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A review by jaironside
The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell
2.0
I like Elizabeth Gaskell's work. She tells engaging stories and that is exactly what she has done here. Originally requested by Charlotte's father to write a biography of Charlotte's life. Patrick Bronte together with Charlotte's widowed husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, wisely realised that if they did not select someone to write about Charlotte's life, then someone who was not their choice would certainly do so. Unfortunately, while Gaskell seemed the most suitable choice for a fair, unbiased account, they would have been better to have chosen one of Charlotte's many other female writer friends. Gaskell certainly does not allow the truth to get in the way of a good story. She certainly did do a fair amount of research, although she was happy to pass over various sources who had a better claim of intimacy with Charlotte than she herself did. Gaskell did visit Haworth during Charlotte's life and Charlotte visited Gaskell in London (where, it is to be noted, she was extremely uncomfortable and taken to gatherings where she would be considered an oddity with a curious lack of sensitivity in her host!) however the 'friendship' between them was not nearly so close as Gaskell intimates.
She also compounds the issue by giving an unequal and selective portrait of the rest of the Bronte family which does a great disservice to Patrick, Branwell and even Emily. Patrick wrote to Gaskell on several occasions to politely request that she clear up and amend certain inaccuracies; Gaskell never replied to any of these letters and went abroad just as the biography was published. In the end Patrick dropped the matter, preferring to let his daughter's memory rest.
Part of the problem with writing a biography of the Brontes, is that they wrote such strong and enduring characters that they frequently became confused with their creations. This biography gives a flavour of the times and certainly tells us a lot about Elizabeth Gaskell but get your Bronte facts elsewhere. Julet Barker's The Brontes is excellent.
She also compounds the issue by giving an unequal and selective portrait of the rest of the Bronte family which does a great disservice to Patrick, Branwell and even Emily. Patrick wrote to Gaskell on several occasions to politely request that she clear up and amend certain inaccuracies; Gaskell never replied to any of these letters and went abroad just as the biography was published. In the end Patrick dropped the matter, preferring to let his daughter's memory rest.
Part of the problem with writing a biography of the Brontes, is that they wrote such strong and enduring characters that they frequently became confused with their creations. This biography gives a flavour of the times and certainly tells us a lot about Elizabeth Gaskell but get your Bronte facts elsewhere. Julet Barker's The Brontes is excellent.