Independence

by Charlotte Brontë

‘To myself alone could I look’

Jane Eyre and Lucy Snowe are heroines who depend upon no one but themselves. In the face of hardship, from small sacrifices to great heartache, they cling resolutely to their principles of self-reliance. Lucy's energy and enterprise take her to Belgium and a career in teaching, whilst Jane’s honest, intelligent mind draws declarations of love. Both are the unforgettable creations of the deeply independent and brilliant Charlotte Brontë.

Selected from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Villette.

VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.

A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human

Also in the Vintage Minis series:
Sisters by Louisa May Alcott
Freedom by Margaret Atwood
Marriage by Jane Austen
Liberty by Virginia Woolf

Genres: Classics

144 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

Charlotte 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.

Reviews

[nature · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took my time reading Independence, as life got in the way with work and finals. But what I noticed during this experience is something quite personal when I stretch out my reading over long gaps, I tend to lose the emotional thread of the story. Every time I picked it up after a while, I felt disconnected not because of the book, but because of me.

Despite that, Independence left a deep impact on me. Charlotte Brontë’s writing is so rich, emotionally layered, and piercingly sincere that even when I lost touch with the plot for a while, the heart of the book kept calling me back. Her prose is both sorrowful and empowering, full of quiet strength and fierce introspection.

What moved me the most was how deeply relatable the protagonist’s inner struggle felt. Her journey toward self-reliance, emotional clarity, and moral strength is not just inspiring, it’s deeply human. As someone trying to figure things out in my own life, Independence gave me comfort. It reminded me that independence isn’t always loud or dramatic, it can be quiet, painful, and deeply personal.

This book isn't just a story. It’s a mirror. And it left me full of thought, emotion, and admiration. A beautiful read for anyone navigating the complex terrain between sorrow and strength.

[Sandra Costa]

O conceito é bom (e é ótimo para quem quer começar a ler clássicos ou ser introduzido a certas autoras), mas não me convenceu

[Rebecca Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What may seem like extracts of greater works is actually an excellent directive narrative running between the novels of Jane Eyre and Villette. Both with remarkably written, Jane and Lucy search for love, for freedom and in the discovery of themselves find their independence. Lucy Snowe is apprehensive of what she’s capable of but without reference or experience becomes a English teacher in a Belgian household. Jane Eyre escapes the man she thought she loves as her morals and religion gives her guidance against what patriarch society expects. The book “Independence” consists of 2/3 Villette & 1/3 Jane Eyre and it is important to note that this is not due to series, nor do the stories coincide each other- they represents strong independent female characters in Brontes narrative (as well as show authorial intent/irony)

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vintage minis are short books made up of previously published material (extracts from novels, essays and non-fiction works) by classic writers. The series consists of values and experiences we have in life, such as 'Desire', 'Lies', 'Love', 'Eating', 'Jealousy' and 'Work'. In this case, we experience the theme of 'Independence' with extracts from Jane of Jane Eyre and Lucy of Villette. We see Jane as being incredibly strong-willed and emotionally intelligent, even when presented with attempts of emotional abuse and manipulation by someone she loves, and even in the face of violence. And we see Lucy, a head-strong and career-driven young woman who refuses to be blackmailed into marriage to ensure a career and chooses to make her own way for herself. I feel this book is very important and I really enjoyed it, despite finding the language difficult to follow and having to re-read many passages in order to understand the message.

[Avesta · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Courage, Lucy Snowe! With self-denial and economy now, and steady exertion by-and-by, an objection in life need not fail you. Venture not to complain that such an object is too selfish, too limited, and lacks interest; be content to labour for independence until you have proved, by winning that prize, your right to look higher."

What an excellent start to the year - as my first book of 2025. To independence and ambition, and the success that comes along with it!

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ended up reading this three times as I had no other books with me. Really fitting for solo travelling at the time, an empowering book on independence! Sweet to read the little extracts, need to read the full books now!

[Kalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expected more from this book, but it was alright.