Acton, Currer, Ellis and The Madwoman in the Attic

I recently visited the wonderful village of Haworth in West Yorkshire which was, of course, the home of the Brontë family.

I have been before many times but the place means something to me. I grew up with a knowledge of the sisters, I share a name with one of them, as does my sister. Their story painted a background in my life that has always been there, and probably always will.

I remember being shown a film version of Jane Eyre in secondary school and I have never shaken it. The horror of Jane’s childhood stuck with me then, the idea of losing a friend at that tender age, and in such a cold setting left a mark.

When I received my reading list for the first year of my English degree the first book I chose was Wuthering Heights. I read it very quickly, consumed by a type of tale I had never seen before. A couple madly in love, but entirely unlikeable. I had never come across a book that depicted love in a negative way before, it taught me more about the concept than any story since.

Then in my later years of University I came across the concept of the Madwoman in the Attic. A literary theory based on Mrs Rochester. Gilbert and Gubar posited that female writers of the 19th century had to depict their female characters as either an angel or a monster. The essay they wrote highlights the struggles female writers had in expressing their thoughts and feelings through their work. A point highlighted by the use of Acton, Currer and Ellis as pen names for Anne, Charlotte and Emily.

Women who didn’t toe the line were often maligned, abused or diagnosed with ‘hysteria’ in the 19th century (as well as before and after). It is certain that the Brontë sisters were well aware of these struggles, not just their own, but of others before them. And this came out on their works, which might explain why some (Wuthering Heights in particular) were controversial.

Fortunately, time has preserved their works and we now have them to read in a modern context. So, next time you visit Haworth, take a moment to nod your head to these pioneers on whose shoulders, many female writers now stand.

*while in Haworth, also check out Wave of Nostalgia, a feminist book shop packed full of amazing books and merchandise for the Brontës and the suffragettes. You won’t regret it, your wallet might.

Charlotte Wood is a feminist and writer of the macabre and sinister. She reads horror, fantasy, classic literature and historical fiction (with a preference for history from a woman’s perspective).