夏洛蒂?勃朗特：从默默无闻到无人不晓

《简·爱》、夏洛蒂·勃朗特、勃朗特三姐妹，这三个关键词对喜欢英国文学的人来说再熟悉不过。其中，夏洛蒂的《简·爱》更是广为人知、广受欢迎。今年恰逢夏洛蒂200周年诞辰。在这特殊的时刻，让我们再次回顾这位女作家的不凡人生，重温其作品带给人们的影响和感动。

◎ By Becca Challis 译 / 崔丞

Last month brought the 200-year anniversary of the birth of Charlotte Bront?， one of the most prominent figures in English Literature and the author of such revered1） works as Jane Eyre and Villette. The Bront?s are one of the most prominent families in literature and the next five years bring three more Bront? bicentenaries. Next year will see Charlottes brother Branwells celebrations， followed by those of her sisters， Emily and Anne， in 2018 and 2020 respectively.

The Bront? sisters remain staple2） authors on the bookshelves of libraries and shops everywhere. Charlottes Jane Eyre， Villette and Shirley continue to influence the world today； for example， Shirley was the first instance of the name being given to a woman， as prior to the novel， “Shirley” was a name for a man. Charlottes works also make the first known references to the “Wild West，” the “cottage-garden” and a “raised eyebrow， ” plus 150 other well-known phrases.

The Bront?s attachment to literature began at an early age； the children created imaginary worlds named “Angria” and “Gondal，” displaying some of the earliest forms of fantasy writing. Charlottes sisters Emily and Anne were also successful authors in their own right； Emily is famed for Wuthering Heights and Anne for Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. All three women used pseudonyms， publishing their works as Currer， Ellis and Acton Bell， male names which preserved their original initials. They took the decision to hide their female identities in order to be taken more seriously， alongside George Eliot3） and many other Victorian women writers.

Despite their successes， the lives of the Bront?s were filled with sadness. Charlotte was born in Thornton in 1816 and was the third of six children. Her father Patrick was an Irish Anglican clergyman， who moved the family to Haworth4） in 1820 to become the priest of St Michael and All Angels Church. In 1821 the first tragedy hit the Bront? family when Charlottes mother Maria died of cancer， and the children were then looked after by their father and their aunt Elizabeth.

In 1824 Patrick sent his four daughters away to school at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire， but the poor conditions there are often blamed as the cause of the tuberculosis which caused the deaths of Charlottes sisters Maria and Elizabeth in 1825. After returning home， Charlotte looked after her younger siblings Branwell， Emily， and Anne. Here began the literary ambitions of the Bront? family， as the children passed the time by writing stories and articles together.

Charlotte later attended Roe Head School in Mirfield before becoming a teacher there. She then became a governess and worked for many families. Charlotte and Emily moved to Brussels in 1842 to enrol in a boarding school where Charlotte taught English， and Emily music. They returned home prematurely after their Aunt Elizabeths death， but Charlotte travelled back to Brussels alone three months later. She fell hopelessly in love with the founder of the school Constantin Héger， an unrequited5） love story which would heavily influence her novel Villette.

A year later she returned to Haworth for good but wrote heartbreaking love letters to Héger， sometimes as often as twice a week. Eventually Hégers wife stepped in and instructed Charlotte to write once every six months at most. Héger attempted to destroy the letters before his death， but his wife reconstructed the torn pieces of paper and left them to their children. The general public did not know of Charlottes attachment until 1913， when Hégers children donated the letters to the British library. This knowledge swiftly altered public opinion of her as a saintly and innocent Victorian woman.

In May 1836 Charlotte， Emily and Anne self-published a collection of poems using their pseudonyms， however only two copies of the collection were actually sold. Charlotte then wrote The Professor which was not successfully published， but Smith， Elder & Co. expressed an interest in a longer work by “Currer Bell.” She sent her second manuscript and Jane Eyre was published in 1847 within six weeks. The work was a huge success， however some controversy arose around its second edition dedication to William Thackeray， author of Vanity Fair. At the time this was seen as insensitive by some， as Jane Eyre features a man with a mentally disturbed wife， and Thackeray himself had his own wife declared “insane.” However， Thackeray thought it was “the greatest compliment I have ever received” and has famously praised Bront?s work. Charlotte also received criticism from her former schoolmaster， Reverend6） Wilson， who saw himself in the character of Mr Brocklehurst and threatened to sue Bront?—something she managed to avoid by writing him an apology.

In 1848 Charlotte began work on her second novel Shirley， but before completion Branwell， Emily and Anne all died within eight months of each other. The girls both died of tuberculosis and Branwell died of a lung condition.

Charlotte wrote as a way of dealing with her grief， leading to the publication of her second novel. Villette was then published in 1853 and was the last work published during her lifetime. A year after the deaths of her sisters， Charlotte revealed the identities of Currer， Ellis and Acton in the preface to the combined edition of Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey.

The world had been speculating on their identities for years and was shocked to find the authors of these popular works to be three country girls—even Charlottes editor was unaware of her identity. After her confession Charlotte was whisked7） into London society， befriending high profile women such as Elizabeth Gaskell8）， author of North and South.

Shortly before this， Charlotte received a proposal from Arthur Bell Nicholls， her fathers curate and the man from whom part of her pseudonym originated. She initially turned down his offer， and her father also objected to the union partly due to Nicholls financial situation. Gaskell encouraged the match and after many secret meetings with Nicholls， Charlotte agreed. Her father， however， refused to give her away at the wedding despite eventually giving his consent. Charlotte became pregnant soon after the wedding but died with her unborn child on 31 March 1855， just three weeks before her 39th birthday.

Charlotte Bront? was an incredibly talented author， proof of which is the continuing popularity of her novels. In 2003， Jane Eyre was voted number 10 in the BBCs Big Read Survey to find Britains best-loved novel of all time. However， at the time of publication Charlotte was met with criticism； Elizabeth Rigby9） wrote in the Quarterly Review of 1848 that she found Jane Eyre to be “pre-eminently10） an anti-Christian composition.” Since then many successful film， television， radio and literary adaptations of the novel have instead helped ensure Bront?s popularity. Famous novels including Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys11） were inspired by Jane Eyre.

At the helm of the events organised to commemorate the bicentenary is the Bront? Society， which was founded in 1893. The Society has also published its own journal since 1895 which is solely dedicated to Bront? research， making it the centre of “Bront? Studies” worldwide. Their events are incredibly varied and often centred at The Parsonage in Haworth， the home of the Bront? family which today is a museum dedicated to them.

The Bront?s are also of great significance to people in the county of Yorkshire. The landscape features heavily in all of the sisters novels and is famous the world over as a result. “Bront? Country” is used to describe the area in which they lived， in the West Yorkshire Pennines.

In celebrating the bicentenaries of the Bront?s， tourists are flocking to the places which inspired these literary women. Cowan Bridge is said to be the inspiration for Lowood School which Jane attends in her youth， and Roe Head is the school in which Charlotte Bront? took up her first teaching post. Norton Conyers in Wensleydale fits the description of Mr Rochesters Thornfield Hall. Finally， “Bront? Walk” is a two-and-a-half mile walk from Haworth to Bront? Falls， a waterfall mentioned in Charlottes letters. This walk was frequented by the Bront?s and there can be no better way to commemorate them and their legacy—apart from curling up with a copy of Jane Eyre.

上个月（编著：原文发表于2016年5月）迎来了夏洛蒂·勃朗特200周年诞辰纪念日。夏洛蒂是英国文学史上最杰出的人物之一，也是备受尊崇的两部作品《简·爱》和《维莱特》的作者。勃朗特一家是文学界最杰出的家庭之一，今后五年将陆续迎来勃朗特一家另外三个人的200周年纪念日。明年是夏洛蒂的弟弟布兰韦尔的纪念日，接着2018年和2020年分别是她两个妹妹艾米莉和安妮的纪念日。

在各地的图书馆和书店的书架上，勃朗特三姐妹仍居主要作家之列。如今，夏洛蒂的《简·爱》《维莱特》和《雪莉》依旧影响着世界；比如，Shirley （编著：作女性名，译为雪莉）第一次成为女性的名字就是在小说《雪莉》中，因为在这本小说问世之前，Shirley （编著：作男性名，译为雪利）是男性的名字。夏洛蒂的作品还首次提及“蛮荒西部”“乡舍花园”“扬起的眉毛”以及其他150多个众所周知的词组。

勃朗特姐妹对文学的喜爱萌生于幼年。孩子们幻想出名为“安格里亚”和“冈德尔”的虚幻世界，展现了奇幻文学某些最早的形式。夏洛蒂的妹妹艾米莉和安妮也是成功的作家：艾米莉以《呼啸山庄》闻名，安妮则凭借《阿格尼斯·格雷》和《女房客》著称。这三位女性用的都是笔名，分别以柯勒·贝尔、埃利斯·贝尔、阿克顿·贝尔这样的男性名字出版著作，笔名中保留了他们本名的首字母。她们当时做出隐匿女性身份的决定是为了引起更多的重视，采取同样做法的还有乔治·艾略特等诸多维多利亚时代的女性作家们。

尽管勃朗特姐妹很成功，但其生活却很不幸。1816年，夏洛蒂出生于桑顿，在六个孩子中排行第三。父亲帕特里克是一位爱尔兰国教的牧师，1820年他举家搬到霍沃斯，成为圣米迦勒与诸天使教堂的牧师。1821年勃朗特一家经历了第一场悲剧。那一年，夏洛蒂的母亲玛丽亚死于癌症，之后孩子们由父亲和姨妈伊丽莎白照顾。

1824年，帕特里克把四个女儿送去位于兰开夏郡的考恩桥寄宿学校，但学校的条件恶劣，人们认为正是那里的恶劣条件让夏洛蒂的两个姐姐玛丽亚和伊丽莎白染上了肺结核，导致两人于1825年去世。夏洛蒂从学校回到家里，负责照料她年幼的弟弟妹妹：布兰韦尔、艾米莉和安妮。自此，勃朗特一家的文学抱负便开始了，孩子们一起撰文创作打发时光。

之后，夏洛蒂去了米菲尔德的罗海德学校读书，随后又在那里任教。后来她成了一名家庭教师，为许多家庭工作过。1842年，夏洛蒂和艾米莉一起到了布鲁塞尔，被当地的一所寄宿学校录取。在那里，夏洛蒂教英语，艾米莉教音乐。姨妈伊丽莎白去世后，两人提前回家了，但是三个月后夏洛蒂又孤身一人回到了布鲁塞尔。她无可救药地爱上了学校的创办人康斯坦丁·黑格尔。这个单恋的爱情故事对她的小说《维莱特》产生了巨大的影响。

一年后她回到了霍沃斯，没再离开。但她给黑格尔写令人心碎的情书，有时每周写两封。最终黑格尔的妻子介入了此事，要求夏洛蒂最多每六个月写一次信。黑格尔去世之前试图毁掉这些信件，但他的妻子把撕碎的信纸重新拼接了起来，并把信留给了他们的孩子。直到1913年黑格尔的孩子们把信件捐赠给大英图书馆，公众才获悉夏洛蒂的这份恋情。这个消息迅速改变了公众对于她作为纯真圣洁的维多利亚时代女性的看法。

1836年5月，夏洛蒂、艾米莉和安妮用笔名自行合出了一本诗集，但最终只售出了两本。随后夏洛蒂写了《教师》一书，虽未成功出版，但是出版公司Smith， Elder & Co.却表示对她署名为“柯勒·贝尔”的长一些的作品感兴趣。她寄去了这第二部手稿。1847年，《简·爱》在六周内就出版了。这部作品虽然取得了巨大的成功，但是此书第二版上献给《名利场》的作者威廉·萨克雷的题词却引发了一些争议。在当时某些人看来，这一做法未顾及他人的感受，因为《简·爱》刻画的男主人公有一个精神失常的妻子，而萨克雷本人就曾让人宣布自己的妻子“精神错乱”。但是萨克雷却认为这是“我受到的最高褒奖”，众所周知，他还曾盛赞过勃朗特的作品。除此之外，夏洛蒂也遭到以前的校长威尔逊牧师的非议，因为他从布罗克赫斯特先生这一人物形象中看到了自己的影子，并威胁说要起诉勃朗特。不过她给牧师写了一封道歉信，此事才得以避免。

1848年夏洛蒂开始创作她的第二部小说《雪莉》，但是还没写完，布兰韦尔、艾米莉和安妮就在八个月内相继去世。两个妹妹死于肺结核，弟弟布兰韦尔死于肺病。

夏洛蒂以写作来舒缓悲伤，这也促成了她第二部小说的出版。《维莱特》出版于1853年，这部小说也成了她有生之年出版的最后一部作品。妹妹们死后一年，夏洛蒂在《呼啸山庄》和《阿格尼斯·格雷》合集的前言里透露了柯勒、埃利斯、阿克顿的真实身份。

多年来，世人一直在推测她们的真实身份，但没想到这几部畅销书的作者居然是三位乡下姑娘——即便是夏洛蒂的编辑也未察觉到她的身份。夏洛蒂透露了三人的身份之后，被迅即带入了伦敦的社交界，结交了一些引人注目的女性朋友，比如《北与南》的作者伊丽莎白·盖斯凯尔。

在此之前不久，夏洛蒂收到了阿瑟·贝尔·尼科尔斯的求婚。贝尔是她父亲的助理牧师，她的笔名的一部分就源于这个人的名字。起初她拒绝了求婚，她的父亲也不赞成两人的结合，部分是因为尼科尔斯的经济状况。但盖斯凯尔促成了这桩婚事。跟尼科尔斯秘密约会多次以后，夏洛蒂答应嫁给他。但她的父亲却拒绝在结婚典礼上把她交给新郎，尽管他最终还是答应了这门亲事。婚后不久夏洛蒂就怀孕了，但却在1855年3月31日和她那未出世的孩子一起离开了人世，此时离她39岁生日只差三周。

夏洛蒂·勃朗特是个极具天赋的作家，她的小说持续受到欢迎即可证明这一点。2003年，BBC举办读书大调查，寻找一直以来最受英国人喜爱的小说，《简·爱》名列第十。然而，当年该书出版时，夏洛蒂却饱受非议。伊丽莎白·里格比在1848年的《评论季刊》里写道，她觉得《简·爱》“在很大程度上是一部反基督作品”。但自那以后，这部小说被成功地改编成许多电影、电视剧、广播剧和文学作品，这反而有助于使夏洛蒂深得人心。一些著名的小说，像达夫妮·杜穆里埃的《蝴蝶梦》、琼·里斯的《茫茫藻海》，就深受《简·爱》的启发。

负责200周年庆事宜的组织者是勃朗特学会，该学会成立于1893年，从1895年开始还出版自己的刊物，专门发表勃朗特研究方面的文章，学会也因此成为全球范围内“勃朗特研究”的中心。庆祝活动异常丰富，经常集中在位于霍沃斯的牧师住所，也就是勃朗特姐妹的家，如今那里已成了纪念他们的博物馆。

勃朗特姐妹对于住在约克郡的人来说同样意义非凡。这里的风景特征在姊妹三人所有的小说中经常出现，也因此而世界闻名。“勃朗特的乡村”一词用来形容其居住过的地方，位于约克郡西部的奔宁山区。

为了庆祝勃朗特姐妹的200周年纪念日，游客们纷纷来到那些赋予这几位女作家灵感的地方。简年轻时就读的洛伍德学校的灵感据说就源自考恩桥寄宿学校，罗海德学校则是夏洛蒂·勃朗特第一次教书的地方。位于温斯利代尔的诺顿科尼尔斯庄园则与小说描述的罗切斯特先生的桑菲尔德庄园吻合。最后，还有“勃朗特小路”，那是从霍沃斯到勃朗特瀑布的一段2.5英里的小路，夏洛蒂曾在信中提到过那个瀑布。勃朗特姐妹常常在那条小路上散步，而纪念她们和她们的遗产的最好方式应该是手捧一本《简·爱》，蜷坐着，静静品读吧。