Charlotte Bronte and Her Circle Part 39

TO THE EDITOR OF THE 'DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE.'

'_October_ 6_th_, 1846.

'SIRS,--I thank you in my own name and that of my brothers, Ellis and Acton, for the indulgent notice that appeared in your last number of our first humble efforts in literature; but I thank you far more for the essay on modern poetry which preceded that notice--an essay in which seems to me to be condensed the very spirit of truth and beauty. If all or half your other readers shall have derived from its perusal the delight it afforded to myself and my brothers, your labours have produced a rich result.

'After such criticism an author may indeed be smitten at first by a sense of his own insignificance--as we were--but on a second and a third perusal he finds a power and beauty therein which stirs him to a desire to do more and better things. It fulfils the right end of criticism: without absolutely crushing, it corrects and rouses. I again thank you heartily, and beg to subscribe myself,--Your constant and grateful reader,

'CURRER BELL.'

The reception which it met with from the public may be gathered from the following letter which accompanied De Quincey's copy. {330}

TO THOMAS DE QUINCEY.

'_June_ 16_th_, 1847.

'SIRS,--My relatives, Ellis and Acton Bell, and myself, heedless of the repeated warnings of various respectable publishers, have committed the rash act of printing a volume of poems.

'The consequences predicted have, of course, overtaken us: our book is found to be a drug; no man needs it or heeds it. In the s.p.a.ce of a year our publisher has disposed but of two copies, and by what painful efforts he succeeded in getting rid of these two, himself only knows.

'Before transferring the edition to the trunkmakers, we have decided on distributing as presents a few copies of what we cannot sell; and we beg to offer you one in acknowledgment of the pleasure and profit we have often and long derived from your works.--I am, sir, yours very respectfully,

'CURRER BELL.'

Charlotte Bronte could not have carried out the project of distribution to any appreciable extent, as a considerable 'remainder' appear to have been bound up with a new t.i.tle-page by Smith & Elder. With this Smith & Elder t.i.tle-page, the book is not uncommon, whereas, with the Aylott & Jones t.i.tle-page it is exceedingly rare. Perhaps there were a dozen review copies and a dozen presentation copies, in addition to the two that were sold, but only three or four seem to have survived for the pleasure of the latter-day bibliophile.

Here is the t.i.tle-page in question:

POEMS

BY

CURRER, ELLIS AND ACTON BELL

LONDON AYLOTT & JONES, 8 PATERNOSTER ROW 1846

We see by the letter to Aylott & Jones the first announcement of _Wuthering Heights_, _Agnes Grey_, and _The Professor_. It would not seem that there was much, or indeed any, difficulty in disposing of _Wuthering Heights_ and _Agnes Grey_. They bear the imprint of Newby of Mortimer Street, and they appeared in three uniform volumes, the two first being taken up by _Wuthering Heights_, and the third by _Agnes Grey_, {332a} which is quaintly marked as if it were a three-volumed novel in itself, having 'Volume III' on t.i.tle-page and binding. I have said that there were no travels before the ma.n.u.scripts of Emily and Anne.

That is not quite certain. Mrs. Gaskell implies that there were; but, at any rate, there is no definite information on the subject. Newby, it is clear, did not publish them until all the world was discussing _Jane Eyre_. _The Professor_, by Currer Bell, had, however, travel enough! It was offered to six publishers in succession before it came into the hands of Mr. W. S. Williams, the 'reader' for Smith & Elder. The circ.u.mstance of its courteous refusal by that firm, and the suggestion that a three-volumed novel would be gladly considered, are within the knowledge of all Charlotte Bronte's admirers. {332b}

One cannot but admire the fearless and uncompromising honesty with which Charlotte Bronte sent the MSS. round with all its previous journeys frankly indicated.

It is not easy at this time of day to understand why Mr. Williams refused _The Professor_. The story is incomparably superior to the average novel, and, indeed, contains touches which are equal to anything that Currer Bell ever wrote. It seems to me possible that Charlotte Bronte rewrote the story after its rejection, but the ma.n.u.script does not bear out that impression. {332c}

Charlotte Bronte's method of writing was to take a piece of cardboard--the broken cover of a book, in fact--and a few sheets of note-paper, and write her first form of a story upon these sheets in a tiny handwriting in pencil. She would afterwards copy the whole out upon quarto paper very neatly in ink. None of the original pencilled MSS. of her greater novels have been preserved. The extant ma.n.u.scripts of _Jane Eyre_ and _The Professor_ are in ink.

_Jane Eyre_ was written, then, under Mr. Williams's kind encouragement, and immediately accepted. It was published in the first week of October 1847.

The following letters were received by Mr. Williams while the book was beginning its course.

TO W. S. WILLIAMS

'_October_ 4_th_, 1847.

'DEAR SIR,--I thank you sincerely for your last letter. It is valuable to me because it furnishes me with a sound opinion on points respecting which I desired to be advised; be a.s.sured I shall do what I can to profit by your wise and good counsel.

'Permit me, however, sir, to caution you against forming too favourable an idea of my powers, or too sanguine an expectation of what they can achieve. I am myself sensible both of deficiencies of capacity and disadvantages of circ.u.mstance which will, I fear, render it somewhat difficult for me to attain popularity as an author. The eminent writers you mention--Mr. Thackeray, Mr. d.i.c.kens, Mrs. Marsh, {333} etc., doubtless enjoyed facilities for observation such as I have not; certainly they possess a knowledge of the world, whether intuitive or acquired, such as I can lay no claim to, and this gives their writings an importance and a variety greatly beyond what I can offer the public.

'Still, if health be spared and time vouchsafed me, I mean to do my best; and should a moderate success crown my efforts, its value will be greatly enhanced by the proof it will seem to give that your kind counsel and encouragement have not been bestowed on one quite unworthy.--Yours respectfully,

'C. BELL.'

TO W. S. WILLIAMS

'_October_ 9_th_, 1847.

'DEAR SIR,--I do not know whether the _Dublin University Magazine_ is included in the list of periodicals to which Messrs. Smith & Elder are accustomed to send copies of new publications, but as a former work, the joint production of myself and my two relatives, Ellis and Acton Bell, received a somewhat favourable notice in that magazine, it appears to me that if the editor's attention were drawn to _Jane Eyre_ he might possibly bestow on it also a few words of remark.

'The_ Critic_ and the _Athenaeum_ also gave comments on the work I allude to. The review in the first-mentioned paper was unexpectedly and generously eulogistic, that in the _Athenaeum_ more qualified, but still not discouraging. I mention these circ.u.mstances and leave it to you to judge whether any advantage is derivable from them.

'You dispensed me from the duty of answering your last letter, but my sense of the justness of the views it expresses will not permit me to neglect this opportunity both of acknowledging it and thanking you for it.--Yours sincerely,

'C. BELL.'

TO W. S. WILLIAMS

'HAWORTH, _December_ 13_th_, 1847.

'DEAR SIR,--Your advice merits and shall have my most serious attention. I feel the force of your reasoning. It is my wish to do my best in the career on which I have entered. So I shall study and strive; and by dint of time, thought, and effort, I hope yet to deserve in part the encouragement you and others have so generously accorded me. But time will be necessary--that I feel more than ever.

In case of _Jane Eyre_ reaching a second edition, I should wish some few corrections to be made, and will prepare an errata. How would the accompanying preface do? I thought it better to be brief.

'The _Observer_ has just reached me. I always compel myself to read the a.n.a.lysis in every newspaper-notice. It is a just punishment, a due though severe humiliation for faults of plan and construction. I wonder if the a.n.a.lysis of other fictions read as absurdly as that of _Jane Eyre_ always does.--I am, dear sir, yours respectfully,

'C. BELL.'

The following letter is interesting because it discusses the rejected novel, and refers to the project of recasting it, which ended in the writing of _Villette_. {335}

TO W. S. WILLIAMS

'_December_ 14_th_, 1847.

'DEAR SIR,--I have just received your kind and welcome letter of the 11th. I shall proceed at once to discuss the princ.i.p.al subject of it.

'Of course a second work has occupied my thoughts much. I think it would be premature in me to undertake a serial now--I am not yet qualified for the task: I have neither gained a sufficiently firm footing with the public, nor do I possess sufficient confidence in myself, nor can I boast those unflagging animal spirits, that even command of the faculty of composition, which as you say, and, I am persuaded, most justly, is an indispensable requisite to success in serial literature. I decidedly feel that ere I change my ground I had better make another venture in the three volume novel form.

'Respecting the plan of such a work, I have pondered it, but as yet with very unsatisfactory results. Three commencements have I essayed, but all three displease me. A few days since I looked over _The Professor_. I found the beginning very feeble, the whole narrative deficient in incident and in general attractiveness. Yet the middle and latter portion of the work, all that relates to Brussels, the Belgian school, etc., is as good as I can write: it contains more pith, more substance, more reality, in my judgment, than much of _Jane Eyre_. It gives, I think, a new view of a grade, an occupation, and a cla.s.s of characters--all very commonplace, very insignificant in themselves, but not more so than the materials composing that portion of _Jane Eyre_ which seems to please most generally.

'My wish is to recast _The Professor_, add as well as I can what is deficient, retrench some parts, develop others, and make of it a three volume work--no easy task, I know, yet I trust not an impracticable one.

'I have not forgotten that _The Professor_ was set aside in my agreement with Messrs. Smith & Elder; therefore before I take any step to execute the plan I have sketched, I should wish to have your judgment on its wisdom. You read or looked over the Ms.--what impression have you now respecting its worth? and what confidence have you that I can make it better than it is?