The Correspondences of Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte Brontë’s letters document the struggles of a nineteenth century Victorian woman who finds her way in the patriarchal literary world. Bronte was determined to succeed as a writer on her own terms. She would not conform to the traditional Victorian society (Harris 42). Due to unhappiness of being a governess at Roe Head and hoping to make her imaginative writing her occupation, she wrote to Robert Southey (“Charlotte Brontë” 4). She asked his opinion regarding her poems merit. Southey replies to Brontë and warns her to give up any hope of a literary career. Southey explains to Brontë that the imagination will raise desires which she cannot satisfy, desires which will provoke discontent with the appropriate duties of a woman’s life (Southey 238). Brontë’s reply on March 16, 1837 to Southey assures him that she was aware of the conflict of which he cautioned her. She expresses the need to be accepted as an imaginative writer (Brontë 240). Brontë’s life illustrates how nineteenth century Victorian women writers struggled between the cultural pressure toward feminine duty and the independence and assertiveness that imaginative writing requires.
Brontë’s letter was written in a time period when home, family life, and emotional restraint marked a woman’s existence. Her letter to Southey is written in formal diction, which is dictated by the time period, nineteenth century Victorian, England. Brontë responds to Southey’s letter addressing the unjust cultural pressure of the time period. “You only warn me against the folly of neglecting real duties, for the sake of imaginative pleasures; of writing for the love of fame; for the selfish excitement of emulation” (Brontë 239). Brontë portrays the restrictions placed on women of that time period. During the nineteenth century it was not acceptable for woman to allow literature to become the center of life. Women were expected to focus and seriously care...