Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë

A virtual alert for tomorrow, January 26, in collaboration with Jane Austen's house:

Virtual Talk: Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë

Mon 26 Jan, 8:00pm

Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë lived decades apart and imagined very different heroines — yet for much or all of their lives, both were unmarried daughters and sisters, deeply embedded in the domestic worlds that helped shape their creativity. From sewing shirts for their brothers to stitching quilts with their sisters, they balanced creative ambition with the daily demands of sewing, caregiving, and domestic responsibility.

This fascinating talk by Eleanor Houghton explores how making, sewing, gifting, budgeting and writing sustained their families and supported their art. Drawing on letters, novels, and surviving garments, accessories and made objects, it reflects on how dress, feminine accomplishment, domestic labour, and familial duty helped shape two of the most enduring literary voices in English literature.

 This event is part of Jane Austen's House Pride and Prejudice Festival, 24-28 January 2026