Author, Jane Eyre

Born in Yorkshire, England, Charlotte Brontë and her five siblings were raised by an aunt following their mother’s death. At age 8, Charlotte and three of her sisters were sent to a girls’ boarding school, where two of the girls died and Charlotte suffered health consequences due to the harsh conditions—a setting she later used in her novel Jane Eyre. After returning home, Charlotte began writing poetry and fiction and eventually worked as a governess for various families—experiences she also used in her fiction. After she and her sisters Emily and Anne self-published a collection of their poetry, Charlotte began sending the manuscript of a short novel, under the pseudonym of “Currer Bell,” to publishers—who all rejected it. But one publisher showed interest in the writing of “Currer Bell,” so Charlotte sent them a longer novel, Jane Eyre—which they published to immediate acclaim. She went on to publish two more novels, Shirley and Villette, in her lifetime, and her sisters Emily and Anne also became famous novelists. Charlotte Brontë died at age 38, probably due to pregnancy complications.