She
wrote her first novella ‘The Green Dwarf’ in 1833 under the pen name Wellesley.
She also began working as a teacher at Roe Head from 1835 to 1838.
She
found job as a governess in 1839. Over the next couple of years she would work
in this position for several families in Yorkshire.
Charlotte
and Emily went to Brussels in 1842 to study under the institution of Constantin
Heger and his wife Claire Zoe Heger. In return for their services, Charlotte
taught English and Emily taught music at the school run by the Hegers.
The
sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne decided to pursue their writing careers and
chose masculine sounding names as their pseudonyms—Currer, Ellis and Acton
Bell. They published a joint collection of poetry under these names in May
1846.
Charlotte
had begun work on a novel called ‘The Professor’. However she could not find a
publisher; this novel was ultimately published years later, after her death.
Her
first published novel was ‘Jane Eyre’ which was released in 1847. It was
published under her pen name Currer Bell. The novel focused on the story of a
plain governess by the name of Jane who falls in love with her employer Mr.
Rochester. The novel is credited to have revolutionized the art of fiction.
‘Jane
Eyre’ became a highly popular book and was a huge commercial success. It was
also reviewed very favorably. The book combined elements of gothic melodrama
with naturalism which was an innovation in literature of those times.
The
success of her debut novel motivated Charlotte to continue writing. She was
working on her second novel ‘Shirley’ when multiple tragedies struck the Bronte
household—three family members died within a period of eight months. Charlotte
drowned herself in writing as a means of coping with her grief.
‘Shirley’
was out in 1849. The novel was set in Yorkshire and covered the period of
industrial depression. The book dealt with the themes of industrial unrest and
the role of women in society. This work of literature could not however match
up to the success of its predecessor.
Even
though she initially wrote under the male name of Currer Bell, her publisher insisted
that she reveal her true identity following the success of her novels. After
revealing herself to the world, she became friends with Harriet Martineau and
Elizabeth Gaskell.
The
last novel published during her lifetime, ‘Villette’ was released in 1853. It
told of the story of a woman, Lucy and her adventures and romance. The novel is
noted for the tracing of the protagonist’s psychology and for exploring gender
roles in society.
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