A LIterary Family
With July 30th marking the birthday of Emily Bronte, we are honoring the memory of England’s greatest literary family, the Bronte sisters. While two of their novels, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, mark lists of the finest literary novels ever written, the stories of their lives are just as intriguing as their books.
The sisters’ mere survival to adulthood in one of the most unhealthy places in Victorian England is a feat in itself. In fact, while living in Howarth, their mother Maria died at only 38 and their two elder sisters died from tuberculosis. Following these events, their father decided to educate them at home which created a tight bond between the siblings; Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, and their brother Bramwell.
Patrick Bronte, father of the sisters, was a poor clergyman and author but his crucial belief that education was the key to escaping poverty allowed him to step up in life and expose his daughters to studies that would unlock their creativity. He treated his daughters as intellectual equals to his son and did not censor their exposure to literature – an uncommon occurence in Victorian England.
Through play with their brother’s toy soldiers, the four siblings created a fantasy world full of adventure and chronicled it in tiny magazines made for their characters. Bramwell drew intricate maps for their fantasy land while the sisters developed complex characters. Soon, their passion for storytelling and writing developed from childhood fun to their passionately written novels Charlotte went on to publish her passionate novel Jane Eyre, while the enigmatic Emily Bronte penned her novel Wuthering Heights.
Within each of us is a seed of creativity that when nourished can develop boundlessly. In our story, Adam in Taoland, the main character exists in a homeland where AI-controlled robots have taken this aspect of humanity. They provide for every basic need but humans are denied the needs of the soul. Adam marvels when he learns of humans’ past endeavors in creativity, ingenuity, etc. His desire to find a new life where he can embrace his true self takes him on an incredible journey.
We should embrace these gifts we’ve been given that make us uniquely human – whether it be artistic talent, eloquence, or any other skill. And most importantly we must use these traits to influence and encourage others towards a common good.
