Charlotte Brontë dips her pen in the inkwell and begins to write. She and her sisters, Anne and Emily, have brought their desks into the parlor and are busy working on their stories. The rain taps soothingly on the windows of the parsonage, and Charlotte pauses from her work to stare out into the garden. Though she feels in her heart that this is the best story she has ever written, she still fears that the publishers might turn it down as they did with her last manuscript.
The gentle scratching of her sisters’ pens against paper rouses her from her thoughts. Shaking off her doubts, she examines the paragraphs in front of her. There isn’t time to worry about the future — she must only worry about putting her words on paper and getting her protagonist Jane out of this latest predicament with Mr. Rochester.
That was how I envisioned Charlotte Brontë, the author of Jane Eyre, as I gazed at her portable writing desk last December. No, I hadn’t been transported back to the 1840s to her home in West Yorkshire, England. (I wish I had, just for an afternoon! I would have loved to have taken tea with Charlotte and talked about writing with her and her sisters.)
Rather, I was visiting the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City for a special exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charlotte’s birth in 1816.
Here’s the photo I took of Charlotte’s writing desk (the desk had traveled all the way across the pond from the Brontë Parsonage Museum):
My brother Michael, who had come with me to see the exhibition, remarked, “Isn’t it amazing how Charlotte Brontë wrote so much with such simple writing tools? No computer with a fancy Scrivener app. Just a quill pen and paper.”
I had to agree. Here’s a photo I took of the manuscript of her first novel, The Professor.
Imagine writing all of that by hand! No copy and paste. No spell checker. No convenient backspace button.
And, yet, Brontë was prolific. Her writing desk had witnessed the creation of countless stories, all patiently transcribed with pen and ink from her imagination to the page. She published four novels as an adult, but she had been practicing her craft ever since she was a child.
Here’s a photo of one of the miniature books she made when she was twelve:
Of course, Brontë faced many more challenges than just rudimentary writing tools. One of the biggest was the sexism in the literary circles of her time.
At twenty years old, she sent a poem to the Poet Laureate Robert Southey and asked his opinion of her writing. He read Charlotte’s poem and kindly replied, praising her work but also warning her,
Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life, and it ought not to be.
However, he did not discourage her completely, advising,
Write poetry for its own sake; not in a spirit of emulation, and not with a view to celebrity: the less you aim at that, the more likely you will be to deserve, and finally to obtain it.
Perhaps Brontë took the poet’s words as a challenge. In any case, she kept writing stories and poems, drawing on her own life experiences as a governess to enrich her work. When publishers rejected her first novel, she wrote a second one, Jane Eyre. That novel found a publisher.
In an effort, however, to make sure her work would be judged on its merits alone, Charlotte wrote under the male pen name Currer Bell. Here are the original paperback editions of Jane Eyre published with Currer Bell as the author:
Despite Charlotte’s precautions, the critics soon guessed that a woman had written the book. Many were savage in their reviews. They believed that the themes Brontë wrote about were not seemly for a woman. Brontë lamented in a letter to her editor,
I am reminded of the Economist. The literary critic of that paper praised the book if written by a man, and pronounced it ‘odious’ if the work of a woman. To such critics I would say, ‘To you I am neither man nor woman. I come before you as an author only. It is the sole standard by which you have a right to judge me–the sole ground on which I accept your judgment.’
In defiance of the critics’ harsh words, Jane Eyre became one of the most successful novels of its day. The painstaking craftsmanship and power of the story ensured that it rose above the controversy.
Charlotte’s sisters’ novels, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, were also literary sensations (some of Anne’s and Emily’s writings were on display at the exhibition too). The Brontës eventually revealed their identities, but sadly all died young before they could truly enjoy their literary success and gift us with more wonderful stories.
As I strolled through the exhibition, I realized how blessed we are to live in an age when anyone can be an author.
If you were a woman during the Brontës’ time, your literary career would be completely up to the whims of a publisher (and most likely a male publisher, at that). Today, however, if a publisher rejects your manuscript, you can easily self-publish it and still get your book into the hands of readers.
Additionally, any woman from anywhere around the globe can start a blog, carve out her space online, and begin sharing her thoughts and ideas with an audience.
One of the reasons women writers today have the opportunity to make their voices heard is because of the relentless determination of authors like Charlotte Brontë.
Charlotte didn’t let anything distract her from telling her stories. She wasn’t going to let anyone dictate to her whether or not she could be a writer. She knew she was born to be a writer.
In a journal that Charlotte kept while a governess, she resolved,
I’m just going to write because I cannot help it.
Her perseverance paid off. The stories she wrote touched the hearts of generations of readers, and her success as an author inspired countless girls during the Victorian era who also dreamed of becoming writers one day. And not only Victorian girls. I read Jane Eyre for the first time when I was thirteen, and I too was inspired by the confident Jane who forges her own path in the world.
Imagine if Charlotte had listened to her critics. What if she had agreed that women shouldn’t be writers, and she had never attempted to get her work published? We would have lost out on her unique perspective of the world: a perspective that said strong, spirited women could influence the world for good.
As I left the exhibition, I took one last look at Charlotte’s desk. We all have unique stories that only we can tell. As Charlotte said, let’s keep on writing because we cannot help it.
What will you write today? If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below and share the post with someone you would like to inspire.
RiverWrites says
Absolutely enjoyed reading this. Encouraging to hear how she started her craft at early age and pursued it relentlessly!
Linda says
Thanks for your blog Nicole, this was an inspiring article and reminded me of my visit to Haworth in 1993.
Margie Berry says
Hi Nicole. This article was so refreshing and timely for me as Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is my absolute favorite work of fiction. It is my go-to book that I read when I’m at a loss for words. I learned many facts about Bronte’s life that were previously unknown to me. This was a fascinating article and I thank you for sharing it.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Margie! Thank you so much for reading and for your kind comment. 🙂 Love hearing that Jane Eyre is one of your favorites too. It’s such a timeless novel.
Kate Findley says
So inspirational! It’s an important reminder to me to never take writing for granted or make excuses for not putting my writing out there.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Kate! 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting. Happy to hear you found the post inspiring. All the best as you keep putting your writing out there!
Kristina Au says
Hi Nicole, I really enjoyed this post. You have nicely woven words and artifacts into inspiration. I’ve not read any of the Bronte books, but have now put Jane Eyre on my reading list. I am grateful to be a part of this writers group – thank you for continuing to lead this and facilitate this for us!
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you for your comment, Kristina! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, you definitely need to read Jane Eyre. 🙂 Looking forward to hearing what you think of it. And thank you for being part of the group!
Krystal Mercer McLellan says
Thank you for sharing your experience. Nothing inspires me more than learning about the lives and works of the Brontë women (and Branwell too – poor thing). Oh! If you want some good fall reading, cozy up with The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects, or the doorstop biography The Brontës: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of a Literary Family. Thanks again!
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Krystal! 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment and for those book recommendations. I just added them to my “to be read” list. I also haven’t yet read Anne’s novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Have you read that one? I’m interested to see how it compares to Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.
Krystal Mercer McLellan says
Funny I haven’t read Tenant or Villette- it’s almost like I’m saving them. I don’t know what for, I’m only getting older and more picky about what I spend time reading! Should just block a weekend and do it. Many of my friends prefer Tenant to all the other Brönte novels.
Nicole Bianchi says
I haven’t read Villette yet either. And, yes, I feel the same way about becoming more selective with what I read. The days feel so much shorter when you’re older. 😉 But I think I will make time for those two novels at some point.
Linda says
Ladies, please read Villette! I live in a rural Australian town and travel 90km to work and 90km back home every day. To make this journey more enjoyable I listen to audio books. The choice of book is driven by the very wish you both express, whuch is, “I must read that book one day.” Recently I have turned to a selection of classics, including Jane Austen and the Bröntes. Villette is incredible, so absorbing, the characters so carefully drawn. Lucy Snowe is the narrator at the centre of this book. Lucy is a steady, stoic, reflective and sensitive being. She is conscious of her social boundaries, she is intelligent, articulate and possesses a practical mind and common sense. She does not see herself as deserving good things from life, she seems to be more of an observer of life and particularly of others’ lives. Bronte allows us into Lucy’s inner world so we can see the outside as Lucy sees it. Villette, a European town becomes the setting for events to unfold, unsettling at times as Lucy’s mental health and wellbeing is challenged through perhaps an inner struggle with her demons. it is a wonderful book and the writing is extraordinary. So many times I have had to stop the cd and relisten to a passage that has incredible importance fior me. I will definitely buy the physical book and read it.
Sree Sengupta says
I enjoyed this piece very much. I have always wondered and marveled at these women writers of the early 19th century! They had such rudimentary writing equipment! But the passion must have been bottomless! I once visited Jane Austen’s house in Steventon, Hampshire where Austen wrote “Sense and Sensibility.” There was a tiny round table and a very uncomfortable , straight-backed chair on which Austen sat day after day and wrote her novel. No computer; no back space; no delete button. We need nothing other than passion to create stories that must be told. At any cost. Thank you for writing about Bronte.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you so much for sharing that story, Sree! I would love to visit Jane Austen’s house one day. Wow, it’s so amazing that she was able to write so much in such an uncomfortable workspace. Love what you wrote, “We need nothing other than passion to create stories that must be told.” So true!
Linda says
Hi Krystal, Another suggestion is Lynn Reid Banks’, The Dark Quartet. I bought the book at Haworth Parsonage and read it on the plane all the way from Heathrow to Melbourne. I was a mess as I cried all the way home.
Cherrian Angela Chin says
Thank you Nicole for sharing your reflections after visiting the exhibition. Your points made me think and feel a bit of inspiration again… Charlotte’s lessons to us female readers and writers still remain forever of where we were and where we can go with our imagination and writing skills. Still, great reflections… thank you.
CAC
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Cherrian! Thank you for reading and commenting. 🙂 I am so glad you found the post inspiring.