A free Tuesday talk
With the publication of Elizabeth Gaskell's
Life of Charlotte Brontë, the reading public embraced a narrative of the strange and bleak upbringing of Charlotte and her siblings at the hands of their father, and his eccentric, unpredictable dealings with the world around him. Fast forward to Juliet Barker's revisionist and seminal biography,
The Brontës, and we have a picture of a very different man, dedicated, determined to make a difference in the world and who brought sympathy and imagination to his role as father. This talk examines the eventful journey of Patrick's afterlife, how he has been portrayed on page and screen, and how his changing image impacts on our understanding of his children and their achievements.
Free with admission to the Museum.