#bronte family

[adobongsiopao]

Caricature of Brontē siblings from an old issue of "Punch" magazine.

Source: The Official Bronte Group on Facebook

[burningvelvet]

Mini books created by Charlotte and Branwell Brontë when they were ~13/14 years old.

“Measuring about 2.5 by 5 centimeters, page after mini-page brims with poems, stories, songs, illustrations, maps, building plans, and dialogue. The books, lettered in minuscule, even script, tell of the “Glass Town Confederacy,” a fictional world the siblings created for and around Branwell’s toy soldiers, which were both the protagonists of and audience for the little books. In 1829 and 1830, Charlotte and Branwell cobbled the pages together from printed waste and scrap paper, perhaps cut from margins of discarded pamphlets. They wrote with steel-nibbed pens, which tend to blot, yet the even script demonstrates their practiced hand. Charlotte, who in adulthood wrote “Jane Eyre,” nested leaves together, then neatly sewed the spine with embroidery thread; it’s evident she constructed her book and planned its content before ever putting pen to paper. Branwell, who would become a painter and poet, stacked folded leaves together, which allowed him to add pages as he needed; clearly not as adept with needle and thread as his sister, he stab-sewed the leaves together with thicker linen yarn.”

[ellisemilybronte]

It’s really amazing to me how much interaction my posts have had. Very happy to know I’m not alone in my undying love for the Brontës. Here’s to you guys ❤️

[veronicaleighauthor]

Charlotte Bronte and Ellen Nussey

Friendships are often born in the unlikeliest of places. How they endure the test of time is another matter entirely. For Charlotte Bronte and Ellen Nussey, their friendship lasted for over two decades, and they relied upon letters to cope with their distance from one another.

Charlotte Bronte, the future author of “Jane Eyre,” was not pleased to have leave her home in Haworth in Yorkshire and go to Roe Head School to be trained up as a teacher or a governess. Her previous experience at a school resulted in the deaths of her two older sisters. But now as the eldest of the remaining Bronte children, she had to pave the way for the others and become an educator, since marriage was no guarantee in life. There she met Ellen Nussey, her opposite in every way imaginable. Where Charlotte was intelligent and considered plain, Ellen was more of the traditional Victorian, beautiful and elegant. Yet the friendship was forged.

Ellen’s stay there wasn’t permanent while Charlotte remained at Roe Head for a few years. They paid visits to each other’s homes, but not nearly enough to satisfy them. Determined to stay in touch, she and Ellen corresponded religiously for the next twenty-four years. They exchanged their opinions on a variety of subjects: love, money, literature, marriage, religion…Unfortunately, Ellen’s side of the conversations was not preserved. Charlotte’s letters were preserved, accumulating to over five hundred letters. To Ellen, Charlotte was able to confide her deepest, darkest secrets. How she loathed teaching and being a governess, and longed to pursue a literary career. Through these hundreds of letters, the Bronte’s family story is told. What we know of the Bronte’s and how they lived is largely in thanks to Ellen Nussey, for saving her friends’ missives.

A daughter of an Irish curate, Charlotte and her siblings lived in a gothic-like parsonage on the edge of the moors. Her brother, Branwell, was to be the savior of the family and take care of his sisters and their aging father. Instead, he fell into dissipation and drugs. It was left to Charlotte, Emily, and Anne to raise the family’s hopes. After the three ventured out into the world and came home in 1845, beaten down by life, they banded together to produce a book of poetry. Later, they published novels as the Bell brothers, which provided them with a means of support. Eventually, what began as a secret endeavor, was undone when Charlotte and Anne had to travel to London to defend their reputations due to a shady publisher. They returned home happy, but darkness was on the horizon though.

The deaths of Branwell, Emily, and Anne left Charlotte bereft. She found solace in her friendship with Ellen, as well as her newfound fame as an author in literary society. The letters continued for the next few years, but there was a period when they came to an abrupt halt.

Her father’s curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls began to pursue Charlotte romantically, and after a rough beginning, she accepted his marriage proposal. When Ellen heard of the engagement, she was upset. She had believed that she and Charlotte would eventually live together as spinsters. This, coupled with her dislike of Arthur, temporarily upended her and Charlotte’s friendship. It took a year for them to reconcile and Ellen attended her dearest friend’s wedding. Yet the ungoverned freedom they had possessed in the previous years no longer existed. At first, Arthur read their letters. Only when Ellen agreed to destroy Charlotte’s missives, an attempt to protect her friend’s reputation as an author lest the letters fall into the wrong hands, did Arthur promise not to read their correspondence.

Ellen, however, did not keep her promise and cherished Charlotte’s letters.

Like her siblings, Charlotte did not have a strong constitution. It is believed she became pregnant and suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum – a severe case of mourning sickness – which led to her death in 1855.

Elizabeth Gaskell, fellow friend and author, was commissioned by Charlotte’s father to write a biography on his daughter. She went to Ellen Nussey and drew heavily upon the letters for her source material. “The Life of Charlotte Bronte,” was published two years later. Ellen died in 1897, at age 80, having spent the rest of her life devoted to Charlotte’s memory. She was often sought out by biographers for her input. After her death, her belongings and Charlotte’s letters were sold at auctions. The letters eventually found their way into the possession of the Bronte Parsonage Museum, where they remain today.

[what-shitfuckery-is-this-ew]

So Charlotte's type was a racist slaver who cheated on his wife for her, Emily's type was a racially ambiguous probable slave turned landlord who just happened to sound like her brother. And Anne was just watching her two sisters write their messed up romances into books that outsold hers despite her writing toxic men die.

So the Bronte family reunions must have been ... interesting.

[siderains]

“dads and daughters, you think any of them ever really get it right?”

(yasmin belkhyr, “Interlude with forgotten myth, or, portrait of ibrahim’s daughter,” alongside with the panel from “dawn of x”/picture of an aurora borealis/paragraph of one of kafka’s letters to his father/quote from “last days of magneto” with the artwork of briony marshall called “peaceful embrace”/quote from “wuthering heights” by emily brönte/quote from poem “the angry daughter” by janelles locket with a panel of “house of m”/quote from the book “ghost of my ghosts” by sol rios/quote from “x factor”/panel from “the trial of magneto”)

[baura-bear]

If you can’t reach me it’s because I’m still thinking about Jack’s Santa Fe painting and the color of Katherine’s costume

[screechingfromthevoid]

nothing (besides everyone ignoring Orym's deal) has made me angrier than watching Dorian keep up this facade. Dorian Storm has always been a type of mask he's worn. At first he called himself a liar because of it. The happy go lucky bard was a way of escaping for him. He was escaping Brontë so he created Dorian. He didn't believe he was Dorian. Until the Crown Keepers made Dorian real. And for a while, he really believed he was Dorian. That he has this new family and new life and he could be who he truly wanted to be.

And then his brother came back and made his problems Dorian's problems. Until he had to put Brontë back on. Because even if the Crown Keepers + Cyrus called him Dorian, he was Brontë. He had to be who his brother thought he was.

When Cyrus dies, the thread to Brontë had snapped. He was going to see Orym, back to the Bells Hells, back to Dorian Storm. But the foundation of Dorian had shattered. Dorian was created in order to run from his place in life, family, Cyrus. Now he was gone. The Crown Keepers had fallen apart. His friends fell through his fingers and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He was once ready to side with a betrayer god for these people and now they're in the wind.

So Dorian shows back up to Bells Hella and he's completely broken. The foundation of both of his lives has been thoroughly rocked. No brother. No Crown Keepers. The two things that forged Dorian Storm. He wears that mask so fucking well. Because he still wants to believe in it. He said it live on stage that he should "believe his own backstory". The one he made up. The one where he was a bard.

He wants to be Dorian so bad. He spends all his money on Orym, he spins the bottle so he can kiss his friends, he flirts, he blushes and giggles at compliments. Exactly how Dorian would, should.

But he wears the gold of the heir. He has a festering animosity inside his chest. He doesn't sleep. He's thinner than he was. He doesn't sleep. He sicks abominations after their creators. He talks to God's without an ounce of self preservation, daring them to strike him down. He does not acknowledge them as they taunt him.

The god of beauty and magic calls him beautiful and he does not smile.

[lezabeththetheodoraimposter]

i just know fintan and marellas gossip sessions go crazy

[stars-and-branches]

[the-way-astray]

currently wondering how fintan didn't shatter right then and there when the five pyrokinetics died. we know he felt guilty because he stepped down and allowed pyrokinesis to be banned, and also it's explicitly stated he hated himself as he leaped away. but somehow he didn't shatter the instant those five pyrokinetics died???

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

OTMA Pinterest collages!

[burningvelvet]

On this day, 189 years ago: 16-year-old Emily Brontë and 14-year-old Anne Brontë write a diary entry:

November the 24

1834 Monday

Emily Jane Brontë

Anne Brontë

I fed Rainbow, Diamond Snowflake Jasper pheasant this morning. Branwell went down to Mr. Driver's and brought news that Sir Robert Peel was going to be invited to stand for Leeds. Anne and I have been peeling apples for Charlotte to make us an apple pudding and for Aunt nuts and apples. Charlotte said she made puddings perfectly and she was of a quick but limited intellect. Taby said just now Come Anne pilloputate (i.e. pill a potato). Aunt has come into the kitchen just now and said where are your feet Anne? Anne answered On the floor Aunt. papa opened the parlour door and gave Branwell a letter saying here Branwell read this and show it to your Aunt and Charlotte – The Gondals are discovering the interior of Gaaldine, Sally Mosley is washing in the back kitchen.

It is past Twelve o'clock. Anne and I have not tidied ourselves, done our bedwork or done our lessons and we want to go out to play. We are going to have for Dinner Boiled Beef, Turnips, potatoes and applepudding. The Kitchin is in a very untidy state. Anne and I have not done our music exercise which consists of b major. Taby said on my putting a pen in her face Ya pitter pottering there instead of pilling a potate. I answered O Dear, O Dear, O dear I will directly. With that I get up, take a knife and begin pilling (finished) pilling the potatoes. Papa going to walk. Mr. Sunderland expected.

        Anne and I say I wonder what we shall be like and what we shall be and where we shall be if all goes on well in the year 1874 – in which year I shall be in my 54th year Anne will be going in her 55th year Branwell will be going in his 58th year And Charlotte in her 59th year hoping we shall all be well at that time we close our paper

Emily and Anne

November the 24 1834

[asoftepiloguemylove]

Is there any chance you could make a web weaving of wanting to be a better parent than one’s own? Like a protective individual wanting to spite a bloodline of pain to foster love and care to their own child? To be better that one’s own parents? I think a web weaving of this would be gorgeous!

Ethel Cain Family Tree (Intro) / The Oh Hellos Dear Wormwood / Emily Brontë Healthcliff / Caitlin Conlon (@/cgcpoems on instagram) / Lia Marie Johnson DNA / Nicola Yoon The Sun Is Also a Star / Daniel Jamie Williams Dear Mother... / Marina & The Diamonds The Family Jewels

[seaspaghetti]

🌱 springtime picnic sisters 🌱

prints available on my etsy

[karathespellbinder]

So. I have this fancy family tree software and I thought I might as well use it, but it was having technical difficulties (or maybe I was the problem?) so here is this super low-quality Mettlestone family tree. Since it's impossible to read, (I just wanted to have a picture in a post for once, lol) I guess just rely on the image description! rip

Basically, I have figured out as best as I can the order of the Mettlestone siblings so I put them in, added their spouses, and added their kids. Oscar isn't in there but like he's an adopted grandkid so that is a bit of an inaccuracy; I'm not sure where he would go though? It was very fun researching the books to find all the ages, though ultimately there was a mostly-in-age-order list in SLV that filled in all the gaps. Before I found that list, I had known that Isabelle, Carrie, and Franny were the three oldest, that Emma and Patrick were at the end, and that Sophy was also a younger child.

kinda crazy they had 12 kids. that's a lot. In case you are wondering, the reason Bronte only had 10 gifts to give but 11 aunts is because Maya & Lisbeth shared a gift!

Also it's really cute that Jacob and Ildi combined their last names to make Mettlestone. Very wholesome.