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ABOUT
CHARLOTTE BRONTE
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The Victorian era in which
Charlotte lived was not conducive to the
success or independence of woman. The
prevailing notions of a woman's 'duty' would
surely be in conflict with the need to develop
a profession mien and standing. Herbert
Sussman referred to the conflict of women
attempting to make a professional statement
during the Victorian era as "a desperate
if vain endeavor to achieve sharp gender
classification" (376). The maudlin spirit
of Charlotte Bronte has been attested to by
many over the years, perhaps being based on
the biography by Elizabeth Gaskell, perhaps
seeing it as a reflection of the characters in
her stories. The lack of recognition as an
author of note must surely have rankled a
woman of obvious intelligence and opinion. Her
inability to claim authorship was connected to
the cultural definition of woman in Victorian
society.
It is difficult to
know what demons or sadness dwells within the
heart of a person like Charlotte Bronte, other
than to surmise what could have effected her
so (although, considering that her sisters
also had the reputation of being sullen or
melancholy, it is not unreasonable to consider
a genetic cause for her frequent depressions).
Gaskell saw Charlotte, after the deaths of her
sisters, as a woman who chose to lead an
existence of perpetual personal sacrifice
which she shared with her closest friend,
Ellen Nussey, "strengthening each other
in that power of self-denial, that hallowed
and glowing devotion, which the first saints
often attained to" (Gaskell 177).
Sainthood was probably not on the agenda for
Charlotte, however, she seemed to want to
replicate the closeness she had with her
sisters in establishing strong friendships
with both Ellen Nussey and Elizabeth Gaskell.
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