Emily Bronte

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Out on the vast expanse that is the moors of northern England, the Brontë siblings lived a life of isolation, occupying themselves by writing stories and creating imaginary worlds. This environment sparked the ingenuity that produced some of the most influential literary works of the Victorian era. One in particular, the groundbreaking novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, utterly shocked the traditional nineteenth century reader by openly discussing the more unsavory aspects of England’s class-consciousness. Despite her reclusiveness and ill health, Miss Brontë was able to craft an influential work of fiction that still holds merit today.
Most of Emily’s life was spent in Haworth, England, and she had few relations outside of her family. In fact, she left the home only four times: once for a short period at a boarding school, twice for fleeting teaching positions, and one brief trip to Brussels with her sister Charlotte. (Austin, “Emily Bronte’s Homesickness”) These short stints away from Haworth were in no way enchanting for Brontë, and in fact caused her great stress that lead to spells of anorexia and a decline into poor health. Her sister Charlotte convinced their father to call Emily home on various occasions, stating, “Nobody knew what ailed her but me… I felt in my heart she would die if she did not go home, and with this conviction obtained her recall.”
Not only was Wuthering Heights a product of Brontë’s environment, but her dysfunctional family life as well. The Brontë household was constantly plagued by early deaths; the first of which was the passing of their mother, Maria, leaving the children’s maternal figure as their Aunt Branwell. Not long after the two oldest Brontë sisters died of tuberculosis, their belove...

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....4 (2002): Web. 4 May 2014. .
Bronte , Charlotee . "Editors Preface to the New Edition of 'Wuthering Heights'." Wuthering Heights . The Great Books , 1999. Web. 5 May 2014. .
Carlisle , Kitty. "Emily Bronte's Heathcliff: His Journey of Jealousy." 2012. Web. 5 May 2014.
Melani , Lilia . "Emily Bronte ." City University of New York , 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .
Rahn, Josh. "Victorian Literature." The Literature Network . 2011. Web. 5 May 2014. .
Thompson , Paul. "Contemporary Reviews of Wuthering Heights." Aug. 2013. Web. 5 May 2014.

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