The Influences and Background of Emily Bronte
05.19.2023 // By Tome Tailor
Emily Brontë, born on July 30, 1818, in Yorkshire, England, was a talented and enigmatic author best known for her singular novel, Wuthering Heights. Though Emily Brontë lived a relatively short life — she died at age 30 — her literary legacy has endured in part due to the mysterious and dark elements present in her work. However, the factors that shaped her creative mind, including the influences and background that informed her writing, are just as fascinating.
The Brontë Family: Creative Geniuses or Eccentric Outcasts?
Emily Brontë was the second youngest in a family of six children. Her father Patrick Brontë, an Irish clergyman, and her mother Maria Branwell, who hailed from a prosperous family, moved to the remote village of Haworth in 1824, where Patrick became the town’s parson.
Emily’s mother passed away in 1821, leaving her husband and their six children to navigate life on their own. Despite facing financial difficulties, Patrick Brontë managed to obtain a decent education for his children. He further stoked their intellectual curiosity by allowing them access to literary resources, including periodicals, newspapers, and a rich library of books.
As the siblings grew up, they became avid readers, developing a love for Romantic authors such as Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, and John Keats. Literature brought the siblings closer together and fostered a strong sense of shared imagination, characterized by their creation of elaborate imaginary worlds known as Glasstown, Gondal, and Angria.
Emily and her younger sister Anne worked closely together on the development of Gondal, a fantasy world complete with vivid landscapes, intricate politics, and dramatic adventure. Their joint storytelling experience deeply influenced Emily’s later work.
Literary and Cultural Influences in Emily Brontë’s Work
Aside from her family’s intellectual environment, various elements of the Romantic movement sweeping through Europe in the early 19th century shaped Brontë’s writing style. Among the central ideals of Romanticism were a reverence for natural beauty, individualism, and the primacy of emotion over reason. In Wuthering Heights, these themes are evident in the descriptions of the wild and windswept Yorkshire moors, as well as the work’s feverish emotional intensity.
Emily Brontë’s interest in the gothic genre is also evident in her novel. Popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, gothic fiction focused on sublime natural landscapes, supernatural occurrences, and haunting atmosphere. In Wuthering Heights, elements such as the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw, Gothic architecture, and themes of imprisonment and revenge reveal Brontë’s fascination with the genre.
Furthermore, the state of Victorian England in Emily Brontë’s time played a significant role in shaping her work. Like her fellow female author contemporaries, including her sisters Charlotte (author of Jane Eyre and Anne (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall&i=stripbooks&tag=tometailor-20), Emily Brontë was acutely aware of the gendered limitations of her society. Such awareness may have contributed to her characterization of strong-willed women in her work.
Emily Brontë’s Writing, Reception, and Legacy
Despite her short life and limited published works, Emily Brontë has become a celebrated figure in English literature. Wuthering Heights, published under the pen name Ellis Bell in 1847, was initially met with mixed reviews; some readers were captivated by its intensity and originality, while others found its themes and characters distasteful.
Regardless of mixed opinions, Wuthering Heights has become a staple in the literary canon. Emily Brontë’s writing is renowned for its psychological depth and vivid exploration of human emotion. Her work remains an enduring source of inspiration for contemporary authors, who continue to draw upon and adapt her haunting stories.
If you have not yet experienced the dark and compelling world of Emily Brontë’s writing, now is the time to dive into her literary masterpiece:
Read or listen to “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë