A woman ahead of her time

On January 17th we celebrate Anne Bronté's 200th birth anniversary. The youngest sister of a saga of famous writers, not as popular as her siblings, she stands out as a woman ahead her time. 

Her mum died when she was one year and a half and she was educated by an aunt who was a fanatic methodist. Her two sisters Emily, Charlotte and her brother Branwell read a lot and invented their own world, she even invented  the magic kingdom of Gondal in an island in the Pacific.

“Reading is my favourite occupation, when I have leisure for it and books to read.”
 Agnes Grey  
 


As all the litterate poor and single women in the 19th century, she became a governess for the Inghams' children. She didn't last long in the post but the job was the inspiration for her first novel " Agnes Grey" where she describes her experiences as an epistolary novel. 

“It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others. If the mind be but well cultivated, and the heart well disposed, no one ever cares for the exterior.”
 Agnes Grey 

In spite of being an "independant woman" she had to publish her works with a pen name: Acton Bell.  

She then started "The Tennant of Widfell Hall" which was meant to describe a situation many women suffered but never told. How they were abused by horrible, violent and drunk husbands. The novel was written in 1884 but it could reflect a situation many women live today. It was a revolution for the society at that time. She wrote about the abuse of women openly.

The tennant is a woman who leaves her abusive husband and takes her son with her. A fallen woman in that age where women could go to jail for that reason, but in this novel she wins and finds love at last.  It was a scandal but became a best seller. 

In spite of being a revolutionary she continued working as governess and signing her works as a man.