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Whatever Our Souls Are Made Of… | A Love Letter to Emily Brontë

Whatever our souls are made of, mine and Emily Brontë’s are the same.

To say I’m an Emily Brontë fanatic is a bit of an understatement. I am practically in love with her. From when I first read Wuthering Heights, to when I discovered her Gondal poetry, she captivated me from the opening, and I am forever grateful — for her words, for her life, and for everything she has stood for in the years since her death.

There’s something almost magical about feeling close to someone there is so little information about: it allows you to fill in the gaps. My Emily may be very different to somebody else’s and I like the power that holds, the knowledge that she is mine and not quite anybody else’s. My Emily Brontë is introverted, awkward. There’s a comfort in knowing the qualities we share can be used for good: to weave fascinating stories, to hide away in fictional worlds.

Though her feeling for the people round was benevolent, intercourse with them she never sought; nor, with very few exceptions, ever experienced. And yet she knew them: knew their ways, their language, their family histories; she could hear of them with interest, and talk of them with detail, minute, graphic, and accurate; but WITH them, she rarely exchanged a word. – Charlotte Brontë

She’s also a genius, a true genius: her poetry is lyrical and wild and untamed; Wuthering Heights is dark and brooding and passionate. Her familiarity with the landscape of the Yorkshire Moors adds a deeper level to her writing, and her observation of character is second-to-none.

One of the stories I most associate with her, replicated in Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley, and shared in Elizabeth Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte, is that of Emily cauterising her own wound after being bitten by a dog. Bravery, fierce pride in the face of calamity, gumption: all qualities I try to replicate in myself, even if I am not always successful.

When I read Emily Brontë’s writing, about characters who don’t traditionally fit into our world, who spurn societal norms in favour of a different life, I feel like I’ve returned home. I feel like, with Emily’s help, I could conquer all.

 

With wide-embracing love
Thy spirit animates eternal years
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates and rears
Though earth and moon were gone
And suns and universes ceased to be
And Thou wert left alone
Every Existence would exist in thee
There is not room for Death
Nor atom that his might could render void
Since thou art Being and Breath
And what thou art may never be destroyed.
– No Coward Soul is Mine, Emily Brontë


This was written as part of a larger post by Annabelle called Anne: the Forgotten Brontë, which can be read here. Thank you to Annabelle for inspiring me to write this!

Who are the authors you love most passionately? Share in the comments below!

 

Top Ten Tuesday

5 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get | Top Ten Tuesday

top ten tuesday meme

I haven’t participated in the Top Ten Tuesday feature, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, for a very long time, but I thought I’d start doing it again weekly because I love reading everyone’s posts.

This week the theme is: “Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get”. I haven’t chosen ten because usually I like most of the characters I read about, so here are just a few:

Severus Snape – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling 

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why anyone could like Snape. I must admit, I did see the appeal once I’d finished Deathly Hallows, but I don’t think a sudden spark of romance in the plot line can excuse his awful, abusive behaviour. He’s mean to Harry throughout his years at Hogwarts and constantly puts Hermione down, calling her an “insufferable know-it-all.” Is knowledge really something to be ashamed of?

Snape is never going to be a good person in my eyes.

via GIPHY

Heathcliff – Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Don’t even get me started on Heathcliff. He’s another character that is abusive – physically and mentally – and is romanticised way too often, thanks to adaptations portraying him as dark and brooding. His treatment of Cathy Linton, Hareton and Isabella was disgusting and how anyone could love him after that is crazy.

He deserves Catherine Earnshaw, in my opinion. They can run madly around the Moors together, as long as they’re nowhere near me.

Tiny Cooper – Hold Me Closer by David Levithan

I did like Tiny Cooper in David Levithan and John Green’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson but I just felt annoyed when I read the spin-off, Hold Me Closer. It seemed too over-the-top and unnecessary. I was not impressed!

Tiny Cooper is okay in short bursts, but a whole book? Never again.

Cinder – Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I enjoyed Cinder when I read it, but I’ve never been able to get past the first two books. I think this is because the characters didn’t steal my heart from me in a way that made me want to read on, so I’ve never persevered. It doesn’t matter how much action is going on, if I don’t like the characters then I’m not going to want to continue.

Lola and Cricket – Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I feel so bad about this choice because I’m a huge fan of Stephanie Perkins’s books, but Lola and the Boy Next Door fell a bit flat for me. I loved her first book, Anna and the French Kiss, so much but when it came to Lola, I felt as if something was missing. I’d still recommend it because Stephanie writes fantastically, but beware that the characters aren’t everything you could hope for.

What characters have you thinking everyone else is crazy for loving them? Are there any characters on my list that you love? Leave some love in the comments to let me know!