The Brontës: To Walk Invisible

Literature lovers will know the Brontes for the classic English stories Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.What I was unaware of until recently was the tremendous struggle sisters Emily, Anne and Charlotte faced in getting their work published in a time when women had next to no influence in the world of novels and poetry. In fact, male pseudonyms were used (Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell) in order to gain traction and garner sales.To Walk Invisibleis the BBC’s bleak but brilliant portrayal of this incredibly talented family and their struggle for notoriety. It recently premiered in the UK to excellent reviews this past December and is available for viewing on PBS Sunday, March 26 at 9/8cThe family loses their mother at a young age (as well another sister) and are raised by their father, along with their brother Branwell, a painter and writer who suffered severely with addiction problems that ultimately cost him his life. As life gets increasingly more difficult for the family, Charlotte begins to believe that their writing could provide self- sufficiency and a way out of their circumstances. But they have to find a way to be published first.