We have seen how Charlotte Bronte and her sisters wrote from their
earliest years those little books which embodied their vague aspirations
after literary fame. Now and again the effort is admirable, notably in
_The Adventures of Ernest Alembert_, but on the whole it amounts to as
little as did the juvenile productions of Shelley. That poet, it will be
remembered, wrote _Zastrozzi_ at nineteen, and much else that was bad,
some of which he printed. Charlotte Bronte was mercifully restrained by
a well-nigh empty purse from this ill-considered rashness. It was not
till the death of their aunt had added to their slender resources that
the Bronte girls conceived the idea of actually publishing a book at
their own expense. They communicated with the now extinct firm of Aylott
& Jones of Paternoster Row, and Charlotte appears to have written many
letters to the firm, {325} only two or three of which are printed by Mrs.
Gaskell. The correspondence is comparatively insignificant, but as the
practical beginning of Charlotte's literary career, the hitherto
unpublished letters which have been preserved are perhaps worth
reproducing here.
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_January_ 28_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--May I request to be informed whether you would undertake
the publication of a collection of short poems in one volume, 8vo.
'If you object to publishing the work at your own risk, would you
undertake it on the author's account?--I am, gentlemen, your obedient
humble servant,
'C. BRONTE.
'Address--Rev. P. Bronte, Haworth, Bradford, Yorkshire.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_March_ 3_rd_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--I send a draft for 31 pounds, 10s., being the amount of
your estimate.
'I suppose there is nothing now to prevent your immediately
commencing the printing of the work.
'When you acknowledge the receipt of the draft, will you state how
soon it will be completed?--I am, gentlemen, yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_March_ 11_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--I have received the proof-sheet, and return it
corrected. If there is any doubt at all about the printer's
competency to correct errors, I would prefer submitting each sheet to
the inspection of the authors, because such a mistake, for instance,
as _tumbling_ stars, instead of _trembling_, would suffice to throw
an air of absurdity over a whole poem; but if you know from
experience that he is to be relied on, I would trust to your
assurance on the subject, and leave the task of correction to him, as
I know that a considerable saving both of time and trouble would be
thus effected.
'The printing and paper appear to me satisfactory. Of course I wish
to have the work out as soon as possible, but I am still more anxious
that it should be got up in a manner creditable to the publishers and
agreeable to the authors.--I am, gentlemen, yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_March_ 13_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--I return you the second proof. The authors have finally
decided that they would prefer having all the proofs sent to them in
turn, but you need not inclose the Ms., as they can correct the
errors from memory.--I am, gentlemen, yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_March_ 23_rd_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--As the proofs have hitherto come safe to hand under the
direction of C. Bronte, _Esq_., I have not thought it necessary to
request you to change it, but a little mistake having occurred
yesterday, I think it will be better to send them to me in future
under my real address, which is Miss Bronte, Rev. P. Bronte, etc.--I
am, gentlemen, yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_April_ 6_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--C., E., and A. Bell are now preparing for the press a
work of fiction, consisting of three distinct and unconnected tales,
which may be published either together, as a work of three volumes,
of the ordinary novel size, or separately as single volumes, as shall
be deemed most advisable.
'It is not their intention to publish these tales on their own
account. They direct me to ask you whether you would be disposed to
undertake the work, after having, of course, by due inspection of the
Ms., ascertained that its contents are such as to warrant an
expectation of success.
'An early answer will oblige, as, in case of your negativing the
proposal, inquiry must be made of other publishers.--I am, gentlemen,
yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_April_ 15_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--I have to thank you for your obliging answer to my last.
The information you give is of value to us, and when the MS. is
completed your suggestions shall be acted on.
'There will be no preface to the poems. The blank leaf may be filled
up by a table of contents, which I suppose the printer will prepare.
It appears the volume will be a thinner one than was calculated
on.--I am, gentlemen, yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_May_ 11_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--The books may be done up in the style of Moxon's
duodecimo edition of Wordsworth.
'The price may be fixed at 5s., or if you think that too much for the
size of the volume, say 4s.
'I think the periodicals I mentioned in my last will be sufficient
for advertising in at present, and I should not wish you to lay out a
larger sum than 2 pounds, especially as the estimate is increased by
nearly 5 pounds, in consequence, it appears, of a mistake. I should
think the success of a work depends more on the notice it receives
from periodicals, than on the quantity of advertisements.
'If you do not object, the additional amount of the estimate can be
remitted when you send in your account at the end of the first six
months.
'I should be obliged to you if you could let me know how soon copies
can be sent to the editors of the magazines and newspapers
specified.--I am, gentlemen, yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_May_ 25_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--I received yours of the 22nd this morning. I now
transmit 5 pounds, being the additional sum necessary to defray the
entire expense of paper and printing. It will leave a small surplus
of 11s. 9d., which you can place to my account.
'I am glad you have sent copies to the newspapers you mention, and in
case of a notice favourable or otherwise appearing in them, or in any
of the other periodicals to which copies have been sent, I should be
obliged to you if you would send me down the numbers; otherwise, I
have not the opportunity of seeing these publications regularly. I
might miss it, and should the poems be remarked upon favourably, it
is my intention to appropriate a further sum to advertisements. If,
on the other hand, they should pass unnoticed or be condemned, I
consider it would be quite useless to advertise, as there is nothing,
either in the title of the work or the names of the authors, to
attract attention from a single individual.--I am, gentlemen, yours
truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO AYLOTT & JONES
'_July_ 10_th_, 1846.
'GENTLEMEN,--I am directed by the Messrs. Bell to acknowledge the
receipt of the _Critic_ and the _Athenaeum_ containing notices of the
poems.
'They now think that a further sum of 10 pounds may be devoted to
advertisements, leaving it to you to select such channels as you deem
most advisable.
'They would wish the following extract from the _Critic_ to be
appended to each advertisement:--
'"They in whose hearts are chords strung by Nature to sympathise with
the beautiful and the true, will recognise in these compositions the
presence of more genius than it was supposed this utilitarian age had
devoted to the loftier exercises of the intellect."
'They likewise request you to send copies of the poems to _Fraser's
Magazine_, _Chambers' Edinburgh Journal_, the Globe, and
_Examiner_.--I am, gentlemen, yours truly,
'C. BRONTE.'
To an appreciative editor Currer Bell wrote as follows:--
TO THE EDITOR OF THE 'DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE.'
'_October_ 6_th_, 1846.
'SIRS,--I thank you in my own name and that of my brothers, Ellis and
Acton, for the indulgent notice that appeared in your last number of
our first humble efforts in literature; but I thank you far more for
the essay on modern poetry which preceded that notice--an essay in
which seems to me to be condensed the very spirit of truth and
beauty. If all or half your other readers shall have derived from
its perusal the delight it afforded to myself and my brothers, your
labours have produced a rich result.
'After such criticism an author may indeed be smitten at first by a
sense of his own insignificance--as we were--but on a second and a
third perusal he finds a power and beauty therein which stirs him to
a desire to do more and better things. It fulfils the right end of
criticism: without absolutely crushing, it corrects and rouses. I
again thank you heartily, and beg to subscribe myself,--Your constant
and grateful reader,
'CURRER BELL.'
The reception which it met with from the public may be gathered from the
following letter which accompanied De Quincey's copy. {330}
TO THOMAS DE QUINCEY.
'_June_ 16_th_, 1847.
'SIRS,--My relatives, Ellis and Acton Bell, and myself, heedless of
the repeated warnings of various respectable publishers, have
committed the rash act of printing a volume of poems.
'The consequences predicted have, of course, overtaken us: our book
is found to be a drug; no man needs it or heeds it. In the space of
a year our publisher has disposed but of two copies, and by what
painful efforts he succeeded in getting rid of these two, himself
only knows.
'Before transferring the edition to the trunkmakers, we have decided
on distributing as presents a few copies of what we cannot sell; and
we beg to offer you one in acknowledgment of the pleasure and profit
we have often and long derived from your works.--I am, sir, yours
very respectfully,
'CURRER BELL.'
Charlotte Bronte could not have carried out the project of distribution
to any appreciable extent, as a considerable 'remainder' appear to have
been bound up with a new title-page by Smith & Elder. With this Smith &
Elder title-page, the book is not uncommon, whereas, with the Aylott &
Jones title-page it is exceedingly rare. Perhaps there were a dozen
review copies and a dozen presentation copies, in addition to the two
that were sold, but only three or four seem to have survived for the
pleasure of the latter-day bibliophile.
Here is the title-page in question:
POEMS
BY
CURRER, ELLIS
AND
ACTON BELL
LONDON
AYLOTT & JONES, 8 PATERNOSTER ROW
1846
We see by the letter to Aylott & Jones the first announcement of
_Wuthering Heights_, _Agnes Grey_, and _The Professor_. It would not
seem that there was much, or indeed any, difficulty in disposing of
_Wuthering Heights_ and _Agnes Grey_. They bear the imprint of Newby of
Mortimer Street, and they appeared in three uniform volumes, the two
first being taken up by _Wuthering Heights_, and the third by _Agnes
Grey_, {332a} which is quaintly marked as if it were a three-volumed
novel in itself, having 'Volume III' on title-page and binding. I have
said that there were no travels before the manuscripts of Emily and Anne.
That is not quite certain. Mrs. Gaskell implies that there were; but, at
any rate, there is no definite information on the subject. Newby, it is
clear, did not publish them until all the world was discussing _Jane
Eyre_. _The Professor_, by Currer Bell, had, however, travel enough! It
was offered to six publishers in succession before it came into the hands
of Mr. W. S. Williams, the 'reader' for Smith & Elder. The circumstance
of its courteous refusal by that firm, and the suggestion that a
three-volumed novel would be gladly considered, are within the knowledge
of all Charlotte Bronte's admirers. {332b}
One cannot but admire the fearless and uncompromising honesty with which
Charlotte Bronte sent the MSS. round with all its previous journeys
frankly indicated.
It is not easy at this time of day to understand why Mr. Williams refused
_The Professor_. The story is incomparably superior to the average
novel, and, indeed, contains touches which are equal to anything that
Currer Bell ever wrote. It seems to me possible that Charlotte Bronte
rewrote the story after its rejection, but the manuscript does not bear
out that impression. {332c}
Charlotte Bronte's method of writing was to take a piece of
cardboard--the broken cover of a book, in fact--and a few sheets of
note-paper, and write her first form of a story upon these sheets in a
tiny handwriting in pencil. She would afterwards copy the whole out upon
quarto paper very neatly in ink. None of the original pencilled MSS. of
her greater novels have been preserved. The extant manuscripts of _Jane
Eyre_ and _The Professor_ are in ink.
_Jane Eyre_ was written, then, under Mr. Williams's kind encouragement,
and immediately accepted. It was published in the first week of October
1847.
The following letters were received by Mr. Williams while the book was
beginning its course.
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_October_ 4_th_, 1847.
'DEAR SIR,--I thank you sincerely for your last letter. It is
valuable to me because it furnishes me with a sound opinion on points
respecting which I desired to be advised; be assured I shall do what
I can to profit by your wise and good counsel.
'Permit me, however, sir, to caution you against forming too
favourable an idea of my powers, or too sanguine an expectation of
what they can achieve. I am myself sensible both of deficiencies of
capacity and disadvantages of circumstance which will, I fear, render
it somewhat difficult for me to attain popularity as an author. The
eminent writers you mention--Mr. Thackeray, Mr. Dickens, Mrs. Marsh,
{333} etc., doubtless enjoyed facilities for observation such as I
have not; certainly they possess a knowledge of the world, whether
intuitive or acquired, such as I can lay no claim to, and this gives
their writings an importance and a variety greatly beyond what I can
offer the public.
'Still, if health be spared and time vouchsafed me, I mean to do my
best; and should a moderate success crown my efforts, its value will
be greatly enhanced by the proof it will seem to give that your kind
counsel and encouragement have not been bestowed on one quite
unworthy.--Yours respectfully,
'C. BELL.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_October_ 9_th_, 1847.
'DEAR SIR,--I do not know whether the _Dublin University Magazine_ is
included in the list of periodicals to which Messrs. Smith & Elder
are accustomed to send copies of new publications, but as a former
work, the joint production of myself and my two relatives, Ellis and
Acton Bell, received a somewhat favourable notice in that magazine,
it appears to me that if the editor's attention were drawn to _Jane
Eyre_ he might possibly bestow on it also a few words of remark.
'The_ Critic_ and the _Athenaeum_ also gave comments on the work I
allude to. The review in the first-mentioned paper was unexpectedly
and generously eulogistic, that in the _Athenaeum_ more qualified,
but still not discouraging. I mention these circumstances and leave
it to you to judge whether any advantage is derivable from them.
'You dispensed me from the duty of answering your last letter, but my
sense of the justness of the views it expresses will not permit me to
neglect this opportunity both of acknowledging it and thanking you
for it.--Yours sincerely,
'C. BELL.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'HAWORTH, _December_ 13_th_, 1847.
'DEAR SIR,--Your advice merits and shall have my most serious
attention. I feel the force of your reasoning. It is my wish to do
my best in the career on which I have entered. So I shall study and
strive; and by dint of time, thought, and effort, I hope yet to
deserve in part the encouragement you and others have so generously
accorded me. But time will be necessary--that I feel more than ever.
In case of _Jane Eyre_ reaching a second edition, I should wish some
few corrections to be made, and will prepare an errata. How would
the accompanying preface do? I thought it better to be brief.
'The _Observer_ has just reached me. I always compel myself to read
the analysis in every newspaper-notice. It is a just punishment, a
due though severe humiliation for faults of plan and construction. I
wonder if the analysis of other fictions read as absurdly as that of
_Jane Eyre_ always does.--I am, dear sir, yours respectfully,
'C. BELL.'
The following letter is interesting because it discusses the rejected
novel, and refers to the project of recasting it, which ended in the
writing of _Villette_. {335}
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_December_ 14_th_, 1847.
'DEAR SIR,--I have just received your kind and welcome letter of the
11th. I shall proceed at once to discuss the principal subject of
it.
'Of course a second work has occupied my thoughts much. I think it
would be premature in me to undertake a serial now--I am not yet
qualified for the task: I have neither gained a sufficiently firm
footing with the public, nor do I possess sufficient confidence in
myself, nor can I boast those unflagging animal spirits, that even
command of the faculty of composition, which as you say, and, I am
persuaded, most justly, is an indispensable requisite to success in
serial literature. I decidedly feel that ere I change my ground I
had better make another venture in the three volume novel form.
'Respecting the plan of such a work, I have pondered it, but as yet
with very unsatisfactory results. Three commencements have I
essayed, but all three displease me. A few days since I looked over
_The Professor_. I found the beginning very feeble, the whole
narrative deficient in incident and in general attractiveness. Yet
the middle and latter portion of the work, all that relates to
Brussels, the Belgian school, etc., is as good as I can write: it
contains more pith, more substance, more reality, in my judgment,
than much of _Jane Eyre_. It gives, I think, a new view of a grade,
an occupation, and a class of characters--all very commonplace, very
insignificant in themselves, but not more so than the materials
composing that portion of _Jane Eyre_ which seems to please most
generally.
'My wish is to recast _The Professor_, add as well as I can what is
deficient, retrench some parts, develop others, and make of it a
three volume work--no easy task, I know, yet I trust not an
impracticable one.
'I have not forgotten that _The Professor_ was set aside in my
agreement with Messrs. Smith & Elder; therefore before I take any
step to execute the plan I have sketched, I should wish to have your
judgment on its wisdom. You read or looked over the Ms.--what
impression have you now respecting its worth? and what confidence
have you that I can make it better than it is?
'Feeling certain that from business reasons as well as from natural
integrity you will be quite candid with me, I esteem it a privilege
to be able thus to consult you.--Believe me, dear sir, yours
respectfully,
'C. BELL.
'_Wuthering Heights_ is, I suppose, at length published, at least Mr.
Newby has sent the authors their six copies. I wonder how it will be
received. I should say it merits the epithets of "vigorous" and
"original" much more decidedly than _Jane Eyre_ did. _Agnes Grey_
should please such critics as Mr. Lewes, for it is "true" and
"unexaggerated" enough. The books are not well got up--they abound
in errors of the press. On a former occasion I expressed myself with
perhaps too little reserve regarding Mr. Newby, yet I cannot but
feel, and feel painfully, that Ellis and Acton have not had the
justice at his hands that I have had at those of Messrs. Smith &
Elder.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_December_ 31_st_, 1847.
'DEAR SIRS,--I think, for the reasons you mention, it is better to
substitute _author_ for _editor_. I should not be ashamed to be
considered the author of _Wuthering Heights_ and _Agnes Grey_, but,
possessing no real claim to that honour, I would rather not have it
attributed to me, thereby depriving the true authors of their just
meed.
'You do very rightly and very kindly to tell me the objections made
against _Jane Eyre_--they are more essential than the praises. I
feel a sort of heart-ache when I hear the book called "godless" and
"pernicious" by good and earnest-minded men; but I know that
heart-ache will be salutary--at least I trust so.
'What is meant by the charges of _trickery_ and _artifice_ I have yet
to comprehend. It was no art in me to write a tale--it was no trick
in Messrs. Smith & Elder to publish it. Where do the trickery and
artifice lie?
'I have received the _Scotsman_, and was greatly amused to see Jane
Eyre likened to Rebecca Sharp--the resemblance would hardly have
occurred to me.
'I wish to send this note by to-day's post, and must therefore
conclude in haste.--I am, dear sir, yours respectfully,
'C. BELL.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'HAWORTH, _January_ 4_th_, 1848.
'DEAR SIR,--Your letter made me ashamed of myself that I should ever
have uttered a murmur, or expressed by any sign that I was sensible
of pain from the unfavourable opinions of some misjudging but
well-meaning people. But, indeed, let me assure you, I am not
ungrateful for the kindness which has been given me in such abundant
measure. I can discriminate the proportions in which blame and
praise have been awarded to my efforts: I see well that I have had
less of the former and more of the latter than I merit. I am not
therefore crushed, though I may be momentarily saddened by the frown,
even of the good.
'It would take a great deal to crush me, because I know, in the first
place, that my own intentions were correct, that I feel in my heart a
deep reverence for religion, that impiety is very abhorrent to me;
and in the second, I place firm reliance on the judgment of some who
have encouraged me. You and Mr. Lewes are quite as good authorities,
in my estimation, as Mr. Dilke or the editor of the _Spectator_, and
I would not under any circumstances, or for any opprobrium, regard
with shame what my friends had approved--none but a coward would let
the detraction of an enemy outweigh the encouragement of a friend.
You must not, therefore, fulfil your threat of being less
communicative in future; you must kindly tell me all.
'Miss Kavanagh's view of the maniac coincides with Leigh Hunt's. I
agree with them that the character is shocking, but I know that it is
but too natural. There is a phase of insanity which may be called
moral madness, in which all that is good or even human seems to
disappear from the mind, and a fiend-nature replaces it. The sole
aim and desire of the being thus possessed is to exasperate, to
molest, to destroy, and preternatural ingenuity and energy are often
exercised to that dreadful end. The aspect, in such cases,
assimilates with the disposition--all seem demonized. It is true
that profound pity ought to be the only sentiment elicited by the
view of such degradation, and equally true is it that I have not
sufficiently dwelt on that feeling: I have erred in making _horror_
too predominant. Mrs. Rochester, indeed, lived a sinful life before
she was insane, but sin is itself a species of insanity--the truly
good behold and compassionate it as such.
'_Jane Eyre_ has got down into Yorkshire, a copy has even penetrated
into this neighbourhood. I saw an elderly clergyman reading it the
other day, and had the satisfaction of hearing him exclaim, "Why,
they have got --- School, and Mr. --- here, I declare! and Miss ---"
(naming the originals of Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst and Miss Temple).
He had known them all. I wondered whether he would recognise the
portraits, and was gratified to find that he did, and that, moreover,
he pronounced them faithful and just. He said, too, that Mr. ---
(Brocklehurst) "deserved the chastisement he had got."
'He did not recognise Currer Bell. What author would be without the
advantage of being able to walk invisible? One is thereby enabled to
keep such a quiet mind. I make this small observation in confidence.
'What makes you say that the notice in the _Westminster Review_ is
not by Mr. Lewes? It expresses precisely his opinions, and he said
he would perhaps insert a few lines in that periodical.
'I have sometimes thought that I ought to have written to Mr. Lewes
to thank him for his review in _Fraser_; and, indeed, I did write a
note, but then it occurred to me that he did not require the author's
thanks, and I feared it would be superfluous to send it, therefore I
refrained; however, though I have not _expressed_ gratitude I have
_felt_ it.
'I wish you, too, _many many_ happy new years, and prosperity and
success to you and yours.--Believe me, etc.,
'CURRER BELL.
'I have received the _Courier_ and the _Oxford Chronicle_.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_January_ 22_nd_, 1848.
'DEAR SIR,--I have received the _Morning Herald_, and was much
pleased with the notice, chiefly on account of the reference made to
that portion of the preface which concerns Messrs. Smith & Elder. If
my tribute of thanks can benefit my publishers, it is desirable that
it should have as much publicity as possible.
'I do not know if the part which relates to Mr. Thackeray is likely
to be as well received; but whether generally approved of and
understood or not, I shall not regret having written it, for I am
convinced of its truth.
'I see I was mistaken in my idea that the _Athenaeum_ and others
wished to ascribe the authorship of _Wuthering Heights_ to Currer
Bell; the contrary is the case, _Jane Eyre_ is given to Ellis Bell;
and Mr. Newby, it appears, thinks it expedient so to frame his
advertisements as to favour the misapprehension. If Mr. Newby had
much sagacity he would see that Ellis Bell is strong enough to stand
without being propped by Currer Bell, and would have disdained what
Ellis himself of all things disdains--recourse to trickery. However,
Ellis, Acton, and Currer care nothing for the matter personally; the
public and the critics are welcome to confuse our identities as much
as they choose; my only fear is lest Messrs. Smith & Elder should in
some way be annoyed by it.
'I was much interested in your account of Miss Kavanagh. The
character you sketch belongs to a class I peculiarly esteem: one in
which endurance combines with exertion, talent with goodness; where
genius is found unmarred by extravagance, self-reliance unalloyed by
self-complacency. It is a character which is, I believe, rarely
found except where there has been toil to undergo and adversity to
struggle against: it will only grow to perfection in a poor soil and
in the shade; if the soil be too indigent, the shade too dank and
thick, of course it dies where it sprung. But I trust this will not
be the case with Miss Kavanagh. I trust she will struggle ere long
into the sunshine. In you she has a kind friend to direct her, and I
hope her mother will live to see the daughter, who yields to her such
childlike duty, both happy and successful.
'You asked me if I should like any copies of the second edition of
_Jane Eyre_, and I said--no. It is true I do not want any for myself
or my acquaintances, but if the request be not unusual, I should much
like one to be given to Miss Kavanagh. If you would have the
goodness, you might write on the fly-leaf that the book is presented
with the author's best wishes for her welfare here and hereafter. My
reason for wishing that she should have a copy is because she said
the book had been to her a _suggestive_ one, and I know that
suggestive books are valuable to authors.
'I am truly sorry to hear that Mr. Smith has had an attack of the
prevalent complaint, but I trust his recovery is by this time
complete. I cannot boast entire exemption from its ravages, as I now
write under its depressing influence. Hoping that you have been more
fortunate,--I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
'C. BELL.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_March_ 3_rd_, 1848.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I have received the _Christian Remembrancer_, and read
the review. It is written with some ability; but to do justice was
evidently not the critic's main object, therefore he excuses himself
from performing that duty.
'I daresay the reviewer imagines that Currer Bell ought to be
extremely afflicted, very much cut up, by some smart things he
says--this however is not the case. C. Bell is on the whole rather
encouraged than dispirited by the review: the hard-wrung praise
extorted reluctantly from a foe is the most precious praise of
all--you are sure that this, at least, has no admixture of flattery.
I fear he has too high an opinion of my abilities and of what I can
do; but that is his own fault. In other respects, he aims his shafts
in the dark, and the success, or, rather, ill-success of his hits
makes me laugh rather than cry. His shafts of sarcasm are nicely
polished, keenly pointed; he should not have wasted them in shooting
at a mark he cannot see.
'I hope such reviews will not make much difference with me, and that
if the spirit moves me in future to say anything about priests, etc.,
I shall say it with the same freedom as heretofore. I hope also that
their anger will not make _me_ angry. As a body, I had no ill-will
against them to begin with, and I feel it would be an error to let
opposition engender such ill-will. A few individuals may possibly be
called upon to sit for their portraits some time; if their brethren
in general dislike the resemblance and abuse the artist--_tant
pis_!--Believe me, my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'C. BELL.'
It seems that Mr. Williams had hinted that Charlotte might like to
emulate Thackeray by illustrating her own books.
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_March_ 11_th_, 1848.
'DEAR SIR,--I have just received the copy of the second edition, and
will look over it, and send the corrections as soon as possible; I
will also, since you think it advisable, avail myself of the
opportunity of a third edition to correct the mistake respecting the
authorship of _Wuthering Heights_ and _Agnes Grey_.
'As to your second suggestion, it is, one can see at a glance, a very
judicious and happy one; but I cannot adopt it, because I have not
the skill you attribute to me. It is not enough to have the artist's
eye, one must also have the artist's hand to turn the first gift to
practical account. I have, in my day, wasted a certain quantity of
Bristol board and drawing-paper, crayons and cakes of colour, but
when I examine the contents of my portfolio now, it seems as if
during the years it has been lying closed some fairy had changed what
I once thought sterling coin into dry leaves, and I feel much
inclined to consign the whole collection of drawings to the fire; I
see they have no value. If, then, _Jane Eyre_ is ever to be
illustrated, it must be by some other hand than that of its author.
But I hope no one will be at the trouble to make portraits of my
characters. Bulwer and Byron heroes and heroines are very well, they
are all of them handsome; but my personages are mostly unattractive
in look, and therefore ill-adapted to figure in ideal portraits. At
the best, I have always thought such representations futile. You
will not easily find a second Thackeray. How he can render, with a
few black lines and dots, shades of expression so fine, so real;
traits of character so minute, so subtle, so difficult to seize and
fix, I cannot tell--I can only wonder and admire. Thackeray may not
be a painter, but he is a wizard of a draughtsman; touched with his
pencil, paper lives. And then his drawing is so refreshing; after
the wooden limbs one is accustomed to see pourtrayed by commonplace
illustrators, his shapes of bone and muscle clothed with flesh,
correct in proportion and anatomy, are a real relief. All is true in
Thackeray. If Truth were again a goddess, Thackeray should be her
high priest.
'I read my preface over with some pain--I did not like it. I wrote
it when I was a little enthusiastic, like you, about the French
Revolution. I wish I had written it in a cool moment; I should have
said the same things, but in a different manner. One may be as
enthusiastic as one likes about an author who has been dead a century
or two, but I see it is a fault to bore the public with enthusiasm
about a living author. I promise myself to take better care in
future. _Still_ I will _think_ as I please.
'Are the London republicans, and _you_ amongst the number, cooled
down yet? I suppose not, because your French brethren are acting
very nobly. The abolition of slavery and of the punishment of death
for political offences are two glorious deeds, but how will they get
over the question of the organisation of labour! Such theories will
be the sand-bank on which their vessel will run aground if they don't
mind. Lamartine, there is not doubt, would make an excellent
legislator for a nation of Lamartines--but where is that nation? I
hope these observations are sceptical and cool enough.--Believe me,
my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'C. BELL.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_November_ 16_th_, 1848.
'MY DEAR SIRS,--I have already acknowledged in a note to Mr. Smith
the receipt of the parcel of books, and in my thanks for this
well-timed attention I am sure I ought to include you; your taste, I
thought, was recognisable in the choice of some of the volumes, and a
better selection it would have been difficult to make.
'To-day I have received the _Spectator_ and the _Revue des deux
Mondes_. The _Spectator_ consistently maintains the tone it first
assumed regarding the Bells. I have little to object to its opinion
as far as Currer Bell's portion of the volume is concerned. It is
true the critic sees only the faults, but for these his perception is
tolerably accurate. Blind is he as any bat, insensate as any stone,
to the merits of Ellis. He cannot feel or will not acknowledge that
the very finish and _labor limae_ which Currer wants, Ellis has; he
is not aware that the "true essence of poetry" pervades his
compositions. Because Ellis's poems are short and abstract, the
critics think them comparatively insignificant and dull. They are
mistaken.
'The notice in the _Revue des deux Mondes_ is one of the most able,
the most acceptable to the author, of any that has yet appeared.
Eugene Forcade understood and enjoyed _Jane Eyre_. I cannot say that
of all who have professed to criticise it. The censures are as
well-founded as the commendations. The specimens of the translation
given are on the whole good; now and then the meaning of the original
has been misapprehended, but generally it is well rendered.
'Every cup given us to taste in this life is mixed. Once it would
have seemed to me that an evidence of success like that contained in
the _Revue_ would have excited an almost exultant feeling in my mind.
It comes, however, at a time when counteracting circumstances keep
the balance of the emotions even--when my sister's continued illness
darkens the present and dims the future. That will seem to me a
happy day when I can announce to you that Emily is better. Her
symptoms continue to be those of slow inflammation of the lungs,
tight cough, difficulty of breathing, pain in the chest, and fever.
We watch anxiously for a change for the better--may it soon come.--I
am, my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.
'As I was about to seal this I received your kind letter. Truly glad
am I to hear that Fanny is taking the path which pleases her parents.
I trust she may persevere in it. She may be sure that a contrary one
will never lead to happiness; and I should think that the reward of
seeing you and her mother pleased must be so sweet that she will be
careful not to run the risk of forfeiting it.
'It is somewhat singular that I had already observed to my sisters, I
did not doubt it was Mr. Lewes who had shown you the _Revue_.'
The many other letters referring to Emily's last illness have already
been printed. When the following letters were written, Emily and Anne
were both in their graves.
TO JAMES TAYLOR, CORNHILL
'_March_ 1_st_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--The parcel arrived on Saturday evening. Permit me to
express my sense of the judgment and kindness which have dictated the
selection of its contents. They appear to be all good books, and
good books are, we know, the best substitute for good society; if
circumstances debar me from the latter privilege, the kind attentions
of my friends supply me with ample measure of the former.
'Thank you for your remarks on _Shirley_. Some of your strictures
tally with some by Mr. Williams. You both complain of the want of
distinctness and impressiveness in my heroes. Probably you are
right. In delineating male character I labour under disadvantages:
intuition and theory will not always adequately supply the place of
observation and experience. When I write about women I am sure of my
ground--in the other case, I am not so sure.
'Here, then, each of you has laid the critical finger on a point that
by its shrinking confesses its vulnerability; whether the
disapprobation you intimate respecting the Briarchapel scenes, the
curates, etc., be equally merited, time will show. I am well aware
what will be the author's present meed for these passages: I
anticipate general blame and no praise. And were my motive-principle
in writing a thirst for popularity, or were the chief check on my pen
a dread of censure, I should withdraw these scenes--or rather, I
should never have written them. I will not say whether the
considerations that really govern me are sound, or whether my
convictions are just; but such as they are, to their influence I must
yield submission. They forbid me to sacrifice truth to the fear of
blame. I accept their prohibition.
'With the sincere expression of my esteem for the candour by which
your critique is distinguished,--I am, my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_August_ 16_th_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--Since I last wrote to you I have been getting on with
my book as well as I can, and I think I may now venture to say that
in a few weeks I hope to have the pleasure of placing the MS. in the
hands of Mr. Smith.
'The _North British Review_ duly reached me. I read attentively all
it says about _E. Wyndham_, _Jane Eyre_, and _F. Hervey_. Much of
the article is clever, and yet there are remarks which--for me--rob
it of importance.
'To value praise or stand in awe of blame we must respect the source
whence the praise and blame proceed, and I do not respect an
inconsistent critic. He says, "if _Jane Eyre_ be the production of a
woman, she must be a woman unsexed."
'In that case the book is an unredeemed error and should be
unreservedly condemned. _Jane Eyre_ is a woman's autobiography, by a
woman it is professedly written. If it is written as no woman would
write, condemn it with spirit and decision--say it is bad, but do not
eulogise and then detract. I am reminded of the _Economist_. The
literary critic of that paper praised the book if written by a man,
and pronounced it "odious" if the work of a woman.
'To such critics I would say, "To you I am neither man nor woman--I
come before you as an author only. It is the sole standard by which
you have a right to judge me--the sole ground on which I accept your
judgment."
'There is a weak comment, having no pretence either to justice or
discrimination, on the works of Ellis and Acton Bell. The critic did
not know that those writers had passed from time and life. I have
read no review since either of my sisters died which I could have
wished _them_ to read--none even which did not render the thought of
their departure more tolerable to me. To hear myself praised beyond
them was cruel, to hear qualities ascribed to them so strangely the
reverse of their real characteristics was scarce supportable. It is
sad even now; but they are so remote from earth, so safe from its
turmoils, I can bear it better.
'But on one point do I now feel vulnerable: I should grieve to see my
father's peace of mind perturbed on my account; for which reason I
keep my author's existence as much as possible out of his way. I
have always given him a carefully diluted and modified account of the
success of _Jane Eyre_--just what would please without startling him.
The book is not mentioned between us once a month. The _Quarterly_ I
kept to myself--it would have worried papa. To that same _Quarterly_
I must speak in the introduction to my present work--just one little
word. You once, I remember, said that review was written by a
lady--Miss Rigby. Are you sure of this?
'Give no hint of my intention of discoursing a little with the
_Quarterly_. It would look too important to speak of it beforehand.
All plans are best conceived and executed without noise.--Believe me,
yours sincerely,
'C. B.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_August_ 21_st_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I can only write very briefly at present--first to
thank you for your interesting letter and the graphic description it
contained of the neighbourhood where you have been staying, and then
to decide about the title of the book.
'If I remember rightly, my Cornhill critics objected to _Hollow's
Mill_, nor do I now find it appropriate. It might rather be called
_Fieldhead_, though I think _Shirley_ would perhaps be the best
title. Shirley, I fancy, has turned out the most prominent and
peculiar character in the work.
'Cornhill may decide between _Fieldhead_ and _Shirley_.--Believe me,
yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
The famous _Quarterly Review_ article by Miss Rigby, afterwards Lady
Eastlake, {348} appeared in December 1848, under the title of '_Vanity
Fair_, _Jane Eyre_, and Governesses.' It was a review of two novels and
a treatise on schools, and but for one or two offensive passages might
have been pronounced fairly complimentary. To have coupled _Jane Eyre_
with Thackeray's great book, at a time when Thackeray had already reached
to heroic proportions in the literary world, was in itself a compliment.
It is small wonder that the speculation was hazarded that J. G. Lockhart,
the editor of the _Quarterly_, had himself supplied the venom. He could
display it on occasion. It is quite clear now, however, that that was
not the case. Miss Rigby was the reviewer who thought it within a
critic's province to suggest that the writer might be a woman 'who had
forfeited the society of her sex.' Lockhart must have read the review
hastily, as editors will on occasion. He writes to his contributor on
November 13, 1848, before the article had appeared:--
'About three years ago I received a small volume of 'Poems by Currer,
Acton, and Ellis Bell,' and a queer little note by Currer, who said
the book had been published a year, and just two copies sold, so they
were to burn the rest, but distributed a few copies, mine being one.
I find what seems rather a fair review of that tiny tome in the
_Spectator_ of this week; pray look at it.
'I think the poems of Currer much better than those of Acton and
Ellis, and believe his novel is vastly better than those which they
have more recently put forth.
'I know nothing of the writers, but the common rumour is that they
are brothers of the weaving order in some Lancashire town. At first
it was generally said Currer was a lady, and Mayfair
circumstantialised by making her the _chere amie_ of Mr. Thackeray.
But your skill in "dress" settles the question of sex. I think,
however, some woman must have assisted in the school scenes of _Jane
Eyre_, which have a striking air of truthfulness to me--an ignoramus,
I allow, on such points.
'I should say you might as well glance at the novels by Acton and
Ellis Bell--_Wuthering Heights_ is one of them. If you have any
friend about Manchester, it would, I suppose, be easy to learn
accurately as to the position of these men.' {349}
This was written in November, and it was not till December that the
article appeared. Apart from the offensive imputations upon the morals
of the author of _Jane Eyre_, which reduces itself to smart impertinence
when it is understood that Miss Rigby fully believed that the author was
a man, the review is not without its compensations for a new writer. The
'equal popularity' of _Jane Eyre_ and _Vanity Fair_ is referred to. 'A
very remarkable book,' the reviewer continues; 'we have no remembrance of
another containing such undoubted power with such horrid taste.' There
is droll irony, when Charlotte Bronte's strong conservative sentiments
and church environment are considered, in the following:--
'We do not hesitate to say that the tone of mind and thought which
has overthrown authority, and violated every code, human and divine,
abroad, and fostered chartism and rebellion at home, is the same
which has also written _Jane Eyre_.'
In another passage Miss Rigby, musing upon the masculinity of the author,
finally clinches her arguments by proofs of a kind.
'No woman _trusses game_, and garnishes dessert dishes with the same
hands, or talks of so doing in the same breath. Above all, no woman
attires another in such fancy dresses as Jane's ladies assume. Miss
Ingram coming down irresistible in a _morning_ robe of sky-blue
crape, a gauze azure scarf twisted in her hair!! No lady, we
understand, when suddenly roused in the night, would think of
hurrying on "a frock." They have garments more convenient for such
occasions, and more becoming too.'
_Wuthering Heights_ is described as 'too odiously and abominably pagan to
be palatable to the most vitiated class of English readers.' This no
doubt was Miss Rigby's interpolation in the proofs in reply to her
editor's suggestion that she should 'glance at the novels by Acton and
Ellis Bell.' It is a little difficult to understand the _Quarterly_
editor's method, or, indeed, the letter to Miss Rigby which I have
quoted, as he had formed a very different estimate of the book many
months before. 'I have finished the adventures of Miss Jane Eyre,' he
writes to Mrs. Hope (Dec. 29th, 1847), 'and think her far the cleverest
that has written since Austen and Edgeworth were in their prime, worth
fifty Trollopes and Martineaus rolled into one counterpane, with fifty
Dickenses and Bulwers to keep them company--but rather a brazen Miss.'
{350}
When the _Quarterly Review_ appeared, Charlotte Bronte, as we have seen,
was in dire domestic distress, and it was not till many months later,
when a new edition of _Jane Eyre_ was projected, that she discussed with
her publishers the desirability of an effective reply, which was not
however to disclose her sex and environment. A first preface called 'A
Word to the _Quarterly_' was cancelled, and after some debate, the
preface which we now have took its place. The 'book' is of course
_Shirley_.
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_August_ 29_th_, 1849.
'DEAR SIR,--The book is now finished (thank God) and ready for Mr.
Taylor, but I have not yet heard from him. I thought I should be
able to tell whether it was equal to _Jane Eyre_ or not, but I find I
cannot--it may be better, it may be worse. I shall be curious to
hear your opinion, my own is of no value. I send the Preface or
"Word to the _Quarterly_" for your perusal.
'Whatever now becomes of the work, the occupation of writing it has
been a boon to me. It took me out of dark and desolate reality into
an unreal but happier region. The worst of it is, my eyes are grown
somewhat weak and my head somewhat weary and prone to ache with close
work. You can write nothing of value unless you give yourself wholly
to the theme, and when you so give yourself, you lose appetite and
sleep--it cannot be helped.
'At what time does Mr. Smith intend to bring the book out? It is his
now. I hand it and all the trouble and care and anxiety over to
him--a good riddance, only I wish he fairly had it.--Yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_August_ 31_st_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I cannot change my preface. I can shed no tears
before the public, nor utter any groan in the public ear. The deep,
real tragedy of our domestic experience is yet terribly fresh in my
mind and memory. It is not a time to be talked about to the
indifferent; it is not a topic for allusion to in print.
'No righteous indignation can I lavish on the _Quarterly_. I can
condescend but to touch it with the lightest satire. Believe me, my
dear sir, "C. Bronte" must not here appear; what she feels or has
felt is not the question--it is "Currer Bell" who was insulted--he
must reply. Let Mr. Smith fearlessly print the preface I have
sent--let him depend upon me this once; even if I prove a broken
reed, his fall cannot be dangerous: a preface is a short distance, it
is not three volumes.
'I have always felt certain that it is a deplorable error in an
author to assume the tragic tone in addressing the public about his
own wrongs or griefs. What does the public care about him as an
individual? His wrongs are its sport; his griefs would be a bore.
What we deeply feel is our own--we must keep it to ourselves. Ellis
and Acton Bell were, for me, Emily and Anne; my sisters--to me
intimately near, tenderly dear--to the public they were
nothing--worse than nothing--beings speculated upon, misunderstood,
misrepresented. If I live, the hour may come when the spirit will
move me to speak of them, but it is not come yet.--I am, my dear sir,
yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_September_ 17, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--Your letter gave me great pleasure. An author who has
showed his book to none, held no consultation about plan, subject,
characters, or incidents, asked and had no opinion from one living
being, but fabricated it darkly in the silent workshop of his own
brain--such an author awaits with a singular feeling the report of
the first impression produced by his creation in a quarter where he
places confidence, and truly glad he is when that report proves
favourable.
'Do you think this book will tend to strengthen the idea that Currer
Bell is a woman, or will it favour a contrary opinion?
'I return the proof-sheets. Will they print all the French phrases
in italics? I hope not, it makes them look somehow obtrusively
conspicuous.
'I have no time to add more lest I should be too late for the
post.--Yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_September_ 10_th_, 1849.
'DEAR SIR,--Your advice is very good, and yet I cannot follow it: I
_cannot_ alter now. It sounds absurd, but so it is.
'The circumstances of Shirley's being nervous on such a matter may
appear incongruous because I fear it is not well managed; otherwise
it is perfectly natural. In such minds, such odd points, such queer
unexpected inconsistent weaknesses _are_ found--perhaps there never
was an ardent poetic temperament, however healthy, quite without
them; but they never communicate them unless forced, they have a
suspicion that the terror is absurd, and keep it hidden. Still the
thing is badly managed, and I bend my head and expect in resignation
what, _here_, I know I deserve--the lash of criticism. I shall wince
when it falls, but not scream.
'You are right about Goth, you are very right--he is clear, deep, but
very cold. I acknowledge him great, but cannot feel him genial.
'You mention the literary coteries. To speak the truth, I recoil
from them, though I long to see some of the truly great literary
characters. However, this is not to be yet--I cannot sacrifice my
incognito. And let me be content with seclusion--it has its
advantages. In general, indeed, I am tranquil, it is only now and
then that a struggle disturbs me--that I wish for a wider world than
Haworth. When it is past, Reason tells me how unfit I am for
anything very different. Yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_September_ 15_th_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--You observed that the French of _Shirley_ might be
cavilled at. There is a long paragraph written in the French
language in that chapter entitled "_Le coeval damped_." I forget the
number. I fear it will have a pretentious air. If you deem it
advisable, and will return the chapter, I will efface, and substitute
something else in English.--Yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO JAMES TAYLOR, CORNHILL
'_September_ 20_th_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--It is time I answered the note which I received from
you last Thursday; I should have replied to it before had I not been
kept more than usually engaged by the presence of a clergyman in the
house, and the indisposition of one of our servants.
'As you may conjecture, it cheered and pleased me much to learn that
the opinion of my friends in Cornhill was favourable to
_Shirley_--that, on the whole, it was considered no falling off from
_Jane Eyre_. I am trying, however, not to encourage too sanguine an
expectation of a favourable reception by the public: the seeds of
prejudice have been sown, and I suppose the produce will have to be
reaped--but we shall see.
'I read with pleasure _Friends in Council_, and with very great
pleasure _The Thoughts and Opinions of a Statesman_. It is the
record of what may with truth be termed a beautiful mind--serene,
harmonious, elevated, and pure; it bespeaks, too, a heart full of
kindness and sympathy. I like it much.
'Papa has been pretty well during the past week, he begs to join me
in kind remembrances to yourself.--Believe me, my dear sir, yours
very sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_September_ 29_th_, 1849.
'DEAR SIR,--I have made the alteration; but I have made it to please
Cornhill, not the public nor the critics.
'I am sorry to say Newby does know my real name. I wish he did not,
but that cannot be helped. Meantime, though I earnestly wish to
preserve my incognito, I live under no slavish fear of discovery. I
am ashamed of nothing I have written--not a line.
'The envelope containing the first proof and your letter had been
received open at the General Post Office and resealed there. Perhaps
it was accident, but I think it better to inform you of the
circumstance.--Yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_October_ 1_st_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I am chagrined about the envelope being opened: I see
it is the work of prying curiosity, and now it would be useless to
make a stir--what mischief is to be apprehended is already done. It
was not done at Haworth. I know the people of the post-office there,
and am sure they would not venture on such a step; besides, the
Haworth people have long since set me down as bookish and quiet, and
trouble themselves no farther about me. But the gossiping
inquisitiveness of small towns is rife at Keighley; there they are
sadly puzzled to guess why I never visit, encourage no overtures to
acquaintance, and always stay at home. Those packets passing
backwards and forwards by the post have doubtless aggravated their
curiosity. Well, I am sorry, but I shall try to wait patiently and
not vex myself too much, come what will.
'I am glad you like the English substitute for the French _devour_.
'The parcel of books came on Saturday. I write to Mr. Taylor by this
post to acknowledge its receipt. His opinion of _Shirley_ seems in a
great measure to coincide with yours, only he expresses it rather
differently to you, owing to the difference in your casts of mind.
Are you not different on some points?--Yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_November_ 1_st_, 1849
'MY DEAR SIR,--I reached home yesterday, and found your letter and
one from Mr. Lewes, and one from the Peace Congress Committee,
awaiting my arrival. The last document it is now too late to answer,
for it was an invitation to Currer Bell to appear on the platform at
their meeting at Exeter Hall last Tuesday! A wonderful figure Mr.
Currer Bell would have cut under such circumstances! Should the
"Peace Congress" chance to read _Shirley_ they will wash their hands
of its author.
'I am glad to hear that Mr. Thackeray is better, but I did not know
he had been seriously ill, I thought it was only a literary
indisposition. You must tell me what he thinks of _Shirley_ if he
gives you any opinion on the subject.
'I am also glad to hear that Mr. Smith is pleased with the commercial
prospects of the work. I try not to be anxious about its literary
fate; and if I cannot be quite stoical, I think I am still tolerably
resigned.
'Mr. Lewes does not like the opening chapter, wherein he resembles
you.
'I have permitted myself the treat of spending the last week with my
friend Ellen. Her residence is in a far more populous and stirring
neighbourhood than this. Whenever I go there I am unavoidably forced
into society--clerical society chiefly.
'During my late visit I have too often had reason, sometimes in a
pleasant, sometimes in a painful form, to fear that I no longer walk
invisible. _Jane Eyre_, it appears, has been read all over the
district--a fact of which I never dreamt--a circumstance of which the
possibility never occurred to me. I met sometimes with new
deference, with augmented kindness: old schoolfellows and old
teachers, too, greeted me with generous warmth. And again,
ecclesiastical brows lowered thunder at me. When I confronted one or
two large-made priests, I longed for the battle to come on. I wish
they would speak out plainly. You must not understand that my
schoolfellows and teachers were of the Clergy Daughters School--in
fact, I was never there but for one little year as a very little
girl. I am certain I have long been forgotten; though for myself, I
remember all and everything clearly: early impressions are
ineffaceable.
'I have just received the _Daily News_. Let me speak the truth--when
I read it my heart sickened over it. It is not a good review, it is
unutterably false. If _Shirley_ strikes all readers as it has struck
that one, but--I shall not say what follows.
'On the whole I am glad a decidedly bad notice has come first--a
notice whose inexpressible ignorance first stuns and then stirs me.
Are there no such men as the Helstones and Yorkes?
'Yes, there are.
'Is the first chapter disgusting or vulgar?
'_It is not_, _it is real_.
'As for the praise of such a critic, I find it silly and nauseous,
and I scorn it.
'Were my sisters now alive they and I would laugh over this notice;
but they sleep, they will wake no more for me, and I am a fool to be
so moved by what is not worth a sigh.--Believe me, yours sincerely,
'C. B.
'You must spare me if I seem hasty, I fear I really am not so firm as
I used to be, nor so patient. Whenever any shock comes, I feel that
almost all supports have been withdrawn.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_November_ 5_th_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I did not receive the parcel of copies till Saturday
evening. Everything sent by Bradford is long in reaching me. It is,
I think, better to direct: Keighley. I was very much pleased with
the appearance and getting up of the book; it looks well.
'I have got the _Examiner_ and your letter. You are very good not to
be angry with me, for I wrote in indignation and grief. The critic
of the _Daily News_ struck me as to the last degree incompetent,
ignorant, and flippant. A thrill of mutiny went all through me when
I read his small effusion. To be judged by such a one revolted me.
I ought, however, to have controlled myself, and I did not. I am
willing to be judged by the _Examiner_--I like the _Examiner_.
Fonblanque has power, he has discernment--I bend to his censorship, I
am grateful for his praise; his blame deserves consideration; when he
approves, I permit myself a moderate emotion of pride. Am I wrong in
supposing that critique to be written by Mr. Fonblanque? But whether
it is by him or Forster, I am thankful.
'In reading the critiques of the other papers--when I get them--I
will try to follow your advice and preserve my equanimity. But I
cannot be sure of doing this, for I had good resolutions and
intentions before, and, you see, I failed.
'You ask me if I am related to Nelson. No, I never heard that I was.
The rumour must have originated in our name resembling his title. I
wonder who that former schoolfellow of mine was that told Mr. Lewes,
or how she had been enabled to identify Currer Bell with C. Bronte.
She could not have been a Cowan Bridge girl, none of them can
possibly remember me. They might remember my eldest sister, Maria;
her prematurely-developed and remarkable intellect, as well as the
mildness, wisdom, and fortitude of her character might have left an
indelible impression on some observant mind amongst her companions.
My second sister, Elizabeth, too, may perhaps be remembered, but I
cannot conceive that I left a trace behind me. My career was a very
quiet one. I was plodding and industrious, perhaps I was very grave,
for I suffered to see my sisters perishing, but I think I was
remarkable for nothing.--Believe me, my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_November_ 15_th_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I have received since I wrote last the Globe, Standard
of Freedom, Britannia, Economist, and Weekly Chronicle.
'How is _Shirley_ getting on, and what is now the general feeling
respecting the work?
'As far as I can judge from the tone of the newspapers, it seems that
those who were most charmed with _Jane Eyre_ are the least pleased
with _Shirley_; they are disappointed at not finding the same
excitement, interest, stimulus; while those who spoke disparagingly
of _Jane Eyre_ like _Shirley_ a little better than her predecessor.
I suppose its dryer matter suits their dryer minds. But I feel that
the fiat for which I wait does not depend on newspapers, except,
indeed, such newspapers as the _Examiner_. The monthlies and
quarterlies will pronounce it, I suppose. Mere novel-readers, it is
evident, think _Shirley_ something of a failure. Still, the majority
of the notices have on the whole been favourable. That in the
_Standard of Freedom_ was very kindly expressed; and coming from a
dissenter, William Howitt, I wonder thereat.
'Are you satisfied at Cornhill, or the contrary? I have read part of
_The Caxtons_, and, when I have finished, will tell you what I think
of it; meantime, I should very much like to hear your opinion.
Perhaps I shall keep mine till I see you, whenever that may be.
'I am trying by degrees to inure myself to the thought of some day
stepping over to Keighley, taking the train to Leeds, thence to
London, and once more venturing to set foot in the strange, busy
whirl of the Strand and Cornhill. I want to talk to you a little and
to hear by word of mouth how matters are progressing. Whenever I
come, I must come quietly and but for a short time--I should be
unhappy to leave papa longer than a fortnight.--Believe me, yours
sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_November_ 22_nd_, 1849.
'MY DEAR SIR,--If it is discouraging to an author to see his work
mouthed over by the entirely ignorant and incompetent, it is equally
reviving to hear what you have written discussed and analysed by a
critic who is master of his subject--by one whose heart feels, whose
powers grasp the matter he undertakes to handle. Such refreshment
Eugene Forcade has given me. Were I to see that man, my impulse
would be to say, "Monsieur, you know me, I shall deem it an honour to
know you."
'I do not find that Forcade detects any coarseness in the work--it is
for the smaller critics to find that out. The master in the art--the
subtle-thoughted, keen-eyed, quick-feeling Frenchman, knows the true
nature of the ingredients which went to the composition of the
creation he analyses--he knows the true nature of things, and he
gives them their right name.
'Yours of yesterday has just reached me. Let me, in the first place,
express my sincere sympathy with your anxiety on Mrs. Williams's
account. I know how sad it is when pain and suffering attack those
we love, when that mournful guest sickness comes and takes a place in
the household circle. That the shadow may soon leave your home is my
earnest hope.
'Thank you for Sir J. Herschel's note. I am happy to hear Mr. Taylor
is convalescent. It may, perhaps, be some weeks yet before his hand
is well, but that his general health is in the way of
re-establishment is a matter of thankfulness.
'One of the letters you sent to-day addressed "Currer Bell" has
almost startled me. The writer first describes his family, and then
proceeds to give a particular account of himself in colours the most
candid, if not, to my ideas, the most attractive. He runs on in a
strain of wild enthusiasm about _Shirley_, and concludes by
announcing a fixed, deliberate resolution to institute a search after
Currer Bell, and sooner or later to find him out. There is power in
the letter--talent; it is at times eloquently expressed. The writer
somewhat boastfully intimates that he is acknowledged the possessor
of high intellectual attainments, but, if I mistake not, he betrays a
temper to be shunned, habits to be mistrusted. While laying claim to
the character of being affectionate, warm-hearted, and adhesive,
there is but a single member of his own family of whom he speaks with
kindness. He confesses himself indolent and wilful, but asserts that
he is studious and, to some influences, docile. This letter would
have struck me no more than the others rather like it have done, but
for its rash power, and the disagreeable resolve it announces to seek
and find Currer Bell. It almost makes me feel like a wizard who has
raised a spirit he may find it difficult to lay. But I shall not
think about it. This sort of fervour often foams itself away in
words.
'Trusting that the serenity of your home is by this time restored
with your wife's health,--I am, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY
'_February_ 16_th_, 1850.
'DEAR NELL,--Yesterday, just after dinner, I heard a loud bustling
voice in the kitchen demanding to see Mr. Bronte. Somebody was shown
into the parlour. Shortly after, wine was rung for. "Who is it,
Martha?" I asked. "Some mak of a tradesman," said she. "He's not a
gentleman, I'm sure." The personage stayed about an hour, talking in
a loud vulgar key all the time. At tea-time I asked papa who it was.
"Why," said he, "no other than the vicar of B---!" {361} Papa had
invited him to take some refreshment, but the creature had ordered
his dinner at the Black Bull, and was quite urgent with papa to go
down there and join him, offering by way of inducement a bottle, or,
if papa liked, "two or three bottles of the best wine Haworth could
afford!" He said he was come from Bradford just to look at the
place, and reckoned to be in raptures with the wild scenery! He
warmly pressed papa to come and see him, and to bring his daughter
with him!!! Does he know anything about the books, do you think; he
made no allusion to them. I did not see him, not so much as the tail
of his coat. Martha said he looked no more like a parson than she
did. Papa described him as rather shabby-looking, but said he was
wondrous cordial and friendly. Papa, in his usual fashion, put him
through a regular catechism of questions: what his living was worth,
etc., etc. In answer to inquiries respecting his age he affirmed
himself to be thirty-seven--is not this a lie? He must be more.
Papa asked him if he were married. He said no, he had no thoughts of
being married, he did not like the trouble of a wife. He described
himself as "living in style, and keeping a very hospitable house."
'Dear Nell, I have written you a long letter; write me a long one in
answer.
'C. B.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_April_ 3_rd_, 1850.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I have received the _Dublin Review_, and your letter
inclosing the Indian Notices. I hope these reviews will do good;
they are all favourable, and one of them (the _Dublin_) is very able.
I have read no critique so discriminating since that in the _Revue
des deux Mondes_. It offers a curious contrast to Lewes's in the
_Edinburgh_, where forced praise, given by jerks, and obviously
without real and cordial liking, and censure, crude, conceited, and
ignorant, were mixed in random lumps--forming a very loose and
inconsistent whole.
'Are you aware whether there are any grounds for that conjecture in
the _Bengal Hurkaru_, that the critique in the _Times_ was from the
pen of Mr. Thackeray? I should much like to know this. If such were
the case (and I feel as if it were by no means impossible), the
circumstance would open a most curious and novel glimpse of a very
peculiar disposition. Do you think it likely to be true?
'The account you give of Mrs. Williams's health is not cheering, but
I should think her indisposition is partly owing to the variable
weather; at least, if you have had the same keen frost and cold east
winds in London, from which we have lately suffered in Yorkshire. I
trust the milder temperature we are now enjoying may quickly confirm
her convalescence. With kind regards to Mrs. Williams,--Believe me,
my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_April_ 25_th_, 1850.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I cannot let the post go without thanking Mr. Smith
through you for the kind reply to Greenwood's application; and, I am
sure, both you and he would feel true pleasure could you see the
delight and hope with which these liberal terms have inspired a good
and intelligent though poor man. He thinks he now sees a prospect of
getting his livelihood by a method which will suit him better than
wool-combing work has hitherto done, exercising more of his faculties
and sparing his health. He will do his best, I am sure, to extend
the sale of the cheap edition of _Jane Eyre_; and whatever twinges I
may still feel at the thought of that work being in the possession of
all the worthy folk of Haworth and Keighley, such scruples are more
than counterbalanced by the attendant good;--I mean, by the
assistance it will give a man who deserves assistance. I wish he
could permanently establish a little bookselling business in Haworth:
it would benefit the place as well as himself.
'Thank you for the _Leader_, which I read with pleasure. The notice
of Newman's work in a late number was very good.--Believe me, my dear
sir, in haste, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_May_ 6_th_, 1850.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I have received the copy of _Jane Eyre_. To me the
printing and paper seem very tolerable. Will not the public in
general be of the same opinion? And are you not making yourselves
causelessly uneasy on the subject?
'I imagine few will discover the defects of typography unless they
are pointed out. There are, no doubt, technical faults and
perfections in the art of printing to which printers and publishers
ascribe a greater importance than the majority of readers.
'I will mention Mr. Smith's proposal respecting the cheap
publications to Greenwood. I believe him to be a man on whom
encouragement is not likely to be thrown away, and who, if fortune
should not prove quite adverse, will contrive to effect something by
dint of intelligence and perseverance.
'I am sorry to say my father has been far from well lately--the cold
weather has tried him severely; and, till I see him better, my
intended journey to town must be deferred. With sincere regards to
yourself and other Cornhill friends,--I am, my dear sir, yours
faithfully,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_September_ 5_th_, 1850.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I trust your suggestion for Miss Kavanagh's benefit
will have all success. It seems to me truly felicitous and
excellent, and, I doubt not, she will think so too. The last class
of female character will be difficult to manage: there will be nice
points in it--yet, well-managed, both an attractive and instructive
book might result therefrom. One thing may be depended upon in the
execution of this plan. Miss Kavanagh will commit no error, either
of taste, judgment, or principle; and even when she deals with the
feelings, I would rather follow the calm course of her quiet pen than
the flourishes of a more redundant one where there is not strength to
restrain as well as ardour to impel.
'I fear I seemed to you to speak coolly of the beauty of the Lake
scenery. The truth is, it was, as scenery, exquisite--far beyond
anything I saw in Scotland; but it did not give me half so much
pleasure, because I saw it under less congenial auspices. Mr. Smith
and Sir J. K. Shuttleworth are two different people with whom to
travel. I need say nothing of the former--you know him. The latter
offers me his friendship, and I do my best to be grateful for the
gift; but his is a nature with which it is difficult to
assimilate--and where there is no assimilation, how can there be real
regard? Nine parts out of ten in him are utilitarian--the tenth is
artistic. This tithe of his nature seems to me at war with all the
rest--it is just enough to incline him restlessly towards the artist
class, and far too little to make him one of them. The consequent
inability to _do_ things which he _admires_, embitters him I
think--it makes him doubt perfections and dwell on faults. Then his
notice or presence scarcely tend to set one at ease or make one
happy: he is worldly and formal. But I must stop--have I already
said too much? I think not, for you will feel it is said in
confidence and will not repeat it.
'The article in the _Palladium_ is indeed such as to atone for a
hundred unfavourable or imbecile reviews. I have expressed what I
think of it to Mr. Taylor, who kindly wrote me a letter on the
subject. I thank you also for the newspaper notices, and for some
you sent me a few weeks ago.
'I should much like to carry out your suggestions respecting a
reprint of _Wuthering Heights_ and _Agnes Grey_ in one volume, with a
prefatory and explanatory notice of the authors; but the question
occurs, Would Newby claim it? I could not bear to commit it to any
other hands than those of Mr. Smith. _Wildfell Hall_, it hardly
appears to me desirable to preserve. The choice of subject in that
work is a mistake: it was too little consonant with the character,
tastes, and ideas of the gentle, retiring, inexperienced writer. She
wrote it under a strange, conscientious, half-ascetic notion of
accomplishing a painful penance and a severe duty. Blameless in deed
and almost in thought, there was from her very childhood a tinge of
religious melancholy in her mind. This I ever suspected, and I have
found amongst her papers mournful proofs that such was the case. As
to additional compositions, I think there would be none, as I would
not offer a line to the publication of which my sisters themselves
would have objected.
'I must conclude or I shall be too late for the post.--Believe me,
yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_September_ 13_th_, 1850.
'MY DEAR SIR,--Mr. Newby undertook first to print 350 copies of
_Wuthering Heights_, but he afterwards declared he had only printed
250. I doubt whether he could be induced to return the 50 pounds
without a good deal of trouble--much more than I should feel
justified in delegating to Mr. Smith. For my own part, the
conclusion I drew from the whole of Mr. Newby's conduct to my sisters
was that he is a man with whom it is desirable to have little to do.
I think he must be needy as well as tricky--and if he is, one would
not distress him, even for one's rights.
'If Mr. Smith thinks right to reprint _Wuthering Heights_ and _Agnes
Grey_, I would prepare a preface comprising a brief and simple notice
of the authors, such as might set at rest all erroneous conjectures
respecting their identity--and adding a few poetical remains of each.
'In case this arrangement is approved, you will kindly let me know,
and I will commence the task (a sad, but, I believe, a necessary
one), and send it when finished.--I am, my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_October_ 16_th_, 1850.
'MY DEAR SIR,--On the whole it is perhaps as well that the last
paragraph of the Preface should be omitted, for I believe it was not
expressed with the best grace in the world. You must not, however,
apologise for your suggestion--it was kindly meant and, believe me,
kindly taken; it was not _you_ I misunderstood--not for a moment, I
never misunderstand you--I was thinking of the critics and the
public, who are always crying for a moral like the Pharisees for a
sign. Does this assurance quite satisfy you?
'I forgot to say that I had already heard, first from Miss Martineau,
and subsequently through an intimate friend of Sydney Yendys (whose
real name is Mr. Dobell) that it was to the author of the _Roman_ we
are indebted for that eloquent article in the _Palladium_. I am glad
you are going to send his poem, for I much wished to see it.
'May I trouble you to look at a sentence in the Preface which I have
erased, because on reading it over I was not quite sure about the
scientific correctness of the expressions used. Metal, I know, will
burn in vivid-coloured flame, exposed to galvanic action, but whether
it is consumed, I am not sure. Perhaps you or Mr. Taylor can tell me
whether there is any blunder in the term employed--if not, it might
stand.--I am, yours sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
Miss Bronte would seem to have corresponded with Mr. George Smith, and
not with Mr. Williams, over her third novel, _Villette_, and that
correspondence is to be found in Mrs. Gaskell's biography.
TO W. S. WILLIAMS
'_February_ 1_st_, 1851.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I cannot lose any time in telling you that your
letter, after all, gave me heart-felt satisfaction, and such a
feeling of relief as it would be difficult to express in words. The
fact is, what goads and tortures me is not any anxiety of my own to
publish another book, to have my name before the public, to get cash,
etc., but a haunting fear that my dilatoriness disappoints others.
Now the "others" whose wish on the subject I really care for, reduces
itself to my father and Cornhill, and since Cornhill ungrudgingly
counsels me to take my own time, I think I can pacify such impatience
as my dear father naturally feels. Indeed, your kind and friendly
letter will greatly help me.
'Since writing the above, I have read your letter to papa. Your
arguments had weight with him: he approves, and I am content. I now
only regret the necessity of disappointing the _Palladium_, but that
cannot be helped.--Good-bye, my dear sir, yours very sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY
'_Tuesday Morning_.
'DEAR ELLEN,--The rather dark view you seem inclined to take of the
general opinion about _Villette_ surprises me the less, dear Nell, as
only the more unfavourable reviews seem to have come in your way.
Some reports reach me of a different tendency; but no matter, time
will shew. As to the character of Lucy Snow, my intention from the
first was that she should not occupy the pedestal to which Jane Eyre
was raised by some injudicious admirers. She is where I meant her to
be, and where no charge of self-laudation can touch her.
'I cannot accept your kind invitation. I must be at home at Easter,
on two or three accounts connected with sermons to be preached,
parsons to be entertained, Mechanics' Institute meetings and
tea-drinkings to be solemnised, and ere long I have promised to go
and see Mrs. Gaskell; but till this wintry weather is passed, I would
rather eschew visiting anywhere. I trust that bad cold of yours is
_quite_ well, and that you will take good care of yourself in future.
That night work is always perilous.--Yours faithfully,
'C. BRONTE.'
TO MISS WOOLER
'HAWORTH, _April_ 13_th_, 1851.
'MY DEAR MISS WOOLER,--Your last kind letter ought to have been
answered long since, and would have been, did I find it practicable
to proportion the promptitude of the response to the value I place
upon my correspondents and their communications. You will easily
understand, however, that the contrary rule often holds good, and
that the epistle which importunes often takes precedence of that
which interests.
'My publishers express entire satisfaction with the reception which
has been accorded to _Villette_, and indeed the majority of the
reviews has been favourable enough; you will be aware, however, that
there is a minority, small in number but influential in character,
which views the work with no favourable eye. Currer Bell's remarks
on Romanism have drawn down on him the condign displeasure of the
High Church party, which displeasure has been unequivocally expressed
through their principal organs--the _Guardian_, the _English
Churchman_, and the _Christian Remembrancer_. I can well understand
that some of the charges launched against me by those publications
will tell heavily to my prejudice in the minds of most readers--but
this must be borne; and for my part, I can suffer no accusation to
oppress me much which is not supported by the inward evidence of
conscience and reason.
'"Extremes meet," says the proverb; in proof whereof I would mention
that Miss Martineau finds with _Villette_ nearly the same fault as
the Puseyites. She accuses me with attacking popery "with
virulence," of going out of my way to assault it "passionately." In
other respects she has shown with reference to the work a spirit so
strangely and unexpectedly acrimonious, that I have gathered courage
to tell her that the gulf of mutual difference between her and me is
so wide and deep, the bridge of union so slight and uncertain, I have
come to the conclusion that frequent intercourse would be most
perilous and unadvisable, and have begged to adjourn _sine die_ my
long projected visit to her. Of course she is now very angry, and I
know her bitterness will not be short-lived--but it cannot be helped.
'Two or three weeks since I received a long and kind letter from Mr.
White, which I answered a short time ago. I believe Mr. White thinks
me a much hotter advocate for _change_ and what is called "political
progress" than I am. However, in my reply, I did not touch on these
subjects. He intimated a wish to publish some of his own MSS. I
fear he would hardly like the somewhat dissuasive tendency of my
answer; but really, in these days of headlong competition, it is a
great risk to publish. If all be well, I purpose going to Manchester
next week to spend a few days with Mrs. Gaskell. Ellen's visit to
Yarmouth seems for the present given up; and really, all things
considered, I think the circumstance is scarcely to be regretted.
'Do you not think, my dear Miss Wooler, that you could come to
Haworth before you go to the coast? I am afraid that when you once
get settled at the sea-side your stay will not be brief. I must
repeat that a visit from you would be anticipated with pleasure, not
only by me, but by every inmate of Haworth Parsonage. Papa has given
me a general commission to send his respects to you whenever I
write--accept them, therefore, and--Believe me, yours affectionately
and sincerely,
'C. BRONTE.'