Career

Sharlotte Bronte 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.