A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE WORKS OF THE BRONTË SISTERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i2.2023.5046Keywords:
Brontë Sisters, Victorian Literature, Feminist Themes, Narrative Techniques, Comparative AnalysisAbstract [English]
The Brontë sisters — Charlotte, Emily, and Anne — have secured a lasting legacy in English literature as pioneering women writers whose works continue to captivate readers and scholars alike. Writing in the mid-19th century under the male pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, the sisters navigated and challenged the literary and societal conventions of the Victorian era. Despite their shared upbringing in the remote village of Haworth and their exposure to similar educational and cultural influences, each sister developed a distinct literary voice and thematic focus. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of their most acclaimed novels: Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, and Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Through a close examination of major themes—such as love, morality, independence, and social critique—as well as characterization, narrative structure, and stylistic choices, the study highlights the sisters' unique contributions to literary form and feminist discourse. While Charlotte’s emphasis lies in moral and spiritual growth within the bounds of societal norms, Emily’s novel explores raw passion and the destructive force of unrestrained emotion, and Anne’s work boldly critiques social injustices, particularly within the institution of marriage. Despite these differences, common threads—such as a deep psychological insight, strong female protagonists, and a commitment to emotional truth—bind their works together. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that the Brontë sisters, through their complementary yet contrasting narratives, provide a multifaceted exploration of Victorian life and womanhood, establishing themselves as enduring figures in the literary canon.
References
Alexander, Christine. The Brontës: A Life in Letters. Penguin Books, 2001.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Smith, Elder & Co., 1847.
Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Thomas Cautley Newby, 1847.
Brontë, Anne. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Thomas Cautley Newby, 1848.
Eagleton, Terry. Myths of Power: A Marxist Study of the Brontës. Macmillan, 1975.
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale University Press, 1979.
Langland, Elizabeth. "The Voicing of Feminine Consciousness in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall." Studies in the Novel, vol. 18, no. 1, 1986, pp. 34-48.
Eagleton, Terry. Myths of Power: A Marxist Study of the Brontës. Macmillan, 1975.
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