The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects

Applying “thing theory” to the lives and literary legacy of the Brontës, Lutz (Pleasure Bound) skillfully uses the titular nine objects to explore the relationship between the sisters’ world and their fiction. For instance, the miniscule volumes in which the Brontë sisters and their brother, Branwell, recorded their juvenilia (fantasies set in the worlds of Angria and Gondal), prompts discussion of the dearness of printed books in the early 19th century and the consolation that so many Brontë characters find in reading and owning books. A sampler made by Anne, meanwhile, is tied to the many types of needlework and knitting by which Brontë heroines contribute to their households. A chapter on each sister’s portable writing desk as a “personal space safeguarding secrets” contrasts Charlotte (who craved affection) with Emily (who was “deeply reserved”). Lutz bolsters her observations with abundant references to the Brontës’ novels, poetry, and letters, proving especially insightful on Wuthering Heights. She muses on Emily’s special relationship with the nearby moors (in connection with Branwell’s walking stick), and on the imagery of death and the afterlife that laces the novel (elaborated from locks of the Brontës’ hair kept as death mementos). Lutz commends Emily for her “visceral engagement with her subject matter,” and the same could be said of Lutz in this illuminating biographical study. [em](May) [/em]