Charlotte Brontë [author]

Calvin

Welcome to Headstones and Microphones where we use AI to step into the past through a researched, first-person simulation of history's most interesting people. I am your host, Calvin. While we’ve added some creative storytelling, our goal is to inspire your own study of these fascinating lives. Now, let’s meet our guest. Today, I am absolutely honored to be joined by a literary giant whose words have echoed through the centuries. For those who may somehow not know who you are... who are you?

White Female Guest

Oh, it is a joy to be here! I am Charlotte Brontë, a writer of novels and poetry. You might know me best as the author of Jane Eyre, though in my own time, many knew me by the name Currer Bell.

Calvin

It is truly a pleasure, Charlotte! Let's start at the beginning. When and where were you born?

White Female Guest

I was born on the 21st of April in 1816. My world began in a small village called Thornton in Yorkshire, England.

Calvin

And what was your given name at birth?

White Female Guest

Simply Charlotte Brontë.

Calvin

Is there a story behind your birth name?

White Female Guest

My father, Patrick, actually changed our family name from Brunty to Brontë before I was born. He was quite an ambitious man, and I believe he felt the name Brontë, with its hint of classical Greek for "thunder," carried a bit more prestige for a clergyman and a scholar!

Calvin

Thunder—that certainly fits the impact of your writing! What was your hometown like growing up?

White Female Guest

Most of my memories are of Haworth, where we moved when I was very young. It was a rugged, windy place. Our parsonage sat right at the edge of the wild Yorkshire moors. It was isolated, yes, but those purple hills and the whistling wind felt like they belonged to us.

Calvin

That sounds incredibly atmospheric. What was your family life like?

White Female Guest

It was a house full of imagination but shadowed by a great deal of quiet and loss. I was the eldest of the four siblings who survived into adulthood—Branwell, Emily, Anne, and myself. We were very close; we had to be. We spent our days inventing entire secret worlds to escape the stillness of the parsonage.

Calvin

What kind of kid were you?

White Female Guest

I was small, very shy, and terribly near-sighted! I was a bit of a "mother hen" to my younger sisters, especially after our mother and older sisters passed away. I was serious, perhaps a bit intense, and always, always had my nose in a book or a tiny hand-written manuscript.

Calvin

What were your biggest fears growing up?

White Female Guest

I feared the loss of my family above all else. In those days, illness was a constant visitor. I also had a deep, private fear of being ordinary—of living a life where my mind wasn't allowed to reach its full potential.

Calvin

And what did you dream of becoming as a child?

White Female Guest

We didn't just dream; we lived it! My siblings and I wanted to be explorers, soldiers, and, of course, great writers. We wrote tiny books for our toy soldiers, creating the imaginary kingdoms of Angria and Gondal. I always knew I wanted my voice to be heard.

Calvin

What were some of your favorite activities in school?

White Female Guest

School was... difficult for me, especially at Cowan Bridge. But later, at Roe Head, I found I loved drawing and, of course, composition. I was quite good at French, too! But mostly, I loved the moments when I could sit in a corner and observe people—studying their characters for my stories.

Calvin

What was your first job?

White Female Guest

I worked as a teacher at Roe Head, and later I served as a governess. I must be honest, Calvin—I did not enjoy it! I found the work stifling and the way some families treated their governesses to be quite demeaning. It was that frustration that fueled much of Jane Eyre’s spirit.

Calvin

Was there a moment where you realized you were different from everyone else?

White Female Guest

Perhaps when I realized that the "secret world" in my head was more vivid and real to me than the tea parties and social graces of the village. I saw the world with a certain sharpness, a "fire" as some might say, that didn't always fit the expectations for a woman of my station.

Calvin

What’s a decision that changed everything for you, but felt small at the time?

White Female Guest

Sending a selection of our poems—Emily’s, Anne’s, and mine—to be published under the masculine pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. We spent our own money to print them. It barely sold two copies at first! It felt like a small failure, but it gave us the courage to keep writing our novels.

Calvin

What was your biggest break?

White Female Guest

Oh, without a doubt, it was the publication of Jane Eyre in 1847. It was an overnight sensation! People were desperate to know who this "Currer Bell" was. It changed me from a quiet parson’s daughter into a woman the whole literary world was talking about.

Calvin

What were your biggest struggles before success?

White Female Guest

Poverty and the rejection of my first novel, The Professor. It was turned down by so many publishers. And, of course, the constant battle against the limitations placed on women. We had to hide our identities just to be judged on the merit of our writing rather than our gender.

Calvin

Did you ever consider quitting?

White Female Guest

Never. Writing was as necessary to me as breathing. Even when the world seemed dark, the stories were always there, demanding to be told.

Calvin

Were there any specific daily habits or routines that you feel are essential to your success?

White Female Guest

I was very disciplined. I would do my household chores first—I was quite proud of my bread-baking!—and then I would sit down to write. I often wrote on small scraps of paper, holding them close to my eyes because of my poor sight. I also took long walks on the moors to clear my head and find inspiration.

Calvin

What job would you have had if fame never happened?

White Female Guest

I suppose I would have remained a teacher or perhaps run a small school with my sisters. We actually dreamed of starting our own school at the parsonage, though we never could get enough pupils to sign up!

Calvin

What was your life like before fame?

White Female Guest

Quiet, industrious, and very private. It was a life of duty to my father and my home, lit up by the brilliant, secret conversations I had with my sisters about our books.

Calvin

How did relationships change after success?

White Female Guest

It was a bit overwhelming! I traveled to London and met great men like William Thackeray. I was so shy I often couldn't speak a word to them! But it also brought me closer to fellow writers like Elizabeth Gaskell, who became a dear friend.

Calvin

Did fame bring happiness?

White Female Guest

It brought a sense of achievement and some financial security, which was a blessing. But true happiness for me was always found at home, in the quiet of the moors, despite the sadness that later dwelt there.

Calvin

What was the downside of becoming famous?

White Female Guest

The loss of privacy and the gossip. People were so curious about my life, and some of the things written about me were quite unkind. I preferred to remain the "invisible" observer.

Calvin

What misconceptions did people have about you?

White Female Guest

Some thought I was as "wild" or "improper" as the characters I wrote. They couldn't reconcile the quiet, diminutive woman in the silk dress with the passionate, rebellious voice of Jane Eyre.

Calvin

What was your darkest moment?

White Female Guest

The year 1848 and 1849. I lost Branwell, then Emily, and then Anne, all within eight months. To be the last one left in that silent house... that was a darkness I can hardly describe.

Calvin

What’s something people misunderstood about your life?

White Female Guest

People often thought my life was purely tragic. While there was much grief, there was also incredible intellectual joy and a deep, abiding love for my family and my home.

Calvin

Tell me about a time when everything went wrong and how did you handle it?

White Female Guest

When The Professor was rejected yet again, on the very same day I was taking my father to Manchester for a terrifying eye surgery. I sat in a dark room while he recovered and, instead of giving up, I started writing the first pages of Jane Eyre. I handled the pain by creating something new.

Calvin

Who had the biggest influence on your life?

White Female Guest

My father, for his intellect and for allowing us the freedom of his library. And my sisters—we were each other's editors, critics, and best friends.

Calvin

What was life like in your final years?

White Female Guest

They were surprisingly peaceful. I married my father’s curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls. I wasn't sure at first, but he was very devoted to me. For the first time, I had the quiet support of a husband.

Calvin

What were you working on in your career before you passed away?

White Female Guest

I had begun a new story called Emma. I only finished a few chapters, but my mind was still very much full of new characters.

Calvin

When and where and how did you pass away and how old were you?

White Female Guest

I passed away on March 31, 1855, in my home at Haworth. I was only 38 years old. I was in the early stages of pregnancy, but I became very ill with what they called "hyperemesis gravidarum"—I simply couldn't keep any nourishment down.

Calvin

What’s a random fact about you most people have never heard?

White Female Guest

I was an avid collector of mineral samples! I loved the different textures and colors of stones.

Calvin

What’s the craziest rumor ever told about you?

White Female Guest

That I was a governess who had run away with a mysterious, brooding master of a house! People assumed Jane Eyre was my literal autobiography. I assure you, my life was much more stationary than Jane’s.

Calvin

What was your most unique habit?

White Female Guest

I used to keep my tiny hand-written books in my pockets at all times, like little talismans of my own imagination.

Calvin

What was your favorite food?

White Female Guest

I had very simple tastes. A good Yorkshire parkin—a ginger cake—was always a treat!

Calvin

What was your favorite book?

White Female Guest

I adored the works of Sir Walter Scott. His stories of history and adventure were a great escape for me.

Calvin

Did you have any known rivalries?

White Female Guest

Not a rivalry as such, but I did find the writing of Jane Austen to be a bit... cold. I felt she lacked the "poetry" and passion of the heart, which caused a bit of a stir when I said so!

Calvin

Tell us a story nobody talks about.

White Female Guest

Once, when I was in London, I was so nervous about meeting my hero, Thackeray, that I spent the entire dinner speaking only to the person next to me about the price of eggs and butter! I was quite mortified afterward.

Calvin

What advice would you give people chasing success?

White Female Guest

Be true to your own voice. Do not try to write what you think the world wants; write what your heart burns to say. Endurance is the greatest virtue of a writer.

Calvin

Charlotte, this has been truly wonderful. Do you have any closing remarks about our interview or the stories you shared that you would like to share with the listeners before we sign off?

White Female Guest

Only that I am so grateful my words still find a home in the hearts of readers today. To know that Jane's spirit lives on is a greater gift than I ever imagined. Thank you, Calvin, for this lovely opportunity to speak again.

Calvin

What an incredible journey through the moors and the mind of a legend! We talked about the secret childhood worlds of the Brontës, the struggles of a governess, and the fiery passion that created Jane Eyre. Charlotte, thank you so much for joining us. And that wraps up another conversation from beyond the grave. Thanks for joining us on The Headstones and Microphones Podcast. Remember—legends may die, but their stories never do. Please help spread the word by sharing and following the pod.