The Brontë Cabinet

Three Lives in Nine Objects

26 June 2015

Description

An intimate portrait of the lives and writings of the Brontë sisters, drawn from the objects they possessed.

The story of the Brontës 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.

Reviews

"The Brontë Cabinet is full of illuminating and original insights, bringing aspects of the Brontës' lives into sharp focus for the first time." — Literary Review

"This is a fine book, rich, immersive and illuminating, glowing with the life of the Brontës and their wild genius." — Times Higher Education

"Full of interest..." — The Sunday Telegraph

"In looking at the Brontës 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

"The Brontë Cabinet does not fail to deliver, offering vivid interpretations of the lives and the works of these strange and fascinating sisters..." — The Times

"Deborah Lutz’s engaging new study proves that there is indeed room for fresh perspectives...All lovers of the Brontës should read this book." — The Guardian

"...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

"Each of the nine objects is the jumping-off point for fascinating essays about the Brontës as well as the lives of 19th-century women." — The Oldie

"It's a fascinating character study of the siblings." — Simple Things

Also By: Deborah Lutz

Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë, Deborah Lutz
First Edition, E Book, 2022
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë, Deborah Lutz
First Edition, E Book, 2022
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë, Deborah Lutz
First Edition, Paperback, 2022
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë, Deborah Lutz
First Edition, E Book, 2022
Jane Eyre: A Norton Critical Edition
Charlotte Brontë, Deborah Lutz
Fourth Edition, E Book, 2021
Based on the 1848 edition text, the Brontës’ gifted biographer provides a superlative Norton Critical Edition of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel.