Emily Brontë

Author profile

born

in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, The United Kingdom

July 30, 1818

died

December 19, 1848

gender

female

genre

Literature & Fiction

About this author

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Emily Jane Brontë was a British novelist and poet, now best remembered for her only novel Wuthering Heights, a classic of English literature. Emily was the second eldest of the three surviving Brontë sisters, being younger than Charlotte Brontë and older than Anne Brontë. She published under the masculine pen name Ellis Bell.

Emily was born in Thornton, near Bradford in Yorkshire to Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell. She was the younger sister of Charlotte Brontë and the fifth of six children. In 1824, the family moved to Haworth, where Emily's father was perpetual curate, and it was in these surroundings that their literary oddities flourished. In childhood, after the death of their mother, the three sisters and their brother Patrick Branwe...more Emily Jane Brontë was a British novelist and poet, now best remembered for her only novel Wuthering Heights, a classic of English literature. Emily was the second eldest of the three surviving Brontë sisters, being younger than Charlotte Brontë and older than Anne Brontë. She published under the masculine pen name Ellis Bell.

Emily was born in Thornton, near Bradford in Yorkshire to Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell. She was the younger sister of Charlotte Brontë and the fifth of six children. In 1824, the family moved to Haworth, where Emily's father was perpetual curate, and it was in these surroundings that their literary oddities flourished. In childhood, after the death of their mother, the three sisters and their brother Patrick Branwell Brontë created imaginary lands (Angria, Gondal, Gaaldine, Oceania), which were featured in stories they wrote. Little of Emily's work from this period survived, except for poems spoken by characters (The Brontës' Web of Childhood, Fannie Ratchford, 1941).

In 1842, Emily commenced work as a governess at Miss Patchett's Ladies Academy at Law Hill School, near Halifax, leaving after about six months due to homesickness. Later, with her sister Charlotte, she attended a private school in Brussels. They later tried to open up a school at their home, but had no pupils.

It was the discovery of Emily's poetic talent by Charlotte that led her and her sisters, Charlotte and Anne, to publish a joint collection of their poetry in 1846, Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. To evade contemporary prejudice against female writers, the Brontë sisters adopted androgynous first names. All three retained the first letter of their first names: Charlotte became Currer Bell, Anne became Acton Bell, and Emily became Ellis Bell. In 1847, she published her only novel, Wuthering Heights, as two volumes of a three volume set (the last volume being Agnes Grey by her sister Anne). Its innovative structure somewhat puzzled critics. Although it received mixed reviews when it first came out, the book subsequently became an English literary classic. In 1850, Charlotte edited and published Wuthering Heights as a stand-alone novel and under Emily's real name.

Like her sisters, Emily's health had been weakened by the harsh local climate at home and at school. She caught a chill during the funeral of her brother in September, and, having refused all medical help, died on December 19, 1848 of tuberculosis, possibly caught from nursing her brother. She was interred in the Church of St. Michael and All Angels family capsule, Haworth, West Yorkshire, England.(less)

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Emily Brontë's Books

Average rating: 3.77 · 436,732 ratings · 14,916 reviews · 181 distinct works · Similar authors

	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Richard J. Dunn (Editor) 3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 427,968 ratings — published 1847 — 1184 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre by Emily Brontë, Charlotte Brontë 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 3,146 ratings — published 1992 — 12 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wuthering Heights, Agnès Grey & Villette by Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë, Charlotte Brontë 3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 1,207 ratings — published 2004	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Poems by Emily Brontë, C.W. Hatfield (Editor), Irene Taylor (Foreword by) 4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 867 ratings — published 1941 — 16 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters by Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë, Charlotte Brontë 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 352 ratings — published 1997 — 33 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wuthering Heights The Graphic Novel: Original Text by Emily Brontë, Clive Bryant (Editor), John M. Burns (Illustrator) 4.36 of 5 stars 4.36 avg rating — 133 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wuthering Heights And Emma by Emily Brontë, Jane Austen 4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 104 ratings	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poems of Solitude by Emily Brontë, Helen Dunmore (Foreword by) 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 74 ratings — published 2004	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	مرتفعات ويذرنج - الجزء الأول by Emily Brontë, إيميلي برونتي 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 35 ratings	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poems by Emily Brontë, Peter Washington 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 1947 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Emily Brontë…

Quotes by Emily Brontë

“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”
― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

tags: loss, love

3,498 people liked it

“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

tags: love

2,773 people liked it

“Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul!”
― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

tags: love

1,254 people liked it

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Polls

What 'classic' would you like to read in January?

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

4 votes, 30.8%

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

3 votes, 23.1%

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne

3 votes, 23.1%

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

1 vote, 7.7%

King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard

1 vote, 7.7%

The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton

1 vote, 7.7%

13 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Emily Brontë's Books