First published in 1849, ‘Shirley’ is Charlotte Bronte’s only historical novel and her most topical one. It is Bronte’s second novel, following Jane Eyre, which tells the story of two women of radically different circumstances, whose bond of friendship helps them emotionally navigate the romantic entanglements of Victorian society.
Set against the backdrop of the Luddite uprising against the Yorkshire textile industry in England during the industrial depression that followed the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The novel is the story of mill operator Robert Moore, whose business is troubled by the economic climate; his distant cousin Caroline Helstone, for whom Robert has affections; rich heiress and landowner Shirley Keeldar; and Robert’s brother Louis, a poor tutor, whom Shirley is in love with.
It is a classically romantic tale that deals with the timely themes of industrial unrest in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century and the role of women in society.
‘Endurance over-goaded, stretched the hand of fraternity to sedition.’
— Charlotte Bronte (Shirley)
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