The Oxford Companion to the Brontës

by Christine Alexander, Margaret Smith

This special edition of The Oxford Companion to the Brontes commemorates the bicentenary of Emily Bronte's birth in July 1818 and provides comprehensive and detailed information about the lives, works, and reputations of the Brontes - the three sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, their father, and their brother Branwell.

Expanded entries surveying the Brontes' lives and works are supplemented by entries on friends and acquaintances, pets, literary and political heroes; on the places they knew and the places they imagined; on their letters, drawings and paintings; on historical events such as Chartism, the Peterloo Massacre, and the Ashantee Wars; on exploration, slavery, and religion. Selected entries on the characters and places in the Bronte juvenilia provide a glimpse into their early imaginative worlds, and entries on film, ballet, and musicals indicate the extent to which their works have inspired others. A new foreword to the text has been also penned by Clare Harman, award-winning writer and literary critic, and recent biographer of Charlotte Bronte.

This is a unique and authoritative reference book for the research student and the general reader. The A-Z format, extensive cross-referencing, classified contents, chronologies, illustrations, and maps, both facilitate quick reference and encourage further exploration. This Companion is not only invaluable for quick searches, but a delight to browse, and an inspiration to further reading.

Genres: Nonfiction, English Literature, Literature, Biography Memoir

640 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2003

Reviews

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference work, with in-depth summaries of all published works, to include those by Branwell. I was especially interested in two articles about the books owned by the Brontes and those read by the family. There are also good entries on just about everything connected to the Brontes, which leads to some repetition.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly thought I knew pretty much all there was to the ladies who wrote those famous classics everyone has to read. But, alas, there is more. Now, do find your favourite method of migraine-suppression, and stat. The advice I have been told is that if you take relief agents before you know a headache will arise, you are likely to experience fewer symptoms.

Though of all of what I have read from this book, what I found most useful of it was truthfully immediately in the beginning: the order of the siblings. I can't ever keep the order of my uncles and aunts straight so it's good that these scholars wrote the Brontës down right in the Preface: Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. (I don't know if it's as important as the order of operations, but I think it's important that I am older than my sister, so it is probably important that Charlotte is older than Branwell, Emily, et cetera.)
Otherwise, this reads almost exactly like all the other lit-crit books I have ever read in my years at university. Each commentary is categorised in alphabetical order.
Everything else is rather interesting; these people were so influential! You have to get this book to see more detail.

The primary thing I didn't know going into this book was that there actually was a brother.
Seriously, I was that deficit in my understanding of these people that if there was or wasn't someone there I wouldn't have caught it.
That's so embarrassing!

[Alyson Hagy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a nerd. I loved this book.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good companion to have on hand while studying about the Bronte Family.

[Madame Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The absolute number one resource for Bronte information.

[Rachael Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fascinating insights into the lives of the Brontës but also a little outdated.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains particularly everything and anything you want to know about the Brontës as well as anything from the books and its characters. All the eccentric details are in here too. Great for all Brontë nerds and fans.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable resource.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definately worth 5 stars.

Filled with both obscure and vital information about the Brontes and their writings. A fascinating read for any Bronte fan.