The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects
This unusual biography of the Brontës links some of their well-known and personal items, weaving them into both their personal and writing lives and giving distinctive insight into the existence of Branwell, Emily, Anne, and Charlotte. Lutz considers how nine objects had direct influence on how and what they wrote. Living on the moor, the Brontës were prodigious walkers, hence the inclusion of Branwell’s walking stick. The family was not wealthy yet devoured scraps of paper for their miniature books. They were known pet lovers; it’s not far-fetched for Lutz to have included the Brontës’ dog’s collar in this inventory.
In Charlotte’s novel Shirley, the cleric, Mr. Malone, uses a similar walking stick. Anne’s Agnes Grey has a workbox (also one of the discussed items) she fidgets with, allowing her to show her character’s agitation, “stabbing one’s finger with a needle.” Lutz brings up many connections between the objects and Charlotte’s Catherine in Wuthering Heights from longs walks to talking books. It’s quite remarkable how these stagnant objects are viewed with vivid emotion, and the Brontës become vivaciously real when one’s perspective is changed.
