The Brontës VI

As of 1844, Charlotte made inquiries regarding the setting up of a small school at the parsonage. No one in the family was enthusiastic about having pupils there, and the idea was subsequently dropped. That year, Patrick's eyesight began to fail. In 1845, Mary Taylor moved to New Zealand. Charlotte sums up her own mental state at the time:

I can hardly tell you how time gets on here at Haworth – There is no event whatever to mark its progress – one day resembles another – and all have heavy lifeless physiognomies – Sunday – baking day & Saturday are the only ones that bear the slightest distinctive mark – meantime life wears away – I shall soon be 30 – and I have done nothing yet – Sometimes I get melancholy – at the prospect before and behind me – yet it is wrong and foolish to repine – and undoubtedly my Duty directs me to stay at home for the present – There was a time when Haworth  was a very pleasant place to me, it is not so now – I feel as if we were all buried here – I long to travel – to work to live a life of action –

Emily was usually fulfilled by her private activities and apparently showed little sympathy for Charlotte and Anne when they were depressed.

In June, 1845, Anne suddenly left her position at Thorp Green of her own volition. Branwell also left suddenly in July; in his case, he was fired. This was the beginning of a massive change in the Brontë family and has absorbed literary scholars ever since. The short version is that Branwell had been having an affair with Mrs. Robinson, his employer's wife, who was about seventeen years older than he was. This was generally known in the Robinson household. Subsequently, Branwell increased his alcohol intake, and possibly consumed opium. Branwell could not find a new position and lost the respect of Charlotte. Furthermore, he didn't want to break with Mrs. Robinson and hoped to win her back. Branwell did publish some wildly romantic poems that seem to refer to his relationship with Mrs. Robinson. There is speculation that the money that Mrs. Robinson sent him over the next few years was to silence him. Later in 1845, Branwell began to write a novel.

At about this time, Charlotte came across some poems that Emily had written. Emily was initially outraged by the intrusion on her privacy, but warmed up when Charlotte suggested that the three sisters could publish a volume of their poems. Prior to this, there was a strict demarcation between Angria and Gondal, because the younger sisters disliked Angria. Emily almost lived in the imaginary world of Gondal, and Barker even thinks that Wuthering Heights is a Gondal story. Emily didn't write many poems, but I find her to be extremely talented. It is thought that her poem, No coward soul is mine had a major influence on Emily Dickinson's poetic style. She requested that it be read at her funeral. I might note that, while Renée Bergland attempts to link Dickinson to Charles Darwin in Natural Magic: Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and the Dawn of Modern Science, Dickinson was more profoundly the spiritual heir of Emily Brontë. While it is true that both Brontë and Dickinson had a deep interest in the natural world, Brontë had no exposure to Darwin, whose publications were issued after her death.

Since I've brought up Emily Dickinson, I'll add that that there are some similarities and differences between the two families. Dickinson's brother, Austin, was treated differently from his sisters in a manner similar to Branwell Brontë. However, Austin was groomed by his father for a successful career, while Branwell was not. Another rough similarity is that Dickinson's mother did not seem to play much of a role in Emily's life, while Brontë's mother died very young. Aunt Branwell came to live with them, but does not seem to have been engaged in their upbringing. In a rather oblique way, Charlotte may have had a somewhat maternal role in the Brontë family and in the end provided guidance to both Emily and Anne. The obvious difference between the two families was that the Dickinsons were wealthy and the Brontës were not.

Aunt Branwell had left Charlotte, Emily and Anne small sums in her will, and they decided to publish a small volume of their poems at their expense under the pseudonyms, Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. In the first year, only two copies were sold, but there was a positive review. Quickly giving up on poetry as a source of remuneration, the sisters began to work on novels. As far as I've read, Patrick travels to Manchester for cataract surgery in 1846.