Charlotte's Letters

My dear Ellen
You will have concluded by this time that I never got home at all - but evaporated by the way...
CBrontë 

If you know me, or have been reading this blog for awhile, you will know I really like reading and learning about the Brontë family, who lived in the cold, desolate moors of north England in the early to mid 1800s. The siblings (Anne, Emily, Charlotte, and brother Branwell) were all talented writers on their own. But when they were younger they created a fantasy world together (collected in the Tales of Glass Town, Angria, and Gondol), and each wrote stories about that kingdom and created characters. I have really enjoyed reading all their works I can find, and only recently discovered this book of Charlotte's letters. Do you like reading letters of favourite authors or figures?

I always feel like I am intruding into personal space when I read letters. With books it makes sense, the author intends to write for an audience, but in general, as the writer is responding to letters they surely were not thinking that it would be published for anyone to read some day. It is a deeply personal realm, and you get to know a day-to-day side of an author, which I think brings them into an approachable realm, as if I have become a friend. As I read Charlotte's letters, I often will find myself thinking "oh, me too!" 

I relate to Charlotte even more than I ever have, connecting with her independence, her love of family and friends, her intense need to write, her willingness to travel, etc. I get that portrayed in the characters she created (such as in Jane Eyre and Villette) but to me it's also a treat to get a peak into her daily life of writing, chores, family, experience in Brussels, and walks.

It is amazing to me that we can connect with authors or other creative figures from centuries ago simply by reading their thoughts, stories, and letters.