Charlotte Brontë

1816 – 1855 · died at about 39^[1][2]

Literature

Fun Facts About Charlotte Brontë

• Charlotte Brontë asked Poet Laureate Robert Southey to encourage her career as a poet and was told: "Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be."^[1]
• When her brother got toy soldiers in 1827, Charlotte snatched one and named it the Duke of Wellington and Emily claimed another; the toys inspired their imaginary Glass Town.^[1][3][4]
• At a school in Brussels, Charlotte fell in love with its married director Constantin Heger, who inspired Rochester in Jane Eyre; her sister Emily taught music there.^[1][3][4]
• Lowood School in Jane Eyre was modeled on Cowan Bridge, where her two elder sisters fell ill; its real headmaster, portrayed as Mr Brocklehurst, threatened to sue for libel.^[1]
• A former pupil remembered Charlotte writing at her desk in tiny letters with her eyes shut.^[1]
• Charlotte Brontë was alive at the same time as Francisco Goya — their lives overlapped for 12 years (1816–1828).^[1][2][5][6]
• Charlotte Brontë shares a birthday with Elizabeth II: both were born on April 21.^[1][2][7][8]
• Charlotte Brontë lived to about 39, from 1816 until 1855.^[1][2]

Charlotte Nicholls, commonly known by her maiden name Charlotte Brontë, was an English novelist and poet, and was the elder sister of Emily, Anne and Branwell Brontë. She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which was first published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Jane Eyre was a great success on publication, and has since been acknowledged as a classic of English literature.^[1]

Contemporaries

Jacob Grimm

39 yr overlap

Michael Faraday

39 yr overlap

Charles Babbage

39 yr overlap

Victor Hugo

39 yr overlap

Hans Christian Andersen

39 yr overlap

Abraham Lincoln

39 yr overlap

Charles Darwin

39 yr overlap

Charles Dickens

39 yr overlap

Giuseppe Verdi

39 yr overlap

Richard Wagner

39 yr overlap

Otto von Bismarck

39 yr overlap

Ralph Waldo Emerson

39 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Charlotte Brontë

When was Charlotte Brontë born?

Charlotte Brontë was born on April 21, 1816, and died on March 31, 1855.

How old was Charlotte Brontë at death?

Charlotte Brontë was born on April 21, 1816, and died on March 31, 1855, at age 38.

What was Charlotte Brontë known for?

Charlotte Brontë was known for: Author of Jane Eyre, eldest Brontë sister. Charlotte Nicholls, commonly known by her maiden name Charlotte Brontë, was an English novelist and poet, and was the elder sister of Emily, Anne and Branwell Brontë. She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which was first published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Jane Eyre was a great success on publication, and has since been acknowledged as a classic of English literature.

Who was alive at the same time as Charlotte Brontë?

Charlotte Brontë's closest contemporary was Jacob Grimm. Their lives overlapped for 39 years.