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Patrick Branwell Bronte
Patrick Branwell Bronte is the despised brother of the Bronte sisters, who lived an unhappy life of blighted ambition. Why was he despised? Why couldn't he succeed? This is Patrick Bronte's biography.
The only brother of the famed Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—Patrick Branwell Brontë has often been viewed in stark contrast to these gifted and successful writers. Having died at the age of thirty-one, Branwell is regarded as the black sheep of the family—a drunkard and opium addict whose artistic and literary talents were never realized. Although he was extremely prolific from the time of his young manhood, producing scores of pieces of prose narrative and poetry, he was published only a handful of times in local newspapers during his lifetime and is hardly considered in light of his own literary endeavors. Instead, he is more often described in terms of his influence on the remaining Brontës. According to several scholars, Branwell's presence in the household contributed to a certain “peculiarity” in his sisters' writings. His shocking and decadent lifestyle provided fodder for the coarseness of a novel like Charlotte's Jane Eyre, the wildness of Emily's highly imaginative Wuthering Heights, and the degradation and ruin detailed in Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Though in total Branwell's writings outnumber the entire literary output of his sisters, reviewers have generally dismissed his work with scorn. A small number of modern Brontë critics blame this reaction on the fact that only fragments of Branwell's work are in print and believe that a full and accurate assessment can occur only when all of his scattered writings have been made accessible to readers.
Branwell, the fourth of six children, was born on June 26, 1817, at Thornton, Yorkshire, to the Reverend Patrick Brontë and his wife, Maria. His family called him Branwell to avoid confusion with his father. In 1820 the family moved to a small stone parsonage in the desolate and remote village of Haworth, Yorkshire, where the reverend was named the perpetual curate. Soon thereafter, Maria died of cancer, leaving her six children in the care of her sister, Elizabeth Branwell, who spent the next twenty years as the Brontës' surrogate mother. The reverend, a Cambridge man and a poet and novelist of some repute, favored his only son, referring to him as the pride of his heart and encouraging him repeatedly that he was to become successful and make a name for himself. As a result, Branwell was treated differently from his sisters: he had a room to himself, overlooking the Yorkshire moorlands, while his five sisters slept in a tiny room on cots. He was schooled by his father, while his older sisters were sent to a charity school for daughters of poor clergy. The girls' stay at the school ended quickly, and within a year the two oldest daughters—Maria and Elizabeth—died, due in part to the school's unhealthy conditions. Thereafter, the remaining daughters were schooled by their aunt.
Scholars suggest that after Branwell's death, a large portion of his writings may have been burned by family members who were distressed by the moral indifference and religious skepticism expressed in the works. Other manuscripts may have been lost after the elder Brontë died in 1861, when many personal items in the household were misplaced or destroyed. Experts believe that only one-tenth of Branwell's writings have survived. Of those writings known to exist, most were privately printed up to the early 1930s. The first full-length work to appear in print was Branwell's translation of the first book of Horace's Odes (1923), a work highly praised. The following year saw the publication of the prose fragment And the Weary Are at Rest, which Branwell composed circa 1845, reflecting his sorrowful involvement at the Robinson household.
The only brother of the famed Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—Patrick Branwell Brontë has often been viewed in stark contrast to these gifted and successful writers. Having died at the age of thirty-one, Branwell is regarded as the black sheep of the family—a drunkard and opium addict whose artistic and literary talents were never realized. Although he was extremely prolific from the time of his young manhood, producing scores of pieces of prose narrative and poetry, he was published only a handful of times in local newspapers during his lifetime and is hardly considered in light of his own literary endeavors. Instead, he is more often described in terms of his influence on the remaining Brontës. According to several scholars, Branwell's presence in the household contributed to a certain “peculiarity” in his sisters' writings. His shocking and decadent lifestyle provided fodder for the coarseness of a novel like Charlotte's Jane Eyre, the wildness of Emily's highly imaginative Wuthering Heights, and the degradation and ruin detailed in Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Though in total Branwell's writings outnumber the entire literary output of his sisters, reviewers have generally dismissed his work with scorn. A small number of modern Brontë critics blame this reaction on the fact that only fragments of Branwell's work are in print and believe that a full and accurate assessment can occur only when all of his scattered writings have been made accessible to readers.
Branwell, the fourth of six children, was born on June 26, 1817, at Thornton, Yorkshire, to the Reverend Patrick Brontë and his wife, Maria. His family called him Branwell to avoid confusion with his father. In 1820 the family moved to a small stone parsonage in the desolate and remote village of Haworth, Yorkshire, where the reverend was named the perpetual curate. Soon thereafter, Maria died of cancer, leaving her six children in the care of her sister, Elizabeth Branwell, who spent the next twenty years as the Brontës' surrogate mother. The reverend, a Cambridge man and a poet and novelist of some repute, favored his only son, referring to him as the pride of his heart and encouraging him repeatedly that he was to become successful and make a name for himself. As a result, Branwell was treated differently from his sisters: he had a room to himself, overlooking the Yorkshire moorlands, while his five sisters slept in a tiny room on cots. He was schooled by his father, while his older sisters were sent to a charity school for daughters of poor clergy. The girls' stay at the school ended quickly, and within a year the two oldest daughters—Maria and Elizabeth—died, due in part to the school's unhealthy conditions. Thereafter, the remaining daughters were schooled by their aunt.
Scholars suggest that after Branwell's death, a large portion of his writings may have been burned by family members who were distressed by the moral indifference and religious skepticism expressed in the works. Other manuscripts may have been lost after the elder Brontë died in 1861, when many personal items in the household were misplaced or destroyed. Experts believe that only one-tenth of Branwell's writings have survived. Of those writings known to exist, most were privately printed up to the early 1930s. The first full-length work to appear in print was Branwell's translation of the first book of Horace's Odes (1923), a work highly praised. The following year saw the publication of the prose fragment And the Weary Are at Rest, which Branwell composed circa 1845, reflecting his sorrowful involvement at the Robinson household.
Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2012
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April 28, 2018
Alice Law’s biography of Branwell begins with the story of his short life and short-lived (mostly unproductive career). Unfortunately, my skepticism on Law’s research arose when she produced the wrong date of birth and location of Branwell’s birth:
"Patrick Branwell Bronte was born in the Parsonage House, Haworth, near Keighley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1818″ – Patrick Branwell Brontë , Alice Law
These are just small details. Branwell was born in Thornton, near Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1817. Mentally, I chided myself for pouring over these small details. But, when you begin reading a biography, and it gives you wrong information in the introduction, the reader will automatically grow skeptical no matter the importance of the details.
As I read onward, I discovered a few anecdotes and facts about Branwell that I had not come across while reading Daphne du Maurier’s biography, The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë . I liked reading about Branwell’s love of music and his love of nature. These traits helped me to form a better picture of what he had been like as a person.
I really liked that she did not try to antagonize Branwell. Law says that other biographers in the past did "[…] strive to give their readers an impression that Branwell’s whole life was a trial and disgrace to his family; whereas we know that only during the last three years, when he was suffering abnormal strain of physical and mental anguish, did he become the source of acute anxiety and distress to his father and sisters. For at least twenty-seven years he was the object of pride and dear affection” – Patrick Branwell Brontë , Alice Law
Imagine if your entire life was judged on a meager three years of your life while the other more productive years of your life would be ignored. It is not that I want to condone Branwell’s behaviour. His alcoholism and cycle of addiction was very hard on his family. But that is not all Branwell was during his lifetime.
Out of all of his siblings, it was Branwell who was first accepted for publication. He had written some poetry for a prominent magazine. But, this is hardly known by fans of the Brontes. In fact, there is a running myth that Branwell just wasn’t a very good poet. I do not consider myself to be a good judge of poetry, but I do like Branwell’s paintings. So, he certainly wasn’t an entire failure throughout his life.
Instead of turning Branwell as the one to blame for his health problems, Law places a lot of the blame on Branwell’s elder sister, Charlotte Brontë. She shapes Charlotte into a person who only cared about her literary ambitions instead of the failing mental and physical health of her brother. She writes:
"Something could still have been done for him had the personality of his elder sister [Charlotte] been other than what it was, but her patience was exhausted, her pride outraged, and she made it clear on all sides, both in the family and out of it, that she took no further interest in him […]
She was moreover possessed of a hard vein of biting sarcasm which, combined with an explosive temper when crossed, must have made her, for the inmates of the Parsonage ‘gei ill to live wi'” It may be said that her attitude towards Branwell was natural enough, that is, for those whose standard is measured by her criterion […]
The honor of the family name and the pursuit of her own personal ambition were dearer to her than the saving of her own brother – if indeed he could be saved” – Patrick Branwell Brontë , Alice Law
It sounds very unfair that Charlotte should be responsible for Branwell’s fall into alcoholism. So little is known what went on in the Bronte’s household. All we know of the years of Branwell’s decline is through the letters of the family and testimonies of those who knew the family.
The second half of the biography is devoted to proving that it was Branwell who wrote Wuthering Heights instead of his sister Emily Brontë . Automatically, I sighed. Law’s argument took up half of the book, and it was hardly convincing. Her arguments are as followed:
"Men and women are not stirred up to write passionate works unless they have experienced something of such passions themselves”
“There hangs an unmistakable air of masculinity that cannot be evaded.”
“[…]this saturnine humour is not a woman’s, least of all Emily’s.”
– Patrick Branwell Bronte, Alice Law
Law’s arguments are archaic and quite sexist. Basically, a woman couldn’t have written Wuthering Heights because it seems way too masculine. Also, she writes that Emily was not as familiar or educated with the classics, and Wuthering Heights draws upon the classics in its construction. But, Emily was educated, and it could be argued she had a better education than her brother as she attended a girls’ school and she went to Belgium to be educated. Luckily, today, all disputes regarding the authorship of Wuthering Heights have been put to rest.
All in all, this was an interesting biography to read of Branwell even though the facts were questionable, and Law’s opinions often clouded her judgement. I would recommend this short biography to fans of the Brontës as it presents another (albeit unpopular) interpretation of who the Brontës were.
"Patrick Branwell Bronte was born in the Parsonage House, Haworth, near Keighley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1818″ – Patrick Branwell Brontë , Alice Law
These are just small details. Branwell was born in Thornton, near Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1817. Mentally, I chided myself for pouring over these small details. But, when you begin reading a biography, and it gives you wrong information in the introduction, the reader will automatically grow skeptical no matter the importance of the details.
As I read onward, I discovered a few anecdotes and facts about Branwell that I had not come across while reading Daphne du Maurier’s biography, The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë . I liked reading about Branwell’s love of music and his love of nature. These traits helped me to form a better picture of what he had been like as a person.
I really liked that she did not try to antagonize Branwell. Law says that other biographers in the past did "[…] strive to give their readers an impression that Branwell’s whole life was a trial and disgrace to his family; whereas we know that only during the last three years, when he was suffering abnormal strain of physical and mental anguish, did he become the source of acute anxiety and distress to his father and sisters. For at least twenty-seven years he was the object of pride and dear affection” – Patrick Branwell Brontë , Alice Law
Imagine if your entire life was judged on a meager three years of your life while the other more productive years of your life would be ignored. It is not that I want to condone Branwell’s behaviour. His alcoholism and cycle of addiction was very hard on his family. But that is not all Branwell was during his lifetime.
Out of all of his siblings, it was Branwell who was first accepted for publication. He had written some poetry for a prominent magazine. But, this is hardly known by fans of the Brontes. In fact, there is a running myth that Branwell just wasn’t a very good poet. I do not consider myself to be a good judge of poetry, but I do like Branwell’s paintings. So, he certainly wasn’t an entire failure throughout his life.
Instead of turning Branwell as the one to blame for his health problems, Law places a lot of the blame on Branwell’s elder sister, Charlotte Brontë. She shapes Charlotte into a person who only cared about her literary ambitions instead of the failing mental and physical health of her brother. She writes:
"Something could still have been done for him had the personality of his elder sister [Charlotte] been other than what it was, but her patience was exhausted, her pride outraged, and she made it clear on all sides, both in the family and out of it, that she took no further interest in him […]
She was moreover possessed of a hard vein of biting sarcasm which, combined with an explosive temper when crossed, must have made her, for the inmates of the Parsonage ‘gei ill to live wi'” It may be said that her attitude towards Branwell was natural enough, that is, for those whose standard is measured by her criterion […]
The honor of the family name and the pursuit of her own personal ambition were dearer to her than the saving of her own brother – if indeed he could be saved” – Patrick Branwell Brontë , Alice Law
It sounds very unfair that Charlotte should be responsible for Branwell’s fall into alcoholism. So little is known what went on in the Bronte’s household. All we know of the years of Branwell’s decline is through the letters of the family and testimonies of those who knew the family.
The second half of the biography is devoted to proving that it was Branwell who wrote Wuthering Heights instead of his sister Emily Brontë . Automatically, I sighed. Law’s argument took up half of the book, and it was hardly convincing. Her arguments are as followed:
"Men and women are not stirred up to write passionate works unless they have experienced something of such passions themselves”
“There hangs an unmistakable air of masculinity that cannot be evaded.”
“[…]this saturnine humour is not a woman’s, least of all Emily’s.”
– Patrick Branwell Bronte, Alice Law
Law’s arguments are archaic and quite sexist. Basically, a woman couldn’t have written Wuthering Heights because it seems way too masculine. Also, she writes that Emily was not as familiar or educated with the classics, and Wuthering Heights draws upon the classics in its construction. But, Emily was educated, and it could be argued she had a better education than her brother as she attended a girls’ school and she went to Belgium to be educated. Luckily, today, all disputes regarding the authorship of Wuthering Heights have been put to rest.
All in all, this was an interesting biography to read of Branwell even though the facts were questionable, and Law’s opinions often clouded her judgement. I would recommend this short biography to fans of the Brontës as it presents another (albeit unpopular) interpretation of who the Brontës were.
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