Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life [Paperback]

Lyndall Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 1996

This critically acclaimed portrait of Charlotte Bronte looks beyond the insistent image of the modest Victorian lady, the slave to duty in the shadow of tombstones, to reveal a strong, fiery woman who shaped her own life and transformed it into art. Drawing on Bronte's unpublished letters, journals, early stories, and the manuscript of Villette, her last, unfinished novel, Gordon takes readers into the unseen space in which Bronte was able to live and create. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this eloquent revisionist biography of English novelist Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), Gordon (Shared Lives) argues that she hid a passionate nature beneath the facade of a dutiful Victorian woman. She and her sisters Anne (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) and Emily (Wuthering Heights) penned fiction and poetry during Yorkshire evenings at the Haworth Parsonage where they lived with their dictatorial father. Although the sisters initially published under male pseudonyms, Charlotte revealed their identities after she wrote Jane Eyre (1847). Gordon draws on letters and her analysis of Charlotte's autobiographical fiction (Shirley; Villette) to reveal an ambitious writer with tart humor who raged against the constraints society placed on her sex, as well as a woman who, after two unrequited love affairs, embarked on a brief but happy marriage. Earlier accounts that portrayed Charlotte as a lonely, tragic figure, Gordon maintains, were skewed because of the morality of the times and Charlotte's grief at the deaths of her two sisters and brother Branwell. Illustrations.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA?After her death, Charlotte Bronte's father, husband, lifelong friends, and her first biographer set about to whitewash her character. While this may be a somewhat harsh evaluation, it does seem that the efforts of these original guardians of her legacy have served to lessen the impact of her personality and made the passionate life of Gordon's title into one befitting a proper and pious Victorian wife and daughter. In this fascinating look at her true motives and desires, Gordon shows that Charlotte continually desired to push to the limits the situation of women in Victorian life. In a readable and engrossing account, the author leads readers into the mind and even the soul of her subject. They can follow her development from a romantic, solitary child, happy only in the company of her siblings; through her life as a student, teacher, governess; and finally as a wife. YAs will come to understand why, in the end, she willingly sacrifices her art for her marriage. This is a vivid description of the place of women in Victorian society as well as an excellent biography. It includes extensive notes, a bibliography, both primary and secondary sources with much coverage of the Brontes' juvenalia, as well as photographs and sketches.?Susan H. Woodcock, King's Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. (May 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393314480
• ISBN-13: 978-0393314489
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charlotte Bronte A Passionate Life, February 20, 2000

By 

Caroline Anderson (Walnut Creek, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life (Paperback)

From the time I first read "Jane Eyre" in high school until now, some 30 years and many re-readings later, I have never come across anything that made me feel I really could comprehend the woman behind the work, until I read this book,which I finished early this morning. "Jane Eyre" has always been my favorite novel... I have seen every movie adaptation, I have trudged the rainy streets of Haworth and the surrounding moors, I have read several biographies, I have read other Bronte works. You see, I thought if I understood Charlotte Bronte better, I would understand myself better, at least the part of myself that is so incredibly moved by Jane Eyre at every re-reading. I was THRILLED to find a book that leaves the strict biographical details to any of the numerous Bronte biographers and explores the soul behind the facts. It is wonderfully written in its own right and demonstrates incredible insight and respect for the Bronte genius. Without feeling like I was being manipulated by a feminist with an agenda, I came to appreciate the incredible strength of mind and character in a woman like Ms. Bronte, whose unique identity and voice couldn't be suppressed by her social and personal circumstances. My already profound admiration for Charlotte Bronte was only deepened after reading this book by Lundall Gordon for the first time.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passion for Language, September 17, 2006

By 

J. Clark "Nancy Clark" (Bergenfield, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life (Paperback)

At first I thought, "Oh, no, not ANOTHER life of Charlotte Bronte." But this one is worthwhile: convincing and upbeat. Rather than recording day-by-day events of Charlotte's life (usually viewed as pathetic), it emphasizes the miracle of her writing. I could not follow every step of Gordon's critical readings of the novels, but . . . Gordon offers so many other insights to feast upon regarding: the importance of Charlotte's letters, the Bronte family's place in society, the views of Mrs Gaskell, Charlotte's decision to marry Arthur, and the probable cause of her death. The comparison of Jane Eyre to Catherine Earnshaw and to Giselle of the ballet is only one example of Gordon's originality. The serious reader should also look up the reviews of the Times (London) and Independent (London).

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charlotte Bronte Brought out of the shadows., August 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life (Paperback)

Lyndall Gordon does an excellent job of retelling the life of Charlotte Bronte. In this book we see a different side of a woman who since Gaskell's novel, has been pitied. In this biography we find a Charlotte that is full of life and even with the sadness and death that surrounds her is able to continue to follow her own path. She does not crumble into oblivion. Lyndall also opens up parts of Charlotte's life ignored by Gaskell to protect Charlotte's image. This novel reveals a Charlotte Bronte that knows passion and love not just pain and loss. This is an excellent book for any person interested in the life of a incredible author who was as strong-willed as the characters she wrote.