The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects - Tapa dura

"It's a fascinating character study of the siblings." -- Simple Things "Each of the nine objects is the jumping-off point for fascinating essays about the Brontes as well as the lives of 19th-century women." -- The Oldie "...Lutz has found a way of teasing out some genuinely fresh insights into a subject that might otherwise feel as though it has been done to death." -- Mail on Sunday "Deborah Lutz's engaging new study proves that there is indeed room for fresh perspectives...All lovers of the Brontes should read this book." -- The Guardian "The Bronte Cabinet does not fail to deliver, offering vivid interpretations of the lives and the works of these strange and fascinating sisters..." -- The Times "In looking at the Brontes through their most precious possessions, Lutz lets us sneak a peek at their inner lives as well as their outer ones, in a sympathetic and informative way." -- The Independent "Full of interest..." -- The Sunday Telegraph "This is a fine book, rich, immersive and illuminating, glowing with the life of the Brontes and their wild genius." -- Times Higher Education "The Bronte Cabinet is full of illuminating and original insights, bringing aspects of the Brontes' lives into sharp focus for the first time." -- Literary Review

The story of the Brontes is told through the things they wore, stitched, wrote on and inscribed at the parsonage in Haworth. From Charlotte's writing desk and the manuscripts it contained to the brass collar worn by Emily's dog, Keeper, each object opens a window onto the sisters' world, their fiction and the Victorian era. By unfolding the histories of the things they used, the chapters form a chronological biography of the family. A walking stick evokes Emily's solitary hikes on the moors and the stormy heath-itself a character in Wuthering Heights. Charlotte's bracelet containing Anne and Emily's intertwined hair gives voice to her grief over their deaths. These possessions pull us into their daily lives: the imaginary kingdoms of their childhood writing, their time as governesses and their stubborn efforts to make a mark on the world.