Chander's Memory Lane: Chander is A History Buff Episode 5

Chander is A History Buff Episode 5

Greetings to my readers.

This blog is dedicated to book lovers and in particular to literary books of olden time, who are keen in knowing the history of the author of a book, they read and love to read again and again! I am one such book lover and here I am going to write about an author, Charlotte Bronte and her life sketched by Mrs.Gaskell.

The Book: The Life of Charlotte Bronte

By: Mrs.Gaskell, Published by: Smith, Elder, & Co., 15 Waterloo Place, Year of publication: 1889 ( First published in 1857)

This is a pocket book edition, bound in half cloth with uncut edges, which seems to be special for me! In addition, the facing page of the title page contains the portrait of Charlotte Bronte by George Richmond in 1850,with her signature : Sincerely yours – C Bronte.

The 447 page book with XXVIII chapters.

Special mention: There are many notes in ink and pencil marked while reading the book, by the original owner alongside the text! ( may be made in 1889 ).

Charlotte Bronte: As recently as 2017, The Life of Charlotte Brontë was listed in The Guardian (UK) as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time! Charlotte was a literary star on both sides of the Atlantic, so it was exciting to find this 1857 review published in a Washington, D.C., newspaper:

An 1857 review of The Life of Charlotte Brontë

An original review dated June 4, 1857, The National Era, Washington, D.C.: A sadder book than this we have never read. The very volumes which gave to Charlotte Brontë her brilliant reputation are less sad, less gloomy than this — the true story of her life. It is only through this sorrowful tale that her books can be understood — it is only after reading it, that we can do her justice.

Charlotte Brontë was a woman of heroic character, of great nobility of heart. Sorrows which would have crushed others, or driven them made, seemed by to sadden her, and add gloom to her soul. Not for a moment did she give way, but continued her steady work, her life of unremitting industry.

Charlotte Brontë (1816 – 1855) outlived all five of her siblings, including her literary sisters, Emily and Anne. The grief at losing her sisters at ages thirty and twenty-nine, respectively, may have been easing with the happiness she found as the wife of Arthur Bell Nichols, and the widespread recognition of her talents as a writer.

Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Villette had all been published, and Charlotte was recognized as a major talent. Her books sold well, too. And though she was still known as “Currer Bell,” the male pseudonym she’d use to break into the publishing world, her true identity had been established.

But it was not to last. When Charlotte died of complications due to pregnancy in 1855, she had nearly reached her thirty-ninth birthday.

Two years after her death, The Professor, the first novel she had written (but which remained unpublished in her lifetime) was published. The Life of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell was also published that same year (1857), helping to seal her legacy and reputation. Mrs. Gaskell, as she was known, was at the time also a respected novelist, having published Mary Barton and Ruth.

The Author, Mrs.Elizabeth Gaskell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Gaskell

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (née Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of Victorian society, including the very poor. Her work is of interest to social historians as well as readers of literature. Her first novel, Mary Barton, was published in 1848. Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Brontë, published in 1857, was the first biography of Charlotte Brontë. In this biography, she wrote only of the moral, sophisticated things in Brontë’s life; the rest she left out, deciding that certain, more salacious aspects were better kept hidden. Among Gaskell's best known novels are Cranford (1851–53), North and South (1854–55), and Wives and Daughters (1865), each having been adapted for television by the BBC.

The history of Charlotte Bronte may induce the readers to read her books. Let us start searching for copies from Internet Archives and begin reading. Of course Audio Books are also available in YouTube, for listeners in separate volumes running to many hours! One of the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP4e-PKH9jY

See you soon with more books of antiquity and the history of the book and it’s author…

Photos of my copy of the book...