On this day in 1847

On this day in 1847, Smith, Elder and Co, published Charlotte Brontë’s gothic horror Jane Eyre. A multifaceted tale of morality, duplicity and personal growth, the triple decker first appeared under the pseudonym Currer Bell, due in part to women’s place in society at the time.

Jane Eyre was Brontë’s ’s first novel to be published and was quickly followed by Shirley and Vilette. Following Brontë’s untimely death, The Professor and her unfinished tale Emma were also published.

Charlotte the third of six children to be born to Maria and Patrick Brontë in Thornton, Yorkshire. The work of Charlotte and her siblings Branwell, Anne and Emily was an iconic literary force to be reckoned with in the Victorian period and is known to this day as standard of English literature.

Image credit Across Canada Trails