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Charlotte Brontë: A Writer's Life
The definitive biography of one of English literature's most beloved, and misunderstood, female writers.
"If men could see us as we really are, they would be amazed," wrote Charlotte Brontë, the outwardly conventional parson's daughter who rarely met any men beyond those of the church of classroom, and whose work Jane Eyre would bring her good name scandal and notoriety for the rest of her short and tragic life.
Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte's first biographer, attempted to clear Charlotte of the charges of passionate immorality that were leveled at her—as unmarried woman no less. Rebecca Fraser, 130 years later, places Charlotte's life within the framework of contemporary attitudes towards woman, and addresses how attitudes and perceptions of Charlotte have or haven't changed since the Victorian era. An invaluable contribution to Brontë scholarship, Fraser's biography brings forth only admiration for a woman prepared to stand out against some of the cruelest Victorian ideas about her sex.
"If men could see us as we really are, they would be amazed," wrote Charlotte Brontë, the outwardly conventional parson's daughter who rarely met any men beyond those of the church of classroom, and whose work Jane Eyre would bring her good name scandal and notoriety for the rest of her short and tragic life.
Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte's first biographer, attempted to clear Charlotte of the charges of passionate immorality that were leveled at her—as unmarried woman no less. Rebecca Fraser, 130 years later, places Charlotte's life within the framework of contemporary attitudes towards woman, and addresses how attitudes and perceptions of Charlotte have or haven't changed since the Victorian era. An invaluable contribution to Brontë scholarship, Fraser's biography brings forth only admiration for a woman prepared to stand out against some of the cruelest Victorian ideas about her sex.
556 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2012
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About the author
Rebecca Fraser
14 books13 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Rebecca Fraser has worked as a researcher, an editor, and a journalist, and has written for many publications, including Tatler, Vogue, The Times, and The Spectator. She is a former president of the Bronte Society. She is the author of the introductions to the Everyman's Library editions of Shirley and The Professor. She is the author of Charlotte Brontë and lives in England.
Rebecca Fraser has worked as a researcher, an editor, and a journalist, and has written for many publications, including Tatler, Vogue, The Times, and The Spectator. She is a former president of the Bronte Society. She is the author of the introductions to the Everyman's Library editions of Shirley and The Professor. She is the author of Charlotte Brontë and lives in England.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 29, 2012
This is an elegantly structured biography. Fraser frequently gives us access to Charlotte Bronte's letters verbatim, and this, woven with extracts from Bronte's novels allows us to hear her rich, passionate voice clearly and fully. Fraser constructs a picture of Bronte as a complex woman, painfully shy and frequently uncomfortable living with herself and others. I felt as if I were meeting Jane Eyre anew, but a vivid and more realistic version, who flounders uncertainly towards a way of being throughout her life. Bronte appeared to struggle with being the emancipated woman she suggests in her novels and 'proper' way to behave as a unmarried woman and daughter in the Victorian era--she was shocked and deeply disturbed that 'Jane Eyre' and 'Shirley' were considered coarse and anti-religious. Yet she continued to write undaunted. Her sudden marriage a few months before her death, her loneliness after her sisters' and brother's death, psychosomatic illnesses and deep feelings are all brought vividly to life.
February 9, 2012
This made me cry - how awful to loose three siblings in a year. I don't think I could stand to loose my one sister. Charlotte and her family were really extraordinary, but always marked by tragedy. It definitely does not make me want to send my kids to boarding school, that's for sure. Charlotte's dad thought he was doing the right thing though, when he sent his daughters to school, not knowing that within a year, the two eldest would be dead.
It's funny too, because even though all the Brontes had terrible health, they were also, in their own way, very tough. They survived that dreadful school, and lived with tuberculosis for years, and regularly walked 15 or 16 miles to visit people.
Quibbles with it - Fraser almost always refers to people as Mrs. This and Mr. That, which is annoying, and sometimes confusing. Could we not just call people by their first names? Is that somehow too 21st century?
It's funny too, because even though all the Brontes had terrible health, they were also, in their own way, very tough. They survived that dreadful school, and lived with tuberculosis for years, and regularly walked 15 or 16 miles to visit people.
Quibbles with it - Fraser almost always refers to people as Mrs. This and Mr. That, which is annoying, and sometimes confusing. Could we not just call people by their first names? Is that somehow too 21st century?
December 30, 2009
I knew the ending. Cried anyway. Beautifully written. The author doesn't get carried away with psychoanalysis or self-edifying soliloquy. "Villette" becomes heartbreaking after you learn of the author's state of mind during its writing. Highly recommended.
December 26, 2019
Fraser has done what seems so rare in modern-day biographies - presented a true, unbiased account of the subject's life. Charlotte Bronte was far from perfect, and Fraser shows her sins and weaknesses, allowing the reader to judge for him/herself how "at fault" Bronte really was, when looked at as a product of a solitary Haworth upbringing. Fraser moved me to tears, simply by the ideal placement of fragments of Bronte's letters, detailing the dark and absolute aloneness of her life after the deaths of her five siblings. Yet Charlotte finds new purpose in love, with a husband who adored her and filled her often too-long days with a sense of true usefulness. What a tragically beautiful soul she was.
June 24, 2022
This is an absolutely terrific biography of Bronte--a story wonderfully told--but good Lord, Bronte's life is just about the saddest thing I've ever read. The death of her mother, the deaths of her sisters at school, the sad tale of Branwell, the tragic end of Emily and then Anne and through it all, such a struggle with poverty and obscurity. To succeed at last and to marry, only to lose her life. It's just tragic. But I loved reading this tale of love and darkness, and Fraser shows how "Jane Eyre" came to be.
November 5, 2008
This turned out to be a very touching and surprising portrait of Bronte and her talented sisters. I had no idea how fully and bleakly tragic her life was. But the stories related show a remarkably resilient, religious, and resolute woman. The book's only flaw is it's length. It dragged on about 150 pages too long.
November 19, 2009
According to this Amazon.com review, this book is just a reprint of the original 1988 edition of Rebecca Fraser's "The Brontes: Charlotte Bronte and Her Family," not a new biography of Charlotte at all, which is a pretty raw deal for readers who think it's a different book. Shame, Methuen/Pegasus.
January 25, 2016
Very thorough biography of Charlotte Bronte; at times it dragged when recounting her early life. Very dense read in some respects but also gave a clear picture of Bronte's personality. I had not realized that she was so active in the literary community of her time once she started publishing and the history of the writing she did with her siblings was fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews