tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7074545955842912793.post374939356426076994..comments2024-03-09T16:23:30.265+01:00Comments on the Brontë Sisters: Bronte biographers part I (till 1900) I am still busy with this blog, so it can change.Geri Meftah Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00596915249757782612noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7074545955842912793.post-15790875614218110622013-05-25T19:03:54.613+02:002013-05-25T19:03:54.613+02:00Yes Anne, Patrick and Arthur are finally getting t...Yes Anne, Patrick and Arthur are finally getting their due, as is Mrs. Gaskell, though I still believe it helped Charlotte's name at the time...even though it caused so much pain to both men. If only they had read Gaskell's manuscript before publishing...I'm sure a happy medium could have occured that would have still benefited Charlotte without scourging their names. Ellen Nussey deserves a lot of 'scolding' for her part in it all too...she misled Gaskell on a number of fronts in her jealousy of Arthur. But much good did come from her as well...thank heavens she saved all of her letters from Charlotte...such a treasure. 24 Cornershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630767883910250689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7074545955842912793.post-81606595631110348042013-05-22T20:07:50.288+02:002013-05-22T20:07:50.288+02:00It's interesting that there is a letter of Mr...It's interesting that there is a letter of Mrs Gaskell's where she calls Charlotte's work " naughty books". Her book is about Elizabeth Gaskell, High Victorian Novelist, wanting to reshape Charlotte Bronte, Genius into an image she much preferred. <br /><br />This also throws an interesting light on Elizabeth Gaskell wanting to "edit" The Professor" after CB's death to remove its "coarseness" and fit it in with her book about Charlotte . <br /><br />Charlotte's husband ,Arthur Bell Nicholls reread " The Professor ". Declared it fine, was confounded over what Gaskell saw as "course" in it. Arthur would not permit it being published if it was touched. It was therefore published as Charlotte wrote it <br /><br />He did not have to have CB's intellect . His instincts were rather marvelous. Something Charlotte came to realize. And frankly Charlotte just about never engaged in rewriting either . She would say about a piece of writing the mood is past and it must stand as is<br /><br />Mrs Gaskell simply wanted " The Professor" to be of a piece with her bio . I even wonder if she actually cared about Charlotte. She kept putting off a visit to Haworth in the fall of '54, saying she was too busy with her book...when in fact Mrs Gaskell had gone on to her new interest and just as important, the newer sensation , Florance Nightingale, staying with her 2 times in Oct of that year. <br /><br />CB's death reinvigorated Gaskell.s interest in her greatly to say the least<br /><br />Thankfully Patrick and Arthur are finally getting their due today.<br /><br /> It's intolerable these men not only suffered the horrific loss of Charlotte herself , they also suffered the willful blacking of their names in regards to their relationship with her . How that must have added to their pain. <br /><br />Finally, Mrs Gaskell has been called to account for , well, her lies. ...<br /> what else can you call them? Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05033117202223821117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7074545955842912793.post-23974524424701682912013-05-21T19:49:34.278+02:002013-05-21T19:49:34.278+02:00Geri, I read Lucaste's bool prior to Juliet Ba...Geri, I read Lucaste's bool prior to Juliet Barker's, but much prefer Juliet's. I also love Rebecca Fraser's biography. Both Lucaste's and Juliet's books really opened my eyes to what a diservice Elizabeth Gaskell did to Patrick and Arthur, but I suppose for the times, it was good for Charlotte's name and reputation, society sympathized with her and forgave her the "courseness" of her writings. Now, during our times, we can handle the reality of the true and raw emotions she expressed so much better.<br />xo J~24 Cornershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630767883910250689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7074545955842912793.post-64530408153946523922013-05-17T15:57:36.748+02:002013-05-17T15:57:36.748+02:00What is fascinating about 150 years of books about...What is fascinating about 150 years of books about the Brontë is they often say more about the individual author than the Brontës. The Brontës are a mere canvas for their ideas . <br /><br />When society says women should stay at home, Emily is favored. When society feels women should be ambitious, Charlotte is favored. Because we have so many years between them and now, we can see many mood swings in society. <br /><br />Then there are those who love Branwell and think Charlotte was a horror ...but I feel if they themselves had to deal with Branwell for any length of time , we would find them running from the Parsonage lol <br /><br />Malham Dembleby thought Charlotte wrote everything with the Brontë name on it. One can dismiss this as most do ...but his showing the Brontë novels in side by side columns in his book is an eye opener. There are many striking similarities.<br /><br />Really, a Brontë fan should read all these books and decide for themselves.... just as you are doing. :)Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05033117202223821117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7074545955842912793.post-82698366253701918182013-05-16T08:26:51.797+02:002013-05-16T08:26:51.797+02:00Great post!
I have read Marion Harland's &quo...Great post!<br /><br />I have read Marion Harland's "Charlotte Bronte at home" from 1899 and found it excellent.<br /><br />http://tinyurl.com/bkrmccn<br /><br /> Harland met one of the Garth sisters in old age and in the US...thanks to this meeting we know a great deal about the family's younger days than would be lost to us other wise. <br /><br />A very diffrent view of Patrick emerges from these pages ...but this view of him was not allowed to contradict the mad Patrick found in The Gaskell Holy Scriptures <br /><br />That only happened with Baker's book, " The Brontes" in 1994...almost 100 year later<br /><br /><br /> Marion Harland has an interesting dedication to her book<br /><br /><br /><i> To THE REVEREND J WADE <br /><br />for thirty seven years incumbent of Haworth in cordial appreciation of the unfailing courtesy and kindly aid extended by him to the American stranger within his gates This Volume is Gratefully Dedicated </i><br /><br />So it seems he was not always hostile to topic of the Brontes <br /><br /><br />Also whether one accepts Malham Dembleby's fascinating view that Charlotte wrote everything, or not , a Bronte fan should read his very interesting book " The key to the Bronte's work" . You learn a great deal<br /><br />Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05033117202223821117noreply@blogger.com