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist, the eldest out of the three famous Brontë sisters whose novels have become standards of English literature. See also Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë.
Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved a few miles to Haworth, a remote town on the Yorkshire moors, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. This is where the Brontë children would spend most of their lives. Maria Branwell Brontë died from what was thought to be cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her spinster sister Elizabeth Branwell, who moved to Yorkshire to help the family.
In August 1824 Charlotte, along with her sisters Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, was sent to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, a new school for the daughters of poor clergyman (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). The school was a horrific experience for the girls and conditions were appalling. They were regularly deprived of food, beaten by teachers and humiliated for the slightest error. The school was unheated and the pupils slept two to a bed for warmth. Seven pupils died in a typhus epidemic that swept the school and all four of the Brontë girls became very ill - Maria and Elizabeth dying of tuberculosis in 1825. Her experiences at the school deeply affected Brontë - her health never recovered and she immortalised the cruel and brutal treatment in her novel, Jane Eyre. Following the tragedy, their father withdrew his daughters from the school.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — continued their ad-hoc education. In 1826 her father returned home with a box of toy soldiers for Branwell. They would prove the catalyst for the sisters' extraordinary creative development as they immediately set to creating lives and characters for the soldiers, inventing a world for them which the siblings called 'Angria'. The siblings became addicted to writing, creating stories, poetry and plays. Brontë later said that the reason for this burst of creativity was that:
'We were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition.'
After her father began to suffer from a lung disorder, Charlotte was again sent to school to complete her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she met her lifelong friends and correspondents, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. During this period (1833), she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. The school was extremely small with only ten pupils meaning the top floor was completely unused and believed to be supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young lady dressed in silk. This story fascinated Brontë and inspired the figure of Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Brontë left the school after a few years, however she swiftly returned in 1835 to take up a position as a teacher, and used her wages to pay for Emily and Anne to be taught at the school. Teaching did not appeal to Brontë and in 1838 she left Roe Head to become a governess to the Sidgewick family -- partly from a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world, and partly from financial necessity.
Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding, but her health declined rapidly and, according to biographer Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." She died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855.
Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved a few miles to Haworth, a remote town on the Yorkshire moors, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. This is where the Brontë children would spend most of their lives. Maria Branwell Brontë died from what was thought to be cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her spinster sister Elizabeth Branwell, who moved to Yorkshire to help the family.
In August 1824 Charlotte, along with her sisters Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, was sent to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, a new school for the daughters of poor clergyman (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). The school was a horrific experience for the girls and conditions were appalling. They were regularly deprived of food, beaten by teachers and humiliated for the slightest error. The school was unheated and the pupils slept two to a bed for warmth. Seven pupils died in a typhus epidemic that swept the school and all four of the Brontë girls became very ill - Maria and Elizabeth dying of tuberculosis in 1825. Her experiences at the school deeply affected Brontë - her health never recovered and she immortalised the cruel and brutal treatment in her novel, Jane Eyre. Following the tragedy, their father withdrew his daughters from the school.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — continued their ad-hoc education. In 1826 her father returned home with a box of toy soldiers for Branwell. They would prove the catalyst for the sisters' extraordinary creative development as they immediately set to creating lives and characters for the soldiers, inventing a world for them which the siblings called 'Angria'. The siblings became addicted to writing, creating stories, poetry and plays. Brontë later said that the reason for this burst of creativity was that:
'We were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition.'
After her father began to suffer from a lung disorder, Charlotte was again sent to school to complete her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she met her lifelong friends and correspondents, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. During this period (1833), she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. The school was extremely small with only ten pupils meaning the top floor was completely unused and believed to be supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young lady dressed in silk. This story fascinated Brontë and inspired the figure of Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.
Brontë left the school after a few years, however she swiftly returned in 1835 to take up a position as a teacher, and used her wages to pay for Emily and Anne to be taught at the school. Teaching did not appeal to Brontë and in 1838 she left Roe Head to become a governess to the Sidgewick family -- partly from a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world, and partly from financial necessity.
Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding, but her health declined rapidly and, according to biographer Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." She died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 17, 2015
This is totally not the sort of book I would have picked up for myself, but was given it as a gift and I ended up being very pleasantly surprised. A good-for-me change of pace from my typical YA books!! Definitely liked Anne's poems best of the 3 sisters (and not just for her brevity)- was not a big fan of Charlotte's. There were several poems where I thought, wow these girls are eloquent AND sassy! "Stars," "Music on Christmas Morning," "The Doubter's Prayer" and "Lines Composed in a Wood on a Windy Day" ended up being my favorites!
May 22, 2012
Some excellent poetry from all the sisters, but I still think Anne's keen insight and honest narratives are much more engaging than those of her siblings. She truly is the best of the Brontes.
September 5, 2019
It's very interesting observing the personalities of the Bronte sisters via their poetry. It's reflected in their poetry that each one of them loved their home on the moors, was very spiritual, loved literature, & was a great writer. They were all so much all of these things that at times they seemed one and the same! However, you get a good glimpse of their differences as well. Emily seemed to be the natural poet - raw, close to home with her subject matter, so aware of the connection of everything. You are able to follow her journey of emotions within her poems. Charlotte's poetry seems a little more forced with the subject matter seeming a little more outside of her realm of day to day experiences - that is more studied. Anne's poetry shows short & interesting points that seem so complete and exact that you have to commend her for getting there, but you feel like you've missed out on some cool mental journey. Bottom line is that I love them all to the point that they feel one & the same with me (Don't say it! Allow me to delude myself ;)
October 26, 2025
“Poesía completa” de las hermanas Brontë reúne las potentes y singulares voces de Charlotte, Emily y Anne Brontë, tres de las autoras más representativas de la literatura inglesa del siglo XIX.
En estos poemas se abre un mundo de paisajes salvajes, emociones intensas y meditaciones sobre la brevedad de la vida, la soledad, la fe y el amor.
Su poesía, cargada del espíritu libre de los páramos de Yorkshire, une una sensibilidad profundamente romántica con una fuerza emocional poco común, en la que la ternura y la pasión coexisten en perfecto equilibrio.
Esta edición recopila la totalidad de sus poemas, obras que abordan una amplia variedad de temas, desde el amor, la naturaleza y la espiritualidad hasta la soledad y el paso del tiempo, aunque destacan especialmente aquellos que reflexionan sobre la muerte, la pérdida y la fugacidad de la vida, motivos recurrentes en la sensibilidad poética del trío literario.
Es una lectura imperdible para los amantes de la literatura inglesa clásica, así como para quienes disfrutan de las obras profundas e introspectivas, capaces de explorar con sensibilidad los sentimientos más humanos.
Los poemas de las Brontë invitan a detenerse, reflexionar y conectar con temas universales como el amor, la pérdida, la naturaleza y la búsqueda del sentido de la vida, convirtiendo esta recopilación en una experiencia literaria tan conmovedora como reveladora.
En estos poemas se abre un mundo de paisajes salvajes, emociones intensas y meditaciones sobre la brevedad de la vida, la soledad, la fe y el amor.
Su poesía, cargada del espíritu libre de los páramos de Yorkshire, une una sensibilidad profundamente romántica con una fuerza emocional poco común, en la que la ternura y la pasión coexisten en perfecto equilibrio.
Esta edición recopila la totalidad de sus poemas, obras que abordan una amplia variedad de temas, desde el amor, la naturaleza y la espiritualidad hasta la soledad y el paso del tiempo, aunque destacan especialmente aquellos que reflexionan sobre la muerte, la pérdida y la fugacidad de la vida, motivos recurrentes en la sensibilidad poética del trío literario.
Es una lectura imperdible para los amantes de la literatura inglesa clásica, así como para quienes disfrutan de las obras profundas e introspectivas, capaces de explorar con sensibilidad los sentimientos más humanos.
Los poemas de las Brontë invitan a detenerse, reflexionar y conectar con temas universales como el amor, la pérdida, la naturaleza y la búsqueda del sentido de la vida, convirtiendo esta recopilación en una experiencia literaria tan conmovedora como reveladora.
Currently reading
July 12, 20252025 reading notes:
Had previously (2009 and 2019) read some and left a marker, probably at page 39.
Generally I don't get poetry. But it's interesting to compare with what I know from their lives and fiction.
Frances: I was feeling the feelings and story more than usual and wondering which sister wrote it, though I was getting a feeling of Jane Eyre. The pseudonyms are written at the end of each poem and it was indeed Currer. It was quite long and I was following less as it went on. And the first person narrator seems to be a native of the castle like mansion she's (I take the title to be the character's names and the masculine spelling would be Francis) sleeplessly walking round.
Had previously (2009 and 2019) read some and left a marker, probably at page 39.
Generally I don't get poetry. But it's interesting to compare with what I know from their lives and fiction.
Frances: I was feeling the feelings and story more than usual and wondering which sister wrote it, though I was getting a feeling of Jane Eyre. The pseudonyms are written at the end of each poem and it was indeed Currer. It was quite long and I was following less as it went on. And the first person narrator seems to be a native of the castle like mansion she's (I take the title to be the character's names and the masculine spelling would be Francis) sleeplessly walking round.
June 2, 2024
A great read. I've never encountered the poetry of the Bronte Sisters and never read a book by any of them. But my interest was started by a short story I'd written that mentioned for some unknown reason, The Bronte sisters and some of their books. As I also write poetry, I wanted to see what their poems were like and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed their works.
May 15, 2024
I think Charlotte was meant to be a novelist, not a poet. She can’t help but turn everything into a story. Anne and Emily were wonderful though.
April 22, 2016
2.5* (I rated every poem then took the average! Yes I did!)
So in general, Anne writes about Nature, Emily writes about Death and Charlotte writes about all sorts! That's a massive generalization btw!
Overall, I preferred Emily & Anne's style of writing to Charlotte's, but my favourites include poems written by all three of them. Some of my favourites: 'Faith and Despondency' (Emily), 'Stars' (Emily), 'A Death Scene' (Emily), 'If This Be All' (Anne) and 'Life' (Charlotte). I do much prefer their prose.
So in general, Anne writes about Nature, Emily writes about Death and Charlotte writes about all sorts! That's a massive generalization btw!
Overall, I preferred Emily & Anne's style of writing to Charlotte's, but my favourites include poems written by all three of them. Some of my favourites: 'Faith and Despondency' (Emily), 'Stars' (Emily), 'A Death Scene' (Emily), 'If This Be All' (Anne) and 'Life' (Charlotte). I do much prefer their prose.
January 27, 2015
Not a shade on their novels, unfortunately. Many of the selected poems in this volume are too similar to one another, there is only a small pool of themes, and they do not touch on them with talent displayed in their novels.
March 31, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and am definitely interested in reading more of the Bronte's poetry.
February 23, 2017
Beautiful and haunting
May 17, 2017
They beckoned to be re, reread. Read again. You cannot tell when one starts and the other ends as far as writer. How talented they were.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews