Jamie Ashton, School of History

Charlotte Bronte's Correspondence: An Archival Microhistory of love, grief and loss

The Bronte's have become so engrained in myth that it is often difficult to separate them and truly place them in their historical context. This presentation will aim to separate the myth from reality and explore Charlotte Bronte through her seldom studied letters to friend, Amelia Ringrose, considering these through a framework of microhistory and the history of the every day. This shall aim to place Charlotte firmly within her context, noting a woman who was struggling with grief and loss and her place in society, following the death of her sisters, studying Charlotte in the terms she would want to be seen; as a woman, sister and author.

BA History, Final Year (he/him)
I am a fourth year history student with a love of Victorian literature and history. My degree so far hasn't focused too much on this so I wanted the opportunity to share my passion at the UGRE. I love reading and writing and particularly like history about often forgotten or mythologised people, separating the historical myth from reality.