Jane Austen
Perhaps one of the most famous authoresses in the history of English literature, Jane and her sister Cassandra were sent away to be educated. At one point, however, both girls were brought home because their parents couldn't afford to send them away any longer. Jane's education didn't end there though; she spent countless hours immersed in her father's large library. She also received tutelage from her father and brothers. She learned all the skills that young ladies of her standing often learned such as fortepiano, sewing, and dancing. The Austen family was very intellectually open and spent much time discussing political and social issues. Beginning in adolescence, Jane began to write poems and stories to amuse her family and then began writing novels. Seeing her talent, her father attempted to get one of her novels (First Impressions, later to be named Pride and Prejudice) published, but was unsuccessful. It is unknown whether or not Jane knew about her father's attempt. Later, her brother Henry sold the copyright to her novel Susan (later named Northanger Abbey) to a publisher, but the publisher never did anything with the novel, so they bought the copyright back from him many years later. In 1811, Jane finally became a published author when Thomas Egerton published Sense and Sensibility, followed by Pride and Prejudice in 1813, and Mansfield Park in 1814. John Murray published Emma for her in 1815. Jane died in July of 1817 at the age of 41. Her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published posthumously as a set by her brother Henry and sister Cassandra in December of 1817. Since it was "unladylike" to author novels in those days, Jane was never identified as the author of her novels until her brother Henry revealed her identity in a Biographical Note in the posthumous novels.
The Bronte Sisters
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne were born in Yorkshire, England in the early 1800's. After the tragic death of their mother and two older sisters, the remaining Bronte sisters, along with their brother Branwell, became enveloped in incredibly detailed make-believe worlds they would create. Charlotte and Emily were sent away to Cowan Bridge School along with their two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth. After contracting tuberculosis, both Maria and Elizabeth were withdrawn from the school, but died weeks later. Charlotte and Emily were brought home to Haworth after their sisters' deaths. This loss hit all of the family members deeply, and the loss is reflected in Charlotte's writing in Jane Eyre. Their education continued at another facility and Charlotte later became a teacher there. Emily spent some time as a teacher and Charlotte and Anne both spent time as governesses. The three sisters published a book of poems in 1846 under the pseudonyms Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily), and Action (Anne) Bell. The sisters had to publish under male names because writing, in those days, was very much considered a man's business.
In 1847, Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Emily's Wuthering Heights, and Anne's Agnes Grey were published under their male pseudonyms after their dogged persistence in searching for a publisher. When a rumor developed stating that all three novels had been published by one man, Charlotte and Anne traveled to their publisher in London to prove that each of them was, in fact, an independent author (Emily refused to come).
Charlotte
At the urging of her publisher, Charlotte battled her paralyzing social anxiety and traveled to meet her public. She was introduced to other famous authors of the time, two of which she became close friends with. She married but died a year later of tuberculosis at the age of 38, along with her unborn child.Emily
Emily never wrote to achieve fame; she wrote solely to satisfy her own mind. She was the most reserved of the sisters and often preferred to roam the areas around her home by herself. In addition to Wuthering Heights, she also wrote many poems of incredible depth. It is thought that she was writing a second manuscript at the time of her death, which may have been burned by her sister Charlotte to avoid the scandal that was raised by Emily's first novel. She died at Haworth of tuberculosis at the age of 30.Anne
Not achieving the same kind of fame that her two elder sisters achieved with their novels, Anne is often overshadowed. She wrote two novels, Agnes Grey, which is thought to be semi-autobiographical, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which was written as she watched her beloved brother's decline due to alcoholism. Anne, like all of her siblings, died young from tuberculosis at the age of 29.
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