In brief
Charlotte Brontë's collection of poems, written at just 13, reflects her inherent literary talent and ambition, highlighting her evolution as a writer with newly published insights.
In an extraordinary release marking the 209th anniversary of her birth, the Brontë Parsonage Museum has made available Charlotte Brontë's first anthology, aptly named her "Book of Rhymes." Composed in the winter of 1829, this collection presents ten of Brontë's early poems—crafted within the confines of tiny scraps of paper stitched together, showcasing her ambition to become a writer at a time when few women were publicly recognized.Brontë, known later for classics like "Jane Eyre," seemed to have no intent to publicize her youthful attempts at poetry. She inscribed the inner cover with “Sold By Nobody and Printed By Herself,” indicating her unpretentious approach. The newly published anthology not only includes transcriptions of her work but also images of the original ink-stained pages, preserving the authenticity of her creative process.Among the poems is a long-form piece celebrating nature’s beauty, an attempt at an epic, alongside a piece provocatively titled “A Thing of Fourteen Lines — Commonly Called a [Sonnet?].” The anthology also offers insights into her writing journey, showcasing her iterative process as she revised her work, crossing out lines and rearranging stanzas—a testament to her evolution as a writer.As Ann Dinsdale, the principal curator of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, notes, these early poems chronicle Brontë’s development. There’s a sense of growth and exploration as she grapples with themes of character and narrative perspective, foreshadowing the complex characters she would later create.The original manuscript, lost for over a century, will also be displayed in the museum located in Haworth, Northern England, offering visitors a tangible connection to Brontë’s formative years. This release not only honors her literary legacy but also serves as a reminder of the untold stories hidden within the pages of young creators, waiting to be discovered and celebrated.
