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Emily Bronte: Her Life and Work
Book by Spark, Muriel, Standford, Derek
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
Paperback
First published May 1, 1960
2 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Muriel Spark
222 books1,289 followersDame Muriel Spark, DBE was a prolific Scottish novelist, short story writer and poet whose darkly comedic voice made her one of the most distinctive writers of the twentieth century. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Spark received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1965 for The Mandelbaum Gate, the Ingersoll Foundation TS Eliot Award in 1992 and the David Cohen Prize in 1997. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, in recognition of her services to literature. She has been twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize, in 1969 for The Public Image and in 1981 for Loitering with Intent. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden PEN Award by English PEN for "a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature". In 2010, Spark was shortlisted for the Lost Man Booker Prize of 1970 for The Driver's Seat.
Spark received eight honorary doctorates in her lifetime. These included a Doctor of the University degree (Honoris causa) from her alma mater, Heriot-Watt University in 1995; a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris causa) from the American University of Paris in 2005; and Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, St Andrews and Strathclyde.
Spark grew up in Edinburgh and worked as a department store secretary, writer for trade magazines, and literary editor before publishing her first novel, The Comforters, in 1957. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, published in 1961, and considered her masterpiece, was made into a stage play, a TV series, and a film.
Spark received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1965 for The Mandelbaum Gate, the Ingersoll Foundation TS Eliot Award in 1992 and the David Cohen Prize in 1997. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, in recognition of her services to literature. She has been twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize, in 1969 for The Public Image and in 1981 for Loitering with Intent. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden PEN Award by English PEN for "a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature". In 2010, Spark was shortlisted for the Lost Man Booker Prize of 1970 for The Driver's Seat.
Spark received eight honorary doctorates in her lifetime. These included a Doctor of the University degree (Honoris causa) from her alma mater, Heriot-Watt University in 1995; a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris causa) from the American University of Paris in 2005; and Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, St Andrews and Strathclyde.
Spark grew up in Edinburgh and worked as a department store secretary, writer for trade magazines, and literary editor before publishing her first novel, The Comforters, in 1957. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, published in 1961, and considered her masterpiece, was made into a stage play, a TV series, and a film.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 29, 2025
This is my second time tackling a book by Spark, whose masterpiece of a novella The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has been one of my favorites for decades.
Spark's central argument here is that, while in Brussels under the tutelage of Constantin Heger (the same man famous for his role as muse to sister Charlotte), Emily underwent formal schooling in a structured environment for what was essentially the first time, a transformative experience that caused her to evolve and assert her personality in new ways, leading her to become more recognizable as the legend we know her as today. Firstly, whereas Emily previously had been comparatively easygoing, her aversion to being formally educated gave her the impetus to start resisting some of the decisions that other people tried to make for her: she henceforth became to a greater extent her own person. Secondly, being exposed to more rational modes of thought at the Brussels school gave Emily the tools to further develop -- and then embody in her own life -- the idiosyncratic philosophy that she had already half-consciously begun sketching out in her Gondal poems.
I was astonished to learn how sparse are the extant primary sources touching on Emily Bronte's life: in addition to the Brontes' literary works themselves, these comprise Charlotte's letters, roughly three other contemporary letters mentioning Emily, one adolescent journal entry, and two iterations of the "birthday letters" (a sort of time-capsule project embarked upon by Emily and Anne). Because of this, there is little factual information in this book that will feel new to anyone who has read any other Bronte biographies.
As for the second half of the book, which is written by Spark's colleague Derek Stanford, it is true that Stanford writes in a very 1960s way (e.g., couching his disagreement with a female critic in gratuitously sexist terms), but I do nonetheless really appreciate his criticism, particularly as regards Emily Bronte's poems. Unlike her strikingly modern-feeling fiction, Emily's poems can strike a 21st-century reader as offputtingly archaic with their colorless abstractions and heavy use of such techniques as personification, etc.; Stanford acts as a wise tour guide, helping the modern reader cut through these obstacles and apprehend the rhythm-driven metaphysical power that makes Emily's great poems great.
Spark's central argument here is that, while in Brussels under the tutelage of Constantin Heger (the same man famous for his role as muse to sister Charlotte), Emily underwent formal schooling in a structured environment for what was essentially the first time, a transformative experience that caused her to evolve and assert her personality in new ways, leading her to become more recognizable as the legend we know her as today. Firstly, whereas Emily previously had been comparatively easygoing, her aversion to being formally educated gave her the impetus to start resisting some of the decisions that other people tried to make for her: she henceforth became to a greater extent her own person. Secondly, being exposed to more rational modes of thought at the Brussels school gave Emily the tools to further develop -- and then embody in her own life -- the idiosyncratic philosophy that she had already half-consciously begun sketching out in her Gondal poems.
I was astonished to learn how sparse are the extant primary sources touching on Emily Bronte's life: in addition to the Brontes' literary works themselves, these comprise Charlotte's letters, roughly three other contemporary letters mentioning Emily, one adolescent journal entry, and two iterations of the "birthday letters" (a sort of time-capsule project embarked upon by Emily and Anne). Because of this, there is little factual information in this book that will feel new to anyone who has read any other Bronte biographies.
As for the second half of the book, which is written by Spark's colleague Derek Stanford, it is true that Stanford writes in a very 1960s way (e.g., couching his disagreement with a female critic in gratuitously sexist terms), but I do nonetheless really appreciate his criticism, particularly as regards Emily Bronte's poems. Unlike her strikingly modern-feeling fiction, Emily's poems can strike a 21st-century reader as offputtingly archaic with their colorless abstractions and heavy use of such techniques as personification, etc.; Stanford acts as a wise tour guide, helping the modern reader cut through these obstacles and apprehend the rhythm-driven metaphysical power that makes Emily's great poems great.
February 7, 2018
Flawed and old-fashioned, redolent of the musty spirit of mid-20th century literary criticism, but fascinating for all that.
April 13, 2024
A one star review for me simply means that I didn't finish a book. It may be good for others. I really enjoyed the first 100 page biographical part by Muriel Spark (written somewhat like a university lecture) but I couldn't get along with the second critical part by Derek Stanford. 70 pages in to this section of the book I decided that it just wasn't for me.
July 21, 2023
I couldn't agree with a few thesis but I appreciate most of it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews