Today we celebrate the birthday of Emily Jane Brontë! She was born on July 30, 1818, and she died on December 19, 1848. Emily is the author of the infamous novel Wuthering Heights, and lived a life one would not expect of the iconic write of love and passion.
Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Emily Brontë:
1. Emily wouldn’t be treated by a doctor when she was dying.
Emily was known for being notoriously stubborn. In late 1848, Emily received the news that she was dying from tuberculosis. When she received the news, she refused treatment because she said the medicine for it was not a true cure. On the day she died, when the illness had withered her body to the verge of shutting down, Emily made the decision that she would finally see a doctor. That afternoon, Emily died with her sisters, Charlotte and Anne, by her side.
2. Emily once cauterized her own wound.
Emily Brontë was a huge animal lover. She especially loved large dogs. A rabid dog that was frothing at the mouth once bit her. In an effort not to worry anyone, Emily took a fire poker that was red hot and burned her leg down to the bone to cauterize it. Her sister, Charlotte, used this story as background for her character Shirley in her novel Shirley.
3. Emily was unable to speak in public.
The Brontë sisters were known for being shy. Growing up, Anne and Emily were known for hiding when visitors would visit their home. As they grew older, Emily would purposefully not speak to strangers, and especially not speak in public. Emily’s famous novel Wuthering Heights—and its themes—came as a shock to so many because of her shy reputation.
4. Emily never fell in love.
While Wuthering Heights is a book full of passion and love, Emily Brontë never had a romantic relationship. Her greatest companion was her sister, Anne. They were known to be inseparable and often compared to twins.
5. Emily was a talented marksman.
Due to civil unrest, Patrick Brontë taught Emily how to shoot. He thought to teach Branwell, but due to Branwell’s instability, Patrick chose Emily. Emily loved shooting practice so much that she practiced nonstop. Eventually, she became so good she rarely missed the center of the target.
6. Emily was writing a follow up to Wuthering Heights.
Prior to Emily’s death, Thomas Newby, Emily’s publisher, wrote her a letter telling her to not rush her novel to completion. This was to be the second installation of Wuthering Heights and because of this letter, the novel did not get published. History does not know if Emily destroyed this unpublished work, or if someone else did—however, the question stands, what would a second installation of the infamous piece look like?
7. Wuthering Heights was not an instantaneous success.
Wuthering Heights, while presently a well-known classic, was not popular when its first edition initially rolled out. It was not until Charlotte Brontë, the author of Jane Eyre, wrote a foreword in the second edition where Charlotte explained why she believed Wuthering Heights to be the better novel. This caused Wuthering Heights to fly off the shelves. Suddenly, everyone fell in love with the passionate themes of Wuthering Heights.
8. Emily Brontë was a poet.
The Brontë sisters wrote poetry under pseudonyms. Emily Brontë’s pseudonym was Ellis Bell, and she was able to become a fairly successful poet under this pen name. When she decided to publish under her own name, alongside her sisters, her success was less than when she was publishing under the name of a man.
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