Emily Brontë

1818-1848. English novelist.

Childhood

Emily Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, in the north of England. She had four sisters (Charlotte, Anne, Elizabeth and Maria) and one brother (Branwell). Emily, Charlotte and Branwell were born in Thornton , while Elizabeth and Maria were born in Hartshead. Her father, Patrick Brontë, had moved from Ireland to Weatherfield, in Essex, where he taught in Sunday school. Eventually he settled in Yorkshire, the centre of his life's work. The lonely purple moors became one of the most important place in the life of the Brontë sisters and it was Emily's home until her death.

Emily's mother died of cancer in 1821. The six children spent most of their time reading and composing. After Mrs. Brontë's death, her sister, Elizabeth Barnwell, came from Cornwall to act as housekeeper; she trained the girls meticulously in all the household arts.

Education

In 1824 Emily and her three sisters were sent to Cowan Bridge School, a school for the daughters of impoverished clergymen. Conditions in that school were frightful, and as a result Maria and Elizabeth died and Charlotte became ill. Then Mr. Bronte brought Emily and Charlotte home. After she returned from Cowan Bridge School, she was largely educated at home; her father's bookshelf offered a variety of reading: the Bible, Homer, Virgil, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, Walter Scott and many others. When Charlotte was at the age of fifteen, she was sent to school at Roe Head and when she returned, she acted as a tutor to Emily and Anne. In 1835 Charlotte returned to Roe Head as a teacher and took Emily with her as a student. But Emily suffered from homesickness and returned home after only a few months.

Works

• She wrote one novel, Wuthering Heights (1845-1846)
• Poems (Emily's poems are used to interpret her novel, particularly those discussing isolation, rebellion, and freedom)

Sources

• http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily-Bronte.
• James, Janet. Wuthering Heights Notes. Hesslington: U of York P, 1993.