Brontë Books

This is a reprint of the original poetry collection published in 1846 under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

The book contains 21 poems each by Emily and Anne, and 19 by Charlotte. While Charlotte's poems are more conventionally constructed in terms of their versification, it is Emily and Anne who are the more accomplished poets.

For those who only know the Bronte sisters through their prose, their poetry gives another insight into their creativity. In my view, Emily's poetry is the most original and passionate. Anne's poetry is uncluttered and observational, while Charlotte's poetry is conventional and descriptive.

This early collection does not contain my favourite Emily Bronte Poem 'No Coward Soul is Mine': it was not published until after Emily's death.

Highly recommended to those with an interest in the Bronte sisters beyond the novels.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Note: the edition I own is the 1995 edition.

Charlotte's poems tend to be lengthier and confounded with awkward language. Anne's are simple and often wonderfully clear. But the best of the poems are those of Emily, where intellect and passion combine to at time produce verses of distinction.
The three sisters, novelists and poets, who all tragically died young were part of a family of poets which included their minister father, and their unfortunate brother.
They of course are all most known for their respective novels , two of which Emily's "Wuthering Heights" and Charlotte's "Jane Eyre" are part of the literary canon.
Still the poetry gives insight into their mind and souls.

One of my personal criteria of a "classic" novel - and a reason these certain books are read and re-read throughout the years - is some kind of illumination of our human nature. 'Wuthering Heights,' in my opinion, is one of these novels. On the surface, it is a love story. But deeper than that, the characters could be any of us. How many times have we been our own worst enemy? In this story, the characters make decisions that we, as the reader, know are the wrong decisions. Yet it is easy to identify with the mistakes that the characters make. Any of us could (and have) made those same wrong decisions. Perhaps this is why this novel has resonated with so many readers and made the story so timeless.

Read it for a good story, then think about it later and put yourself in the character's shoes. I think you'll find it illuminating and something that will stick with you a long, long time.

How odd that Amazon does not consolidate the comments on the various editions of this book from different publishers.

I read this book out of a certain sense of obligation -- I'd been reading other 19th century English literature and, with some trepidation, picked up Wuthering Heights to complete the set. The book was wonderful, with fully developed if sometimes quixotic characters, and rapid and often unexpected plot twists. The prose is denser than, say, Jane Austen, but not as bad as the stereotypical gothic novel. The main character, Heathcliff, is famously attractive to women but, as a male reader, I thought he was a thoroughly bad egg. Worthy of discussion, though, especially with women who have read it and are likely to have a different opinion.

This story is more than a love story. It embodies Bronte's philosopy and spiritual quality. Through reading other literary criticism about the book and Emily's work and life, I made a lot of new discoveries about the book, which seems never ending.As in Heathcliff's last words :"I have nearly attain my own heaven.", it's a story that rebel against social conventions and look inwardly into one's own soul in search for truth and happiness. I think Emily is the most original and imaginative Victorian writer (and among her sisters).

This story is more than a love story. It embodies Bronte's philosopy and spiritual quality. Through reading other literary criticism about the book and Emily's work and life, I made a lot of new discoveries about the book, which seems never ending.As in Heathcliff's last words :"I have nearly attain my own heaven.", it's a story that rebel against social conventions and look inwardly into one's own soul in search for truth and happiness. I think Emily is the most original and imaginative Victorian writer (and among her sisters).

I never really read this in High School and I am kicking myslef now. What an amazing book. I am so happy I decided to read it. It is one of my favorite books now.

I have to say that I never would have read this book, had I not read "The Well of Lost Plots" by Jasper Fforde. There's that once scene where Thursday and her boss appear at that "Anger management meeting" at Wuthering Heights, and the characters originally invented by Emily Bronte all explain why they hate Mr Heathcliff so much. It made me curious - who is this Mr Heathcliff, and why is "Wuthering Heights" in constant danger to explode from the emotions it contains?
So I got me a copy, and I was fascinated. Not only have I never read a story that contains so much hatred, and revenge, and wild emotions - the characters all seem so real, and so fatal in their set ways - and Mr Heathcliff surely is a wonderful, interesting, enchanting character. Emily Bronte might not be as well-known or famous as her sister, but this book definitely is almost as good as Jane Eyre.
If you're not sure whether you want to read this yet - read !The Well of lost Plots" first, and then you won't be able to live without!

Sue Lonoff has done a tremendous job in collecting, transcribing and translating the Belgian Essays of Emily and Charlotte Bronte. The essays are represented first in their original/French version, including M.Hegers corrections, then in translation. The comments Lonoff made are very instructive, however, this book will mostly attract the scientific Bronte enthusiast. After all it has to be admitted that school essays, however elaborate they may be, cannot be regarded at as literature.

The epic tale of an ageing professor set against the backdrop of a Swedish summer. - Bengt Svensson, a professor of church history, spends his summer in the fascinating landscape around Lake Siljan. The lake, the hotel, everything is described in a way that the author should get a prize from the Swedish Tourist Board.
Bengt is about to celebrate his 60th birthday in this landscape set apart from everyday life when he sees a little girl, Svea, - is struck by her beauty, follows her footsteps and finds himself changed. - This motif is somewhat reminiscent of Mann's Death in Venice, even though Svea is no angel of death, and bright colours, both in the professor's personality and the landscape, dominate. Bengt likes painting; he is a collector of butterflies. For him, the lake has some personality, too; what are the messages it ("she") conveys? Sexual overtones are barely audible.
The novel is a great celebration of life, beauty, friendliness, and even what one might consider a few symbolic passages (the birthday article that sounds like an obituary, the Grim Reaper, a girl's lapse "We are very proud to have known you", thus accidentally alluding to his death, - these passages are so unobtrusive that they blend with Bengt's childlike naivety.
Somethimes the narrator addresses the reader in a homeric way, it is delightfully unclear whether or not this is meant in an ironic way. Is this the epitome of naivety or of refinement? Of course it may be both.
This delicately told, definitely slowly-paced novel praises the joys of sensual perception, be it music, fine foods, the weather, the lake, - or the little girl Svea.

This is a wonderful piece of detective work, and whether you agree with some of Chitham's conclusions and speculations or not, it is a joy to follow his reasoning and thought processes.

As I am still tweaking my own Emily Bronte novel at this time, this book has provided a great deal of interesting background to the development of The Heights, including its origins, and to Emily's life and her approach to writing.

One of Chitham's many useful contributions is his methodical proving of the existence of a second Emily Bronte novel. While I do not concur with his assessment of the probable content of that novel, I very much enjoyed reading this and all of his ideas.

His obvious respect for the work of other great Bronte scholars, such as Stevie Davies (Emily Bronte: Heretic, Four Dreamers And Emily) only reinforces his own open-mindedness and broad-based, meticulous research.

Excellent.

In this book the author intends to dispel the myth that Charlotte Bronte was the "unhappy victim of a tragic life", as other writers have attempted to portray her. Sellars provides evidence for Charlotte instead as "the intellectual, the independent spirit, the manipulative sister, and the cynical commentator." This book is filled with illustrations of the people in Bronte's life, her places of residence & employment, articles of clothing, her letters, manuscripts & artwork, and even a lock of her hair. Although it is a short book, Seller's skillful writing makes every word count and the reader comes away with a good understanding of Charlotte Bronte's life and times.

The Bronte Collection. Includes Jane Eyre, The Professor, Shirley, Villette, Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey, Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Cottage Poems and more.

What a great value, and a wonderful way to rediscover some old favorites, and perhaps to find some new ones, along with comparing the different writing styles of the authors.

The lush full-colour photographs and very accurate and informative text combine to create a book that is a pure pleasure to look at and read. For any Bronte lover out there, this is a must have item as one can truly see the essence of the places where these wonderful ladies lived, wrote and died. A pure joy each time I immerse myself in its pages!