The Theology of Emily Brontë

“My sister Emily was not a person of demonstrative character, nor one on the recesses of whose mind and feelings even those nearest and dearest to her could, with impunity, intrude unlicensed,” writes Charlotte Brontë of her younger sister, Emily Brontë. Charlotte describes Emily’s personality here to clarify why, in 1846, it was so difficult to convince her to publish her poetry. After days of cajoling, Charlotte succeeded and Emily agreed to publish her manuscripts. Thus, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, collaborated to publish a book of poetry in 1846, which was critically well-received but a commercial flop. In its first year, it allegedly sold two copies.