A Brontë Encyclopedia

“This lively, absorbing, meticulously researched compendium is a rich resource both for the general reader and for the specialist Brontë scholar. It contains much to enlighten and surprise even those who think they know the Brontës well.”
Heather Glen, University of Cambridge

“Aficionados of all things Brontë must have this encyclopedia on their desks. Even those with just a passing interest in Brontë or literary research can become trapped in this book for hours. Looking up one entry leads to looking up another, and then another. This book has references to the important and the arcane and the obscure, references to places the Brontës visited, people they knew; in short, everything.”
English Literature in Transition 1820–1920

A Brontë Encyclopedia is a complete guide to the life and work of the most notable literary family of the 19th century. Comprising approximately 2000 alphabetically arranged entries, this authoritative volume:

• Brings to light the significant people and places that influenced the Brontës’ lives
• Defines and describes the Brontës’ fictional characters and settings
• Incorporates original literary judgments and analyses of characters and motives
• Includes coverage of Charlotte’s unfinished novels and her and Branwell’s juvenile writings
• Features a full range of illustrations

A Brontë Encyclopedia is the most original and accessible work of its kind.

List of Illustrations vi

List of Abbreviations viii

Preface ix

Note on Spelling xi

Acknowledgments xii

A–Z Entries 1–393

Bibliography 394

Robert Barnard taught for seventeen years in Norwegian universities before returning to Britain and writing books on Dickens, Agatha Christie and Emily Brontë. He was honoured with the Cartier Diamond Dagger award for his crime novels, which number more than fifty titles.

Louise Barnard was for many years a university librarian in Australia and Norway. She was responsible for the bibliography and filmography in Robert Barnard’s book on Agatha Christie and has researched extensively for A Brontë Encylopedia.

“This lively, absorbing, meticulously researched compendium is a rich resource both for the general reader and for the specialist Brontë scholar. It contains much to enlighten and surprise even those who think they know the Brontës well.”
Heather Glen, University of Cambridge

“Aficionados of all things Brontë must have this encyclopedia on their desks. Even those with just a passing interest in Brontë or literary research can become trapped in this book for hours. Looking up one entry leads to looking up another, and then another. This book has references to the important and the arcane and the obscure, references to places the Brontës visited, people they knew; in short, everything.”
English Literature in Transition 1820–1920

A Brontë Encyclopedia is a complete guide to the life and work of the most notable literary family of the 19th century. Comprising approximately 2000 alphabetically arranged entries, this authoritative volume:

• Brings to light the significant people and places that influenced the Brontës’ lives
• Defines and describes the Brontës’ fictional characters and settings
• Incorporates original literary judgments and analyses of characters and motives
• Includes coverage of Charlotte’s unfinished novels and her and Branwell’s juvenile writings
• Features a full range of illustrations

A Brontë Encyclopedia is the most original and accessible work of its kind.

"This lively, absorbing, meticulously researched compendium is a rich resource both for the general reader and for the specialist Brontë scholar. It contains much to enlighten and surprise even those who think they know the Brontës well."–Heather Glen, University of Cambridge

"Aficionados of all things Bronte must have this encyclopedia on their desks. Even those with just a passing interest in Bronte or literary research can become trapped in this book for hours. Looking up one entry leads to looking up another, and then another … This book has references to the important and the arcane and the obscure, references to places the Brontes visited, people they knew; in short, everything." (English Literature in Transition 1820-1920)