Lies and the Brontes
The Quest for the Jenkins Family
Published on 21. April 2021
Book
Hardback
638 pages
978-1-80042-005-2 (ISBN)
Description
'Do you like the truth? It is well for you. Adhere to that preference - never swerve thence.'
- Charlotte Bronte, 'Shirley'
The Jenkins family knew the Brontes in Brussels and West Yorkshire. Eager to learn about them, their descendant read the Bronte biographies, and discovered that no one had researched this family, and, worse, that what was written was fabricated, with one biographer copying another, embroidering, even making up dialogue.
Yet Mrs Gaskell had deliberately sought out Mrs Jenkins when researching her famous Life of Charlotte. If it had not been for Mrs Jenkins, Charlotte would never have gone to Brussels, never met M. Heger. There would be no 'Villette', no 'Jane Eyre'.
This book purges the lies and identifies one of Charlotte's characters for the first time. It reveals a thrumming wire that connects Byron to Trollope to Henry James, and gives further evidence of the adultery of William Wordsworth's eldest son. Above all, it gives a radical new perspective on the inspiration for Charlotte's novels and those vital two years she spent in Brussels.
- Charlotte Bronte, 'Shirley'
The Jenkins family knew the Brontes in Brussels and West Yorkshire. Eager to learn about them, their descendant read the Bronte biographies, and discovered that no one had researched this family, and, worse, that what was written was fabricated, with one biographer copying another, embroidering, even making up dialogue.
Yet Mrs Gaskell had deliberately sought out Mrs Jenkins when researching her famous Life of Charlotte. If it had not been for Mrs Jenkins, Charlotte would never have gone to Brussels, never met M. Heger. There would be no 'Villette', no 'Jane Eyre'.
This book purges the lies and identifies one of Charlotte's characters for the first time. It reveals a thrumming wire that connects Byron to Trollope to Henry James, and gives further evidence of the adultery of William Wordsworth's eldest son. Above all, it gives a radical new perspective on the inspiration for Charlotte's novels and those vital two years she spent in Brussels.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bristol
United Kingdom
Illustrations
33 black and white images
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 50 mm
Weight
1500 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80042-005-2 (9781800420052)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Monica Kendall was born near London. She has a Master's degree from St Hugh's College, Oxford University, and another from University College London. She has previously edited two books: John Webster's 'The Duchess of Malfi' (Pearson/Longman, 2004) and the secret diary of a teenage great-aunt trapped in occupied Brussels during World War I, 'Miss Cavell Was Shot: The Diaries of Amy Hodson, 1914-1920' (SilverWood, 2015). She has been an academic book editor for many years and now lives in North Wales, inspired by her great-great-grandfather's 'hiraeth am Gymru' and her son's mountaineering.