A very powerful piece of writing Kate. I didn't know anything about the Brontes' mother Maria. Such tragedy within the family is heartbreaking. But some of their qualities have been memorialized in their literature.
Thank you, Lucy. I haven't heard much about her before either. I was so touched by how progressive she appears to have been, and at the amazing women around her.
This is such a beautiful essay ❤️ that family is truly fascinating! It’s so tragic that so many members of the family passed away so young, but I love the takeaways you’ve highlighted here about sisterhood and matriarchs. Maria sounds like a force to be reckoned with 😍
I think you've just given me a better title for the essay: "Sisterhood and Matriarchs" 😄 Thank you for reading, I fell in love with both Maria and Aunt Bramwell tbh 💙
Haha I love it 😂 they sound incredible, the idea of a surrogate mother coming all that way (and sacrificing a lot) to care for children who weren’t her own. Just amazing!
I recently read "This Dark Night" by Deborah Lutz. Not only does it tell far more about the Bronte family than any other biographies I've read, but it also showed me how independent and feisty these young women were. The early deaths (basically everyone but the father) are also devastating. Great series on mother/daughter connections, Kate.
Thank you, I will for sure put Deborah Lutz’s biography in my TBR, it sounds really interesting.
I read somewhere (maybe here on substack!) that probably the illnesses that struck the Brontë family (except for the two elderly sisters, who fell ill away from home) were likely due also to the fact that the cemetery was close to the family's house and that it polluted the water they used to drink.
Who knows what all those great minds would have produced, if they had the chance to live in a better place? It's such a shame that we lost them when they were all so young!
What a wonderful essay, Kate. I was interested in all I learned about Maria Bronte, and the ways all of this was passed into her children, even in the short amount of time she was alive to influence them. I do feel so much affection for this family and all they survived together. Yes, life was hard, but always they had each other and their shared imaginations, and in that they were able to thrive.
I was also thinking about this in relation to Sylvia Plath and her difficult relationship with Aurelia. I think if Maria had lived she would have continued to encourage her girls with enthusiasm, and they would have responded with equal amounts of independence and determination.
Thank you, Becca. Yes, I felt so drawn to the family after leaning more about them. I think we often think of them as isolated and naive, but learning more about Maria and Patrick's relationship, and the ways they influenced their daughters paints a different picture.
I’ve always loved the story of Patrick and Maria! It’s so beautiful and sad! Great post :)
Thank you, Mariella! I was so overcome with affection for them after reading about their letters that I posted this essay 5 days early 😄
Thanks for this interesting and informative post. The story of the Brontes is always fascinating.
Ah, I find them so fascinating too! Thank you for reading 😊
A very powerful piece of writing Kate. I didn't know anything about the Brontes' mother Maria. Such tragedy within the family is heartbreaking. But some of their qualities have been memorialized in their literature.
Thank you, Lucy. I haven't heard much about her before either. I was so touched by how progressive she appears to have been, and at the amazing women around her.
Such a wonderful piece. Wow, they were harrowing times, talk about confusing with all those Janes.
I know right?!
This is such a beautiful essay ❤️ that family is truly fascinating! It’s so tragic that so many members of the family passed away so young, but I love the takeaways you’ve highlighted here about sisterhood and matriarchs. Maria sounds like a force to be reckoned with 😍
I think you've just given me a better title for the essay: "Sisterhood and Matriarchs" 😄 Thank you for reading, I fell in love with both Maria and Aunt Bramwell tbh 💙
Haha I love it 😂 they sound incredible, the idea of a surrogate mother coming all that way (and sacrificing a lot) to care for children who weren’t her own. Just amazing!
I recently read "This Dark Night" by Deborah Lutz. Not only does it tell far more about the Bronte family than any other biographies I've read, but it also showed me how independent and feisty these young women were. The early deaths (basically everyone but the father) are also devastating. Great series on mother/daughter connections, Kate.
Thanks so much for reading, Kirie! I keep going back to Lutz's fantastic biography; it has so many new ideas about the Bronte's.
Yeah, her biography tossed on its head every other perspective on those awesome women! I felt and feel inspired.
Thank you, I will for sure put Deborah Lutz’s biography in my TBR, it sounds really interesting.
I read somewhere (maybe here on substack!) that probably the illnesses that struck the Brontë family (except for the two elderly sisters, who fell ill away from home) were likely due also to the fact that the cemetery was close to the family's house and that it polluted the water they used to drink.
Who knows what all those great minds would have produced, if they had the chance to live in a better place? It's such a shame that we lost them when they were all so young!
So true! It really is heartbreaking 💔
I hope you enjoy the book. What I loved about it was the way the biographer examined their lives rather than just the tragedy of their early deaths.
What a wonderful essay, Kate. I was interested in all I learned about Maria Bronte, and the ways all of this was passed into her children, even in the short amount of time she was alive to influence them. I do feel so much affection for this family and all they survived together. Yes, life was hard, but always they had each other and their shared imaginations, and in that they were able to thrive.
I was also thinking about this in relation to Sylvia Plath and her difficult relationship with Aurelia. I think if Maria had lived she would have continued to encourage her girls with enthusiasm, and they would have responded with equal amounts of independence and determination.
Thank you, Becca. Yes, I felt so drawn to the family after leaning more about them. I think we often think of them as isolated and naive, but learning more about Maria and Patrick's relationship, and the ways they influenced their daughters paints a different picture.