Emily Brontë

30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848

Emily Brontë (1818-1848) was an English novelist and poet, best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights (1847), now considered a classic of English literature. The most reclusive of the Brontë sisters, she published under the pen name Ellis Bell and died of tuberculosis at the age of 30.

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Life events

Born in Thornton, Yorkshire
30 July 1818

Emily Jane Brontë was born in Thornton, West Yorkshire, the fifth of six children of the clergyman Patrick Brontë; the family moved to Haworth in 1820.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Briefly attended the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge
November 1824 – June 1825

Emily joined her sisters at the Clergy Daughters' School but was withdrawn after her two eldest sisters fell fatally ill there.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Created the imaginary world of Gondal with Anne
c. 1831

Emily and her sister Anne invented the fantasy kingdom of Gondal, which inspired much of Emily's poetry throughout her life.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Taught at Law Hill School near Halifax
September 1838 – c. 1839

Emily worked as a teacher at Law Hill School, one of her few sustained periods away from Haworth, before returning home in poor health.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied at the Pensionnat Heger in Brussels
February 1842 – November 1842

Emily accompanied Charlotte to Brussels to study languages and music, returning home permanently after their aunt's death.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Education ✓
Published Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell
May 1846

Emily's poems, published jointly with her sisters under the pen name Ellis Bell, were singled out by later critics as the strongest in the volume.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published Wuthering Heights
December 1847

Emily's only novel, Wuthering Heights, was published under the name Ellis Bell in December 1847; initially controversial, it is now regarded as a masterpiece.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Death of her brother Branwell
24 September 1848

Emily's brother Branwell died in September 1848; Emily fell ill soon after his funeral and refused medical help almost until the end.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died at Haworth
19 December 1848

Emily Brontë died of tuberculosis at Haworth Parsonage at the age of 30, a year after the publication of Wuthering Heights.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓