In brief
This newly published collection showcases the promising poetry of a young Charlotte Brontë, highlighting her ambition to be a writer even before she became famous.
At just 13, Charlotte Brontë’s enthusiasm for writing was evident as she compiled a modest anthology of her poems, demonstrating a rare ambition during a time when female authorship was uncommon. Her collection, entitled “Book of Rhymes,” was penned in winter 1829, and the delicate verses were inscribed in tiny handwriting on scraps of paper no larger than playing cards, meticulously stitched together with a neat contents page.Originally intended to remain private, Brontë humorously noted on the inner cover of the collection “Sold By Nobody and Printed By Herself.” However, after nearly 200 years, her juvenile poetry is set to be revealed to the public. To commemorate her 209th birthday, the Brontë Parsonage Museum in England has finally published this delightful collection of ten poems, accompanied by images of the original ink-stained pages which reflect her youthful creativity.Among the poems featured are a long-form piece celebrating the natural world, a foray into epic poetry, and a playful attempt at a sonnet titled “A Thing of Fourteen Lines — Commonly Called a [Sonnet?].” The anthology offers a fascinating glimpse into Brontë’s writing process, showcasing her edits and revisions, with lines crossed out and rewritten — a testament to her evolving understanding of character and narrative perspective.Ann Dinsdale, the principal curator at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, emphasized the significance of this manuscript, noting that it charts Brontë’s development as a writer. Additionally, the museum will display the original manuscript, which was missing for over a century, in its Haworth location, ensuring that the literary journey of this remarkable author is preserved for future generations to appreciate.
