The Life of Charlotte Bronte Flashcards
by Elizabeth Gaskell — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Life of Charlotte Bronte
What is the date range given for Charlotte Bronte's life in this excerpt?
Born 1816, died 1855.
What physical symptom did Charlotte Bronte suffer when anticipating social gatherings?
She suffered acute headaches brought on by the apprehension of being among strangers, often lasting into the following day.
What happened when the two sisters sang "The Bonnie House of Airlie" at Gaskell's gathering?
Charlotte forgot her shyness entirely -- a clear light came into her eyes, her lips quivered with emotion, and she crossed the room to the piano to eagerly request more songs.
Why did Charlotte fail to visit the singing sisters the next morning despite promising to come?
Her courage failed at the thought of meeting a third sister she had not yet encountered. She paced the street upbraiding herself but could not go in.
Who did Charlotte Bronte marry, and what happened shortly after?
She married the Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls. Not long after, she was struck by perpetual nausea and faintness that lasted six weeks and ultimately killed her.
What were Charlotte Bronte's last recorded words?
"Oh, I am not going to die, am I? He will not separate us, we have been so happy."
On what date did Charlotte Bronte die, and how was her death announced?
She died early on Saturday morning, March 31. The solemn tolling of Haworth Church bell announced her death to the villagers.
What is the relationship between Elizabeth Gaskell and Charlotte Bronte in this text?
Gaskell is Charlotte's close friend and the narrator-biographer, writing from personal observation and intimate acquaintance over several years.
How does Gaskell physically describe Charlotte Bronte?
Short (more than half a head shorter than Gaskell), with soft brown hair, expressive brown eyes, a large mouth, a square broad forehead, and a very sweet voice.
Who is the Rev. Mr. Nicholls in this text?
Charlotte Bronte's husband, whom she married late in life. He is present at her deathbed, praying that God would spare her.
Who are "the two sitting together in the old grey house" at the end of the text?
Charlotte's father, Patrick Bronte, and her husband, Arthur Nicholls, left grieving together in the Haworth parsonage after her death.
Who is Ellen Nussey in the context of this biography?
Charlotte Bronte's closest friend, whose letters from Charlotte served as Gaskell's most important primary source for the biography.
How does the text portray the conflict between Charlotte's inner life and her public persona?
Charlotte possesses brilliant intellect and deep emotional sensitivity, yet is crippled by social anxiety so severe it causes physical illness -- showing genius trapped behind painful shyness.
What theme does the Scottish ballad scene illustrate about the power of art?
Art has the power to temporarily dissolve psychological barriers. Music makes Charlotte forget her shyness and become fully present and emotionally engaged.
How does the theme of grief and loss pervade the closing passage?
Charlotte's death leaves behind a devastated husband and father. The tolling bell and the image of two men alone in the grey house emphasize the void left by her passing.
What does Gaskell suggest about the relationship between suffering and creative genius?
Gaskell implies that Charlotte's acute sensitivity -- the same quality that made her a great writer -- also caused her social anguish and physical fragility.
What narrative point of view does Gaskell use, and why is it significant?
First-person eyewitness. Gaskell writes as someone who was present for the events she describes, giving the biography an intimate, novelistic quality rather than a detached scholarly tone.
Identify the allusion in "as irresistible as the playing of the piper of Hamelin."
It alludes to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, whose music was so enchanting that children could not resist following him. Gaskell compares the Scottish ballads' pull on Charlotte to that irresistible spell.
What is ironic about Charlotte's belief in her own ugliness?
Gaskell calls it "a more untrue idea" and notes that two gentlemen who saw Charlotte without knowing her identity were singularly attracted by her appearance -- the opposite of what Charlotte believed.
How does Gaskell use contrast in the final paragraph to heighten emotional impact?
She contrasts Charlotte's delirious begging for food (too late to save her) with her lucid moment of love for her husband, then shifts to the cold tolling bell and the grieving men left behind.
What does "upbraiding" mean as used in "she upbraiding herself all the while for her folly"?
Scolding or criticizing harshly. Charlotte was reproaching herself for being too afraid to visit the singing sisters.
What does "finely-strung frame" mean in the context of this biography?
A highly sensitive constitution or temperament. Gaskell uses this phrase to describe Charlotte's nervous, easily overwhelmed physical and emotional makeup.
What does "delirium" refer to in the passage about Charlotte's death?
A state of mental confusion and wandering consciousness. In her final illness, Charlotte entered a "low wandering delirium" in which she begged for food and stimulants.
Who says "after a stranger has once looked at my face, he is careful not to let his eyes wander to that part of the room again"?
Charlotte Bronte, expressing her deep-seated but unfounded belief that strangers found her ugly and avoided looking at her.
What is the significance of the quote "A wren would have starved on what she ate during these last six weeks"?
It conveys the severity of Charlotte's final illness -- she could eat virtually nothing during the nausea and faintness preceding her death.
What emotion does Charlotte's deathbed whisper reveal about her brief marriage?
Profound love and happiness. Her words "He will not separate us, we have been so happy" show that despite her lifelong struggles, she found deep contentment in her marriage to Nicholls.