Charlotte Brontë, early June 1854 (letter to Elizabeth Gaskell): “The wedding dress [which was made in Halifax] – I wholly decline the responsibility. It must be charged upon a sort of friendly compulsion or over-persuasion. Nothing would satisfy my friends but white, which I told you I would not wear. Accordingly the dressed me in white by way of trial – vowed away their consciences that nothing had ever suited me so well – and white I had to buy and did buy to my own amazement”
I love this letter of Charlotte's. It displays her marvellous dry humor. It's not known who it was written to, Mrs Gaskell is a guess. It's my contention this letter was written to Arthur Bell Nicholls, Charlotte's future husband.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenGoing on about the dress was some more of Charlotte's humor, tweaking him for his demands to " know all", she even threaten to send him material if she had it!
I'm petty sure Charlotte had told Arthur she would not wear white when wedding plans were made( that would be just like her ) and most tellingly, Charlotte signed the note "CB ", her most intimate signature. It was rarely used and never to Mrs.Gaskell.
This is a very humorous letter and humor was a very important foundation of the relationship between Arthur and Charlotte. This is Charlotte's home self. I feel CB's self deprecation humor is so pointed and sharp (calling herself a clown),this has to be addressed to a person who adores her...A. B.Nicholls