Emily Bronte

Portrait of Emily Bronte
Emily Bronte 1818–1848
1818Born

Emily Brontë (July 30, 1818 - December 19, was a British novelist and poet, best remembered for her one novel Wuthering Heights, an acknowledged classic of English literature.

Emily was born at Thornton in Yorkshire, the younger sister of Charlotte Brontë and the fifth of six children. In 1820, the family moved to Haworth, where Emily's father was rector, and it was in these surroundings that their literary talent flourished. In childhood, after the death of their mother, the three sisters and her brother Branwell created imaginary lands (Gondal, Angria, Gaaldine), which featured in stories they wrote. Few of Emily's work from this period survives, except for poems spoken by characters (The Brontës' Web of Childhood, Fannie Ratchford, 1941).

In 1837, Emily commenced work as a governess at Law Hill, near Halifax. Later, with her sister Charlotte, she attended college in Brussels.

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It was the discovery of Emily's poetic talent by her family that led her and her sisters, Charlotte and Anne, to publish a joint collection of their poetry in 1845. Owing to the prejudices on female writers, all three used male pseudonyms, Emily's being "Ellis Bell".

She subsequently published her only novel, Wuthering Heights, in 1847. Although it received mixed reviews when it first came out, the book subsequently became an English literary classic.

Like her sisters, Emily's constitution had been weakened by their harsh life at home and at school. She died on December 19, 1848 of tuberculosis, having caught a chill during the funeral of her brother in September, and was interred in the Church of St. Michael and All Angels Cemetery, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England.

From readers

What readers say about Emily Bronte

  1. On Remembrance

    “i think the poem is full of passion and desire, and it is very sad but romantic. it makes ur heart swirl in thought thinking aww she missess her true luv. its sweet”

  2. On "I am the only being whose doom..."

    “This poem is really really interesting n very realistic poem. This poem made my eyes filled with tears n heart with sorrow .Love which everyone search n wish for but unfortunately it wasn't in the fortune of EMILY.i like the way EMILY BRONTE expressed her feelings without any kind of pain as she…”

  3. On 'Fall, leaves, fall'

    “Only 8 lines but it says much. She seems to be ordering the leaves to fall and the flowers to die with use of imperative statements. Emily Bronte obviously loves the winter because it makes her happy - not the usual sentiment about cold English winters. She cannot wait for winter to come, even at…”

  4. On Love and Friendship

    “the poem expresses the difference between love and friendship very clearly and simply.a lot of people are confused between the two.these days everyone has lost the feeling for true friendship or is it because they have no time ?everyone is after the short lived love.poems like this should be…”

  5. On Shall Earth No More Inspire Thee

    “I'm a Sophomore in high school, and chose to memorize this poem for my English final. I knew upon reading it the first time that it was THE poem I would recite. I fell in love immediately!! I can sympathize with the feelings of aloneness, and the feeling of wanting to be in love so desperately, but…”

  6. On A Little Budding Rose

    “The rose, often used to symbolize love, is used in this poem to express the devastating effects love can have. As this was written in the Victorian era, it could be about the loss of maidenhead and the effects having sex before marriage could have on a woman!”

Where readers gather

Most discussed

  1. Remembrance9 comments
  2. "I am the only being whose doom..."7 comments
  3. 'Fall, leaves, fall'4 comments
  4. Love and Friendship3 comments
  5. 'Tis moonlight, summer moonlight1 comment
  6. A Death - Scene1 comment
  7. A Little Budding Rose1 comment
  8. My Lady's Grave1 comment
  9. Night is Darkening Around Me, The1 comment
  10. Shall Earth No More Inspire Thee1 comment

All 55 poems

Poems · 55