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todayschristianwoman/charlotte brontes radical cour:
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I’m so thankful that Charlotte Bronte had the courage to follow her calling.
I could go on and on about Charlotte’s courage: her courage to reject two marriage proposals and remain single because of her convictions about love and equality; her courage to press through grief when both sisters and her brother died of illness in a relatively short time frame; her courage eventually to risk her heart and marry a friend she’d grown to love.
Bronte’s courage, both in her literary works and personal life, stemmed from her deeply-rooted faith.
Unfortunately, the spiritual aspects of Bronte’s work are often overlooked or misunderstood. Many movie versions of Jane Eyre seem to be stripped of the Christian themes driving the novel’s narrative (Bronte’s novel quotes Scripture, for goodness sake!). Further, James’s Secret Diaries and Gaskell’s Life of Charlotte Bronte both downplay and misstate her faith, portraying it as a fairly unimportant part of her life. (Gaskell, who was a Unitarian, further skews Bronte’s beliefs as she interprets them through her own less-than-orthodox theological lens.)
Yet we know, particularly from Bronte’s letters to her friend Ellen Nussey and correspondence from her eventual courtship and marriage to pastor Arthur Bell Nicholls, that her Christian faith was in fact a profoundly significant part of her identity. This faith in Christ, this deeply ingrained theology, this disciplined spiritual life drove and inspired what some scholars have dubbed Bronte’s “radical Protestant feminism.” Though her views seem tame to us 21st-century readers, it was in fact “radical” in her day to believe that there was an inherent God-given equality between men and women and to assert that women had something important to offer the world and the church.
Charlotte had much cause for discouragement in her life: she lived as a “spinster” in a culture in which singleness was less-than encouraged. She tragically lost close friends and beloved family members to death and disease. She dealt with entrenched gender-barriers as she sought to pursue her call to write. I’m certain—and we can see this in her letters—that Bronte faced periods of intense discouragement. Yet in her pattern of regular Bible reading and memorization, I like to imagine her reading and contemplating these lines: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
I’m thankful that Bronte held such “radical” views about women. I’m glad she created Jane, a protagonist whose passionate personality and Christian virtue continue to inspire women across the globe. And I’m especially grateful that Bronte found the courage to answer God’s call to write—and to make a profound mark on literature that will continue to endure.
Kelli B. Trujillo is a contributing editor to Kyria.com. She is the author of Faith-Filled Moments: Helping Kids See God in Everyday Life and Busy Mom’s Guide to Spiritual Survival. www.kellitrujillo.com
todayschristianwoman/charlotte brontes radical cour:
.png)
I’m so thankful that Charlotte Bronte had the courage to follow her calling.
I could go on and on about Charlotte’s courage: her courage to reject two marriage proposals and remain single because of her convictions about love and equality; her courage to press through grief when both sisters and her brother died of illness in a relatively short time frame; her courage eventually to risk her heart and marry a friend she’d grown to love.
Bronte’s courage, both in her literary works and personal life, stemmed from her deeply-rooted faith.
Unfortunately, the spiritual aspects of Bronte’s work are often overlooked or misunderstood. Many movie versions of Jane Eyre seem to be stripped of the Christian themes driving the novel’s narrative (Bronte’s novel quotes Scripture, for goodness sake!). Further, James’s Secret Diaries and Gaskell’s Life of Charlotte Bronte both downplay and misstate her faith, portraying it as a fairly unimportant part of her life. (Gaskell, who was a Unitarian, further skews Bronte’s beliefs as she interprets them through her own less-than-orthodox theological lens.)
Yet we know, particularly from Bronte’s letters to her friend Ellen Nussey and correspondence from her eventual courtship and marriage to pastor Arthur Bell Nicholls, that her Christian faith was in fact a profoundly significant part of her identity. This faith in Christ, this deeply ingrained theology, this disciplined spiritual life drove and inspired what some scholars have dubbed Bronte’s “radical Protestant feminism.” Though her views seem tame to us 21st-century readers, it was in fact “radical” in her day to believe that there was an inherent God-given equality between men and women and to assert that women had something important to offer the world and the church.
Charlotte had much cause for discouragement in her life: she lived as a “spinster” in a culture in which singleness was less-than encouraged. She tragically lost close friends and beloved family members to death and disease. She dealt with entrenched gender-barriers as she sought to pursue her call to write. I’m certain—and we can see this in her letters—that Bronte faced periods of intense discouragement. Yet in her pattern of regular Bible reading and memorization, I like to imagine her reading and contemplating these lines: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
I’m thankful that Bronte held such “radical” views about women. I’m glad she created Jane, a protagonist whose passionate personality and Christian virtue continue to inspire women across the globe. And I’m especially grateful that Bronte found the courage to answer God’s call to write—and to make a profound mark on literature that will continue to endure.
Kelli B. Trujillo is a contributing editor to Kyria.com. She is the author of Faith-Filled Moments: Helping Kids See God in Everyday Life and Busy Mom’s Guide to Spiritual Survival. www.kellitrujillo.com
Charlotte's courage was amazing. It inspired awe during her life time and even today. But she was born of very courageous people . Much courage is found in her parent's histories as well as her sister's and even Aunt! It's a family trait.
BeantwoordenVerwijderen(Gaskell, who was a Unitarian, further skews Bronte’s beliefs as she interprets them through her own less-than-orthodox theological lens.)
Few also seem to ponder if Mrs G 's attack on Patrick Bronte was in part an attack on the Established church itself...I think that has to be considered
The author points out CB's radical stances, but missed one of the most important : Charlotte did not believe God would forever damn one of his creations...( this creed is found though the books, but most simply it is explained by Helen Burns in Jane Eyre) very radical for her time and which she revived a good deal of criticism. It was clever to put it in the mouth of a child. That way it would be somewhat more acceptable...but not by much
Anne held this belief too. It was what her teenage religious crisis was about. She knew who to call to help her there...someone who would assure her she was saved regardless as all were ....and she went on with that creed for the rest of her life . Looking at Emily's poems,
There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou -- Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.
I think it can be said she agreed .
For the sisters this stance was an answer to the Calvinism .They formed this answering creed within their hearts and also found it in nature. It's part of their devotion to the moors . Their God was a God of mercy...however that didn't mean they spared themselves the rod...both CB and Anne were very hard on themselves as " sinners" ...but in the end , could not agree God's creation would ever be lost or forever damned whatever its sins.
That took courage