Charlotte Bronte was born on 21st April 1816. She lived in the village of Haworth, in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Her father was a clergyman. He worked in the church at Haworth.
Charlotte had four sisters. They were Maria, Elizabeth, Emily and Anne. Charlotte had one brother — Branwell. Charlotte was not pretty and her eyes were weak. But Charlotte was clever and she had a strong character.
In 1824, Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte and Emily were pupils at a school called Cowan Bridge. The school was fifty miles from Haworth. It was a bad school and many of the children became sick. In 1825, Maria and Elizabeth died. Charlotte and Emily went home. From 1825 to 1831, Charlotte's father taught his children at home.
In 1831, Charlotte was fifteen years old. She was a pupil at a school called Roe Head. Later, she was a teacher at this school.
In 1842, Charlotte and Emily studied in Brussels in Belgium. Charlotte was a clever student. But she was unhappy. She fell in love with a married man. And she returned to England.
Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell wrote stories and they drew pictures. They also wrote poetry. Branwell was going to be an artist. But he became ill. He drank alcohol and he took drugs.
The Bronte sisters sent their stories to a publisher. In the 1850s, women's stories were not often published. So Charlotte wrote her books with the name, Currer Bell. Emily wrote Wuthering Heights with the name, Ellis Bell. And Anne wrote Agnes Grey with the name, Acton Bell. Their books were very popular. Soon people wanted to meet these authors. Then they were surprised. These good writers were women!
Charlotte Bronte's novels are: The Professor, Jane Eyre (1847), Shirley (1849) and Villette (1853). Jane Eyre is one of the most popular stories in English. In 1847, people read Jane Eyre and they were surprised. Women did not often speak about their hopes and their thoughts. Women did not talk to men in this way!
In 1848, Emily and Branwell died. Anne died the next year. Charlotte lived with her old father. She was now a famous author. People wanted to meet her. Charlotte travelled to London and she met poets, artists and writers. She visited theatres, museums and art galleries. In 1854, Charlotte married a clergyman, Arthur Nicholls. On 31st March 1855, Charlotte Bronte died. She was 38 years old.
A Note About This Story
Time: The 1830s. Place: The north of England.
Early in the nineteenth century, there were no cars or trains. People rode horses. People travelled in coaches or in carriages pulled by horses. Journeys were long and difficult. Most people lived in the countryside. Rich people had large houses and many servants.
Rich children learnt their lessons in their homes. A teacher lived in their house. Some poor children lived at their schools. Some of these schools were very bad. The buildings were cold and uncomfortable. These children did not have enough food. Their teachers often beat them.
The Brontes were poor. The three sisters worked as governesses. Governesses lived in the homes of rich families. They taught the children of these families.
In the story, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte wrote about her own life. Jane was unhappy in a bad school. Charlotte was unhappy too. Jane Eyre was not pretty. But she was clever and she was good. Charlotte was not pretty. But she was intelligent and she worked hard. In the story, Jane Eyre becomes a governess. Charlotte was a governess in the homes of two rich families. She hated the work.
In 1851, there were about 25000 governesses in England. Many poor women from good families worked as governesses. They were not married. Governesses were not paid well.
The People in This Story
Jane Eyre [ʤeɪn ˈeə]
Aunt Reed [ɑːnt riːd]
Mr Brocklehurst [ˈmɪstə(r) brocklheːst]
Mrs Fairfax [ˈmɪsɪz ˈfeəfæks]
Adele Varens [ˈædel ˈværæns]
Grace Poole [greis ˈpuːl]
Edward Rochester [ˈedwəd ˈˈrɑtʃistə]
Richard Mason [ˈrɪtʃəd ˈmeiən]
Bertha Mason [ˈbɝːθə ˈmeɪsn]
Diana Rivers [daˈjænə ˈrɪvəz]
Mary Rivers [ˈmeəri ˈrɪvəz]
St John Rivers [ˈsinʤen ˈrɪvəz]
1 My Story Begins
In 1825, I was ten years old. My father and mother were dead. I lived with my aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Reed. Their house was called Gateshead Hall. The house was in Yorkshire, in the north of England. My Aunt and Uncle Reed had two children — a boy, John, and a girl, Eliza.
I liked my Uncle Reed and he liked me. But in 1825, my uncle died. After that, I was very unhappy. My Aunt Reed did not like me. And John and Eliza were unkind to me.
****
It was a cold, rainy day in December. All of us were in the house. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to read. I opened a book. Then I heard my Cousin John's voice.
'Jane! Jane Eyre! Where are you?' John shouted. He came into the room and he saw me.
'Why are you reading my book?' he asked. 'Give it to me!'
John took the book. He hit my head with it. I screamed. John hit me again. I pulled his hair and I kicked him.
'Help! Help, Mamma!' John shouted. 'Jane Eyre is hurting me!'
Aunt Reed ran into the room. She pulled me away from John.
'John hit me with a book,' I said. 'I hate him. And I hate you too!'
'You are a bad girl, Jane,' my aunt said. 'Why do you hate me?'
'You don't like me,' I replied. 'John and Eliza are unkind to me. I want to leave Gateshead Hall.'
'You want to leave!' Aunt Reed said. 'Where will you go? Your parents are dead. You cannot live alone.'
Aunt Reed thought for a moment.
'My friend, Mr Brocklehurst, is the owner of a school,' she said. 'I will send you to Mr Brocklehurst's school.'
****
A few days later, Mr Brocklehurst came to Gateshead Hall. He was a very tall man. His eyes were dark and his face was cruel.
'Jane Eyre,' he said to me. 'God does not like bad children. God punishes bad children, Jane Eyre.'
'God will punish John Reed,' I replied. 'John Reed hits me and he shouts at me.'
'That is not true. You are a liar, Jane Eyre,' Mr Brocklehurst said. 'You must not tell lies. And you must not live here with your cousins. You will come to Lowood School. You will become a good girl'
'I want to come to your school, sir,' I said. 'I want to leave this house.'
'Bad girls are punished at my school, Jane Eyre,' Mr Brocklehurst said. 'The girls work very hard at Lowood.'