Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

2022 nonfiction reads start off with The Life of Charlotte Brontë written by Elizabeth Gaskell. Charlotte Brontë is most famously known for writing the classic gothic novel Jane Eyre. She was sister of authors Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë. Charlotte Brontë used the pseudonym of Currer Bell when initially publishing her writing, because at the time female authors were not looked upon as favorably by critics and some readers as male authors.

From GR: Elizabeth Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857) is a pioneering biography of one great Victorian woman novelist by another. Gaskell was a friend of Bronte's and, having been invited to write the official life, determined to both tell the truth and honor her friend. This edition collates all three previous editions, as well as the manuscript, offering fuller information about the process of writing and a more detailed explanation of the text than any previous edition.

NOTE: The linked edition here is the Oxford World's Classics edition, third edition of the 1857 book and hits at 587 pages.

I will read this, but probably won’t start for another week.

I'll be reading this, later in January.

I started reading yesterday, I have never read a biography of this scale, just short life sketches.

I want to read this but I want to read more from the Brontes first.

The only Brontë novel I've read so far is Jane Eyre. Personally, I usually have to be pretty invested in a writer's work to want read a biography.

What do you think of the book so far, Nidhi?

I'll be starting this soon. Looking forward to it!

I'm at 12% and enjoyed the descriptions of the people of west Yorkshire, as the author believed the reader needs to know about how the author grew up in this desolate area. I've just finished the part where the four oldest sisters, Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte and Emily were sent to Clergy Daughters School.

Kathy, I think I must agree with the author on this one. Where we come from does have an impact on who we become.

I finished 4 chapters of volume 1. I like the writing style.

I really want to read this one. Hope to join later this month. Charlotte Bronte is one of my favorite authors, and I have read quite a few of her books.

I am now on Chapter 8 and enjoying it, Gaskell describes each place with all the legends attached to it, which makes books more interesting. I have to read Shirley, there are many instances from real life of Brontes’ which went directly into the story of this book.

Happy to have you join in with us Beth!

Glad you're liking the book, Nidhi. Your note about the Gaskell including the legends attached to places mentioned in the book has caught my attention. I love a good legend.

Beth, if you don't get to the title this month, no worries! Discussions stay open for comments even after being archived. No pressure for a reading time constraint in this group to contribute to the discussion. I'm excited we happen to have a nonfiction book this year about one of your favorite authors, though.

I'm approaching 50% finished and find this book fascinating. I love learning about the life of Charlotte and her sisters, especially about their personalities. Plus, so many parts of Charlotte's life were incorporated into her fiction, Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Villette.

I struggled to get interested in this & put it aside until I downloaded a better version yesterday. Chapter 4 was a turning point for me as it related some of the connections between the family & the young Jane Eyre. I think it will be interesting at some time to read the fiction again with more knowledge of the author’s background.

I agree, Trisha, about rereading Bronte's books after reading this biography. I still have The Professor to read and may push that up on my TBR.

Kathy wrote: "I agree, Trisha, about rereading Bronte's books after reading this biography. I still have The Professor to read and may push that up on my TBR."

A good choice, Kathy. I enjoyed The Professor, it’s probably a book I will read again some time.

I'm very glad I read this. But it was long and detailed. I may some day read a different biography of Bronte since this one was written so shortly after Bronte's death and written by a friend.

I loved the description of Charlotte's character. Also it was interesting to see the people she met and new: Gaskell and Thackeray among them.

Good to hear that you appreciated this biography and all it had to offer, Kathy. I agree that a more objective one could be interesting, because with any biography where the writer knows the subject the risk exists of bias bleeding into the work - even if unintentionally.

If anyone is interested in a more modern book about the Bronte family, I recommend Dark Quartet: The story of the Brontë family by Lynne Reid Banks. There is also a book about Charlotte, Path to the Silent Country: Charlotte Bronte's Story, but I haven't read it yet.

Rosemarie wrote: "If anyone is interested in a more modern book about the Bronte family, I recommend Dark Quartet: The story of the Brontë family by Lynne Reid Banks. There is also a b..."

I'm sure I remember a comment in a thread late last year that a biography written after 1972 still "qualified" for this group, provided the subject had lived prior to that date - is that correct, or wishful thinking on my part?

You are correct about that John.

Biographies are the only thing that works that way. Can be written any year as long as the subject or event was more than 50 years.

Thanks Lesle, that's excellent; after reading Mrs Gaskell's book I'm hoping to read The Brontës by Juliet Barker. (But I've been hoping to read it for several years - I pick it off the shelf, and then think 1158 pages !!!!!)

Thanks for the recommendations, Rosemarie and John.

Lesle wrote: "You are correct about that John.

Biographies are the only thing that works that way. Can be written any year as long as the subject or event was more than 50 years."

Only biographies? How about nonfiction historical events? ie. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI ? This opens up so many choices for me! Or is that maybe taking us too far astray.

Blueberry, yes, the idea is if the person lived more than 50 years ago or the event happened more than 50 years ago, we can use it for nonfiction. I listened to Killers of the Flower Moon last year and learned a lot.

Does anyone else have comments on Charlotte Brontë or about this book? New, shorter nonfiction title coming for the group in less than a week!

I'm still reading it I'm afraid, Samantha - I think it will be early February before I finish.

Sorry, Samantha, I’m still less than half way through the book. I’m quite disappointed by it so far. I like that it gives some background to the fiction books, but I don’t find it very interesting otherwise.

No worries about not finishing this book yet, y'all. Take your time. Even after the thread is archived, we still welcome you to comment on the book.

Trisha, if you're not enjoying the book, there is no shame from us here in quitting it. Reading is meant to be enjoyable, not a chore. :)

I finished volume 1 and I am enjoying it. My another friend is reading with me on another group, we both like works of Bronte sisters. Their life was struggle and they didn’t live much but still they produced immortal works.

Also I and my friend have read novels and poems of Bronte sisters, so it is always interesting to know about the authors and their lives and their surroundings which might have contributed in their works.

Biography is very sad but we knew what we were going to face.

Samantha wrote: "Trisha, if you're not enjoying the book, there is no shame from us here in quitting it. Reading is meant to be enjoyable, not a chore. :)"

That’s very kind, Samantha. I don’t like abandoning books. Last year I made one of my challenges to complete some books I had abandoned before & I found some were better than I thought. If you don’t mind, I’ll put this to one side for now & return to it another time - I suspect I’m just not in the mood for it right now.

I enjoyed the book but it could have been shorter. Letter after letter about the family illnesses and all the work to be done at the parsonage doesn't make for joyful reading either.

John wrote: "and then think 1158 pages !!!!!..."

WOW! John that is a Super Hefty read! I hope you enjoy!

Trisha, you don't need my permission to put the book to the side for now. Do what you feel is most enjoyable.

Kathy, maybe only certain letters on those topics should've been used to get the points across but not be overbearing.

That's what I think, Samantha. The biography could have been cut by a quarter. It was well worth reading though.

Biographies are mostly hefty books, I was planning to read Kafka’s biography and it is in 3 volumes each have 600 plus pages, Dostoevsky’s biography is also very hefty, and our next read Life of Johnson is hefty.

That is the reason I was shrinking away from biographies this long, with this group I finally found opportunity to start reading biographies and history.

Nidhi, it's great to hear that this group has given you the motivation needed to read biographies and histories. I hope you enjoy getting into them finally.

I'm at about 40%, but I'm enjoying this immensely. I'm feeling that this was a real labour of love for Gaskell, and appreciating that a lot. I've loved every one of the Bronte sisters' books that I've read (I think there are only 3 I haven't yet), but I didn't know much about their lives outside the absolute tragedies. While Gaskell has obviously included that element, It has been refreshing to see that balanced with attention paid to Charlotte's personality the things in which she found pleasure.

Reading this has inspired me to want to follow up with DuMaurier's The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte (on my to-read list for years) in the very near future.

Laurel, it's excited to hear reading this book inspired you to read another.

Laurel wrote: "follow up with DuMaurier's The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte ..."

The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë by Daphne du Maurier

Thank you Laurel! I had no idea this existed. I do not know much about Branwell. This could be very interesting.

Finished the first biography of my life and I loved it. The book is unforgettable. Of all their ( Bronte sisters’) works only Shirley I haven’t read yet which I suppose I will read next year or this year if it is selected by a group.

Nidhi, I'm glad you enjoyed your first biography! I enjoy a good biography occasionally, but I have to be really interested in the subject.

Me too. I feel I must admire author , painter or musician enough to know about their lives and I never go for a politicians’s biography, not even a short one because politics is all Greek to me just like chemistry used to be in my student days lol.

Finally finished The Life of Charlotte Brontë! It's taken me forever, and it became a real slog - just reading a little every now and again. Which was probably my mistake - maybe if I'd read it in bigger chunks I'd have been more in tune with her style, and have enjoyed it more.

I've read other books from Mrs Gaskell and enjoyed them, so this one won't put me off.

John wrote: "Finally finished The Life of Charlotte Brontë! It's taken me forever, and it became a real slog - just reading a little every now and again. Which was probably my mistake - maybe if I'..."

My favorite of the Bronte sisters is Anne. Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall are two that I enjoyed.

My favorite by Elizabeth Gaskell is NOT North and South but instead Wives and Daughters. Have you read the last?