Literature & Writing
Explore the life and writing of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. We will begin our study by focusing on Yorkshire, England in the 1800’s, considering local legends that gave rise to their novels, and the notorious hardships of life in their hometown of Haworth. We will discuss the conventions of Gothic fiction and consider how its themes were suited to life as the Brontes knew it. Discussing the novels Jane Eyre, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Wuthering Heights, we will examine how the Brontes utilized and adapted Gothic conventions in their storytelling. In considering the sisters’ legacy, we will also read Jean Rhys’s novel The Wide Sargasso Sea (written in the 1960’s as a prequel to Jane Eyre). Instructor: Ann Stephenson.