The Life of Charlotte Brontë

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The posthumous biography of Charlotte Brontë, authored by Elizabeth Gaskell and published in 1857, draws extensively from the letters Brontë sent to her close friend Ellen Nussey. Gaskell navigated sensitive topics, notably toning down her portrayal of the Clergy Daughters' School, which Charlotte and her sisters attended, to avoid legal repercussions from its founder, Rev. William Carus Wilson. While the biography refrains from directly blaming him for the deaths of two Brontë sisters, the Carus Wilson family issued a rebuttal against Gaskell's claims. Additionally, Gaskell chose to omit details regarding Charlotte's affection for Constantin Heger, a married man, to prevent scandal and distress for Charlotte's surviving relatives and friends. References to Charlotte's romance with her publisher, George Smith, were also excluded. Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three surviving Brontë sisters, is celebrated for her novels, including the iconic "Jane Eyre," which she published under the pen name Currer Bell. Born in Thornton, Yorkshire, Charlotte was the third of six children in a family marked by tragedy, particularly following the death of her mother, Maria, in 1821, which left her and her siblings in the care of their aunt, Elizabeth Branwell.