Facsimile of a circular issued by the Brontë sisters

1844

Source: Wood, following p. 109

Teaching was practically the only occupation open to middle-class women at this time. None of the Brontë sisters enjoyed working away from home, so at one stage the answer seemed to be to open their own school in the parsonage. But they could not attract any pupils to this out-of-the-way spot. Soon, their brother Branwell's condition made such a project seem impossible (see Langland 305). For the gifted, however, there was the possibility of another career: writing.

Image scan and text by Jacqueline Banerjee.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the source, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one. Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text to see the links.]