A review by jgwc54e5
The Bronte Myth by Lucasta Miller

5.0

This was an interesting and enjoyable read mostly about Charlotte and Emily Bronte and how the mythology about the family became the story, and not their incredible writing. The initial Victorian response to their books was horror, a woman couldn’t have written with such passion (and if it was a woman then she’s unfeminine!) and the themes were coarse. Lucasta Miller covers a lot of territory in this book. She discusses initial reactions to the novels and the initial biography by Mrs Gaskell which created the original Bronte myths. Then she proceeds to talk about later biographies and the various interpretations, movies etc into the twentieth century. It’s quite fascinating to see how the interpretations of the sisters lives have changed in that time. Often it says more about the biographer themselves than any new discoveries about the Brontes!