The Brontës in Context (Literature in Context)
Cambridge University Press, 11/1/2012
EAN 9780521761864, ISBN10: 0521761867
Hardcover, 426 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
Language: English
Very few families produce one outstanding writer. The Brontë family produced three. The works of Charlotte, Emily and Anne remain immensely popular, and are increasingly being studied in relation to the surroundings and wider context that formed them. The forty-two new essays in this book tell 'the Brontë story' as it has never been told before, drawing on the latest research and the best available scholarship while offering new perspectives on the writings of the sisters. A section on Brontë criticism traces their reception to the present day. The works of the sisters are explored in the context of social, political and cultural developments in early-nineteenth-century Britain, with attention given to religion, education, art, print culture, agriculture, law and medicine. Crammed with information, The Brontës in Context shows how the Brontës' fiction interacts with the spirit of the time, suggesting reasons for its enduring fascination.
Chronology
Introduction Marianne Thormählen
Part I. Places, Persons and Publishing
1. Haworth in the time of the Brontës Michael Baumber
2. Domestic life at Haworth Parsonage Ann Dinsdale
3. Northern-England locations associated with the Brontës' lives and works Ann Dinsdale
4. The father of the Brontës Dudley Green
5. A mother and her substitutes
Maria Brontë (née Branwell), Elizabeth Branwell and Margaret Wooler Bob Duckett
6. Patrick Branwell Brontë Victor A. Neufeldt
7. Charlotte Brontë Dinah Birch
8. Emily Brontë Lyn Pykett
9. Anne Brontë Maria Frawley
10. Friends, servants and a husband Stephen Whitehead
11. The Brontës' sibling bonds Drew Lamonica Arms
12. Juvenilia Christine Alexander
13. The Brussels experience Sue Lonoff
14. The Brontë correspondence Margaret Smith
15. Portraits of the Brontës Jane Sellars
16. The poetry of the Brontës Janet Gezari
17. Literary influences on the Brontës Sara J. Lodge
18. The Brontës' way into print Linda H. Peterson
19. Reading the Brontës
their first audiences Stephen Colclough
Part II. Scholarship, Criticism, Adaptations and Translations
20. Brontë biography
a survey of a genre Tom Winnifrith
21. Mid-nineteenth-century critical responses to the Brontës Miriam Elizabeth Burstein
22. Brontë scholarship and criticism, 1920–70 Herbert Rosengarten
23. Brontë scholarship and criticism, approx. 1970–2000 Sara J. Lodge
24. Current trends in Brontë criticism and scholarship Alexandra Lewis
25. Adaptations, prequels, sequels, translations Patsy Stoneman
Part III. Historical and Cultural Contexts
26. Religion David Jasper
27. The philosophical-intellectual context Stephen Prickett
28. Education Dinah Birch
29. Art and music Christine Alexander
30. Natural history Barbara T. Gates
31. Politics Simon Avery
32. Newspapers and magazines Joanne Shattock
33. Agriculture and industry Marianne Thormählen with Steven Wood
34. Transport and travel Edward Chitham
35. Law Ian Ward
36. Class Elizabeth Langland
37. Careers for middle-class women Elizabeth Langland
38. Marriage and family life Marianne Thormählen
39. Dress Birgitta Berglund
40. Sexuality Jill L. Matus
41. Physical health Janis McLarren Caldwell
42. Mental health Janis McLarren Caldwell
Further reading
Index.