The Brontë Sisters Notebook

Few families have enriched the Western literary canon quite like the Brontë sisters. They wrote novels whose depth, subversive characters and fierce emotions stirred the rigid society of Victorian England and earned their authors lasting literary fame. In honour of the bicentenary of their births, we created this Special Edition dedicated to the Brontë sisters: Charlotte (b. 1816), Emily (b. 1818) and Anne (b. 1820).

The brilliant and compelling writing found in Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is often considered incongruous with the world in which the Brontës grew up. The three sisters were born into the family of a poor Anglican clergyman in a small Yorkshire parish, where they had few opportunities to expand their worldviews. Fortunately, however, the Brontë girls and their brother Branwell grew up in a household where reading was an encouraged pastime.

With the loving and supportive companionship of each other and the stark, poetic moors surrounding them, their limited social background did not hinder their literary aspirations. Isolated from the rest of the world, they imagined and wrote stories about fantasy worlds to prepare for their future literary endeavours. Even after the Brontë sisters reached maturity, they would spend their evenings around the family dining table examining each other's works in progress.

For a Paperblanks publication to commemorate their 200th birthdays, we sought to find material that highlights the special bond between the sisters. The Brontë Parsonage Museum, established in the family’s old home, provided us with a page that reflects the familial harmony and spirit of creative pursuit that nurtured the talents of the Brontë sisters.

The page reproduced here, dated June 26, 1837, was written by Emily and is part of the "papers" that the family wrote together every four years. It refers to the family members' activities during the day and their thoughts about the future. Emily and Anne were particularly close, and the rough sketch covering half the page is a drawing of the pair sitting at the table in front of the "papers" and the tin box where they were kept.

The sombre colour scheme of this Special Edition cover reflects the dark character of the Brontës' writing. This particular shade of purple is also the colour of heather, the flower that covers the Yorkshire moors; the landscape that inspired some of the most poignant works of English literature. It is our pleasure to honour these literary icons as the world gathers to commemorate their bicentenary.