The Bront�s: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of a Literary Family

**A "brilliant" biography of the Bront� family, dispelling popular myths and revealing the true story of Emily, Anne, Charlotte, and their father (__The Independent on Sunday__).** The tragic story of the Bront� family has been told many times: the half-mad, repressive father; the drunken, drug-addicted brother; wildly romantic Emily; unrequited Anne; and "poor Charlotte." But is any of it true? These caricatures of the popular imagination were created by amateur biographers like Elizabeth Gaskell who were more interested in lurid tales than genuine scholarship. Juliet Barker's landmark book is the first definitive history of the Bront�s. It demolishes the myths, yet provides startling new information that is just as compelling--but true. Based on firsthand research among all the Bront� manuscripts and among contemporary historical documents never before used by Bront� biographers, this book is both scholarly and compulsively readable. __The Bront�s__ is a revolutionary picture of the world's favorite literary family. The story of the tragic Bronte family is familiar to everyone: we all know about the half-mad, repressive father, the drunken, drug-addicted wastrel of a brother, wild romantic Emily, unrequited Anne and "poor Charlotte". Or do we? These stereotypes of the popular imagination are precisely that - imaginary - created by amateur biographers from Mrs Gaskell onwards who were primarily novelists, and were attracted by the tale of an apparently doomed family of genius. Later biographers still repeat her mistakes, and have, without exception, relied on the bowdlerised texts published by T.J. Wise, a forger. Juliet Barker's landmark book is the first definitive history of the Brontes. It demolishes the myths, yet provides startling new information that is just as compelling - but true. Based on firsthand research among all the Bronte manuscripts, many so tiny they can only be read by magnifying glass, and among contemporary historical documents never before used by Bronte biographers, this book is both scholarly and compulsively readable The story of the tragic Brontë family is familiar to everyone: we all know about the half-mad, repressive father, the drunken, drug-addled wastrel of a brother, wildly romantic Emily, unrequited Anne, and "poor Charlotte." Or do we? These stereotypes of the popular imagination are precisely that - imaginary - created by amateur biographers such as Mrs. Gaskell who were primarily novelists and were attracted by the tale of an apparently doomed family of genius. Juliet Barker's landmark book is the first definitive history of the Brontës. It demolishes the myths, yet provides startling new information that is just as compelling - but true. Based on first-hand research among all the Brontë manuscripts, including contemporary historical documents never before used by Brontë biographers, this book is both scholarly and compulsively readable. The Brontës is a revolutionary picture of the world's favorite literary family. A history of the Bronte family, attempting to demolish the myths surrounding the sisters, while providing new information based on first-hand research among all the Bronte manuscripts and from contemporary historical documents previously unused by Brontebiographers. The story of the tragic Bronte family is well known, but the stereotypes of the popular imagination are created by amateur biographers. This book attempts to demolish the myths and provide new information, and just as compelling, but true.