Two Short Pieces(两个短篇)

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Two Short Pieces

Charlotte Bronte

Two Short Pieces

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF

ELLIS AND ACTON BELL

IT has been thought that all the works published under the names of

Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell were, in reality, the production of one person.

This mistake I endeavoured to rectify by a few words of disclaimer

prefixed to the third edition of 'Jane Eyre.' These, too, it appears, failed to

gain general credence, and now, on the occasion of a reprint of 'Wuthering

Heights' and 'Agnes Grey,' I am advised distinctly to state how the case

really stands.

Indeed, I feel myself that it is time the obscurity attending those two

names - Ellis and Acton - was done away. The little mystery, which

formerly yielded some harmless pleasure, has lost its interest;

circumstances are changed. It becomes, then, my duty to explain briefly

the origin and authorship of the books written by Currer, Ellis, and Acton

Bell.

About five years ago, my two sisters and myself, after a somewhat

prolonged period of separation, found ourselves reunited, and at home.

Resident in a remote district, where education had made little progress,

and where, consequently, there was no inducement to seek social

intercourse beyond our own domestic circle, we were wholly dependent

on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and

occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure

we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary

composition; formerly we used to show each other what we wrote, but of

late years this habit of communication and consultation had been

discontinued; hence it ensued, that we were mutually ignorant of the

progress we might respectively have made.

One day, in the autumn of 1845, I accidentally lighted on a MS.

volume of verse in my sister Emily's handwriting. Of course, I was not

surprised, knowing that she could and did write verse: I looked it over, and

something more than surprise seized me - a deep conviction that these

Two Short Pieces

were not common effusions, nor at all like the poetry women generally

write. I thought them condensed and terse, vigorous and genuine. To my

ear they had also a peculiar music - wild, melancholy, and elevating.

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; it took hours to reconcile

her to the discovery I had made, and days to persuade her that such poems

merited publication. I knew, however, that a mind like hers could not be

without some latent spark of honourable ambition, and refused to be

discouraged in my attempts to fan that spark to flame.

Meantime, my younger sister quietly produced some of her own

compositions, intimating that, since Emily's had given me pleasure, I

might like to look at hers. I could not but be a partial judge, yet I thought

that these verses, too, had a sweet, sincere pathos of their own.

We had very early cherished the dream of one day becoming authors.

This dream, never relinquished even when distance divided and absorbing

tasks occupied us, now suddenly acquired strength and consistency: it took

the character of a resolve. We agreed to arrange a small selection of our

poems, and, if possible, to get them printed. Averse to personal publicity,

we veiled our own names under those of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell; the

ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at

assuming Christian names positively masculine, while we did not like to

declare ourselves women, because - without at that time suspecting that

our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called 'feminine' - we

had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with

prejudice; we had noticed how critics sometimes use for their chastisement

the weapon of personality, and for their reward, a flattery, which is not true

praise.

The bringing out of our little book was hard work. As was to be

expected, neither we nor our poems were at all wanted; but for this we had

been prepared at the outset; though inexperienced ourselves, we had read

the experience of others. The great puzzle lay in the difficulty of getting

answers of any kind from the publishers to whom we applied. Being

greatly harassed by this obstacle, I ventured to apply to the Messrs.

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TwoShortPieces1TwoShortPiecesCharlotteBronteTwoShortPieces2BIOGRAPHICALNOTICEOFELLISANDACTONBELLIThasbeenthoughtthatalltheworkspublishedunderthenamesofCurrer,Ellis,andActonBellwere,inreality,theproductionofoneperson.ThismistakeIendeavouredtorectifybyafewwordsofdisclaimerprefixedtothethirdeditionof'J...

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Two Short Pieces(两个短篇)

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