![]() Gaskell had admired Charlotte & had a profound sympathy for her struggles as a writer & as a woman. ![]() The book that resulted is one of the greatest biographies ever written about a writer. The familiar story of the Brontë sisters begins with Gaskell's biography so, instead of retelling that story, I'm going to focus more on the writing of the biography & its effects on Brontë biography ever since. Elizabeth Gaskell was not only a respected novelist herself but had known Charlotte in the last years of her life. Although Arthur would have preferred a dignified silence, Patrick was persuaded & he agreed with Ellen that Elizabeth Gaskell was the right person to write such a response. When Charlotte's friend, Ellen Nussey, read an article that mixed critical acclaim with gossipy innuendo about Charlotte's life, she encouraged Charlotte's father, Patrick, & her widower, Arthur Nicholls, to commission a response that would silence the gossip. However, her personal life was still a subject for gossip & ill-informed rumour. ![]() ![]() Her literary reputation was high after the success of Jane Eyre, Shirley & Villette. When Charlotte Brontë died in 1855, she was a famous novelist. ![]()
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