Brontë Studies. Volume 34, Issue 1

The new issue of Brontë Studies (Volume 34, Issue 1, March 2009) is already available online. We provide you with the table of contents and abstracts:

Editorial : pp. iii-iv(1) Author: Adams, Amber M.

Articles

The Column in Branwell's 'Pillar' Portrait Group
pp. 1-19(19) Author: Heywood, Christopher
Abstract:
Branwell's group portrait of his sisters in the National Portrait Gallery, posthumously titled the 'Pillar' group, includes a self-portrait that has been obscured by the eponymous pillar. Although this item has been attributed to Branwell, its technical, pictorial and symbolic features distinguish it sharply from his output in graphics and oils. The three readily visible portraits in the picture lack the beginner's errors in the use of oils that have led to the browning (tobacco) of the column's pigments, its semi-transparency, and the surfacing of the self-portrait (bleeding). The provenance and technical characteristics of the picture lead to the conclusion offered here, that the pillar was painted by Charlotte as part of her effacement of her disgraced brother from the image of her family that she presented to Elizabeth Gaskell.

The Gendering of Art and Science in Charlotte Brontë's Villette
pp. 20-30(11) Author: Lydon, Susan
Abstract
In her novel Villette, begun around 1850, Charlotte Brontë explores the semantic opposition that was emerging between the terms 'art' and 'science' during the time she was writing. The terms were no longer interchangeable as they had been in the eighteenth century, though they remained closely associated. At first glance, it appears that Charlotte positions the nascent binary of art and science along gender lines: most of the men in Villette are characterized by scientific associations, and most of the women are distinguished by artistic sensibility, the most prominent of which is the opposition between Doctor John and the narrator, Lucy Snowe. Since Charlotte's narrative is told from the first-person point of view of a somewhat irrational and artistically inclined woman who seems thwarted by science, it would appear that Charlotte directs the reader's sympathy towards art, women and the irrational. Given that Victorians perceived male-dominated scientific pursuits as a masculine control of nature and, by extension, control of the female sex with whom nature has long been linked, it would follow that Villette overthrows male authority as it overthrows rational thought. However, Charlotte also collapses the distinctions she makes between the terms art and science and the two genders over the course of her novel. In blurring these binaries, she strives to dissolve what the Victorians perceived as the binary natures of men and women.

Lord Byron's 'The Dream' and Wuthering Heights
pp. 31-46(16) Author: Holland, Meridel
Abstract
The link between Byron's overhearing Mary Chaworth's cruel words at age 15, his running away and his autobiographical account of his tragic love in 'The Dream', and the episode of Heathcliff's overhearing Cathy's words at age 15, and running away, has already been noted. This paper traces what seems to be a consistent parallel between the story narrated in 'The Dream' and the story of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Both narratives deal with a love that begins with a quasi-sibling relationship which develops into a love where the boy is unswerving in his affections, but the girl is less faithful. The boy in each case goes abroad; by the time he returns the woman is married, whereupon he enters a disastrous marriage. The woman in both narratives declines into sickness and delusion, and the man enters a paranormal world. In addition, aspects of the description of Heathcliff echo words applied to Byron's hero in 'The Dream'.

Perils of Biography: Charlotte Brontë and Tennyson
pp. 47-56(10) Author: Hoddinott, Alison
Abstract
It has been generally accepted by biographers that Charlotte Brontë thoroughly disliked Tennyson's poetry. This belief is based on a remark made by Elizabeth Gaskell in a letter written shortly after her first meeting with Charlotte. This article challenges the accepted view and explores the literary connections between The Princess and Shirley and between In Memoriam and Villette and argues that Tennyson had a complex influence on Charlotte Brontë's last two novels.

Eating and Drinking in Wuthering Heights
pp. 57-66(10) Author: Tytler, Graeme
Abstract
One aspect of Wuthering Heights that has elicited little critical response hitherto is the part played by eating and drinking. Although there are comparatively few references to food and drink in the novel, some such references can be seen to fulfill certain symbolic and thematic functions. We also note that meals not only constitute backgrounds to some important episodes in the narrative but are occasions in relation to which the characters tend to reveal something significant about themselves and their circumstances.

Charlotte Brontë and Henrietta Asseretti: Neighbouring Governesses?
pp. 67-75(9) Author: Parsons, Diana
Abstract
In March 2004, an article appeared in Down Your Way entitled 'A mysterious Yorkshire tombstone'. The stone in question stands in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Wath, North Yorkshire and bears the simple inscription 'Henrietta Vallé Asseretti, died 8 July 1842, aged 52 years'. The author of the article posed several questions: who was Henrietta, and, in particular, had she known Charlotte Brontë, who, in June and July 1839, stayed at Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith approximately fifteen miles from Wath? Had Charlotte visited the village with its Jacobean mansion known as Norton Conyers, which is believed to be the model for Thornfield in Jane Eyre, and was the nearby church the setting for the ill-fated 'wedding' between Jane and Rochester? Lastly, why had Henrietta been interred at Wath, approximately four miles from her home village which had its own parish church? Was it because Henrietta was the mistress of Sir Bellingham Graham, the owner of Norton Conyers, and that he arranged for her burial there? The purpose of this paper is to examine these theories in the light of further evidence.

Remembering Sir James Roberts
pp. 76-80(5) Author: Whitehead, Stephen
Abstract
The traditional church service that precedes the Annual General Meeting of the Brontë Society took the form on 7 June 2008 of a service of thanksgiving and remembrance commemorating Sir James Roberts's gift of the Parsonage to the Brontë Society. St Michael and All Angels was full for the service, which was conducted by the Rector of Haworth, the Revd Jenny Savage. Bible readings were by Sir James Roberts's grandson, Anthony Roberts, and by his great-grandson, James Roberts; Cathy Geldard, who presented the posy to Lady Roberts in 1928, also attended the service. Sir James Roberts's address at the opening of the Parsonage Museum was read by Lyn Glading, and Sally McDonald read the reply of the Society's then president, Sir Edward Brotherton. As 7 June is also the anniversary of the death of Patrick Brontë, Leslie McDonald read Juliet Barker's account of Mr Brontë's death, and Stephen Whitehead gave the address that is presented here.

Note from the Brontë Parsonage Museum

Winifred Gérin's Papers at the Parsonage!
pp. 81-81(1) Author: Bland, Judith

REVIEWS pp. 82-92(11)

Categories: Brontë Society, Journals, Scholar