Bronte Sisters Trivia

1. What happened in 1826 that first inspired the Bronte siblings to create an imaginary kingdom?

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: Branwell received a box of twelve wooden soldiers.

Having received the soldiers as a gift from his father, Branwell allowed each of his sisters to select a soldier for themselves and name him. Each soldier would become a prominent character in their new world. Emily recovered from whooping cough just before she attended Cowan Bridge School in 1824. The children read widely, but I cannot find any evidence to suggest Charlotte received a personal copy of the Faerie Queene or was particularly influenced by Spenser. Anne was only six years old at the time of the soldiers' arrival so unlikely to be visiting London.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Brunty

Despite his strong Northern Irish accent, Patrick was trying to distance himself from his home country and appear more impressive. It may not seem much of a difference now but clearly he felt changing his name was one way to achieve this. Lord Nelson had recently been granted the title 'Duke of Bronte' by the King of Naples so it did provide an instant pedigree. Accounts differ on the spelling of his name and some list Prunty as the original. At Cambridge, and throughout his life, this surname would have many spellings and a variety of accents and marks over the 'e' but the sisters adopted the classic Bronte spelling, with a diaeresis (..) above the e.

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: The Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte

Branwell christened his soldier Bonaparte (sometimes spelled Buonaparte in biographies), and he was clearly a great admirer of Napoleon's military prowess. Charlotte's hero had been Wellington for some time, and she would make Arthur Wellesley and his sons the central part of her imaginary tales.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Branwell

Although his first name was Patrick he was always known as Branwell or 'Brany'. As the only boy in a clergyman's family a lot of pressure fell on Branwell to achieve great things. Unfortunately, despite some artistic ability, success eluded him. His drinking, drug addiction and debts horrified his sisters and father and no doubt contributed to his death in 1848 at the age of 30.

From Quiz Brontesaurus!

Answer: Wuthering Heights

"Wuthering Heights" was the only novel by Emily Bronte.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Bewick's History of British Birds

It is this book that comforts the young Jane in the first chapter of Jane Eyre. It is later snatched from and thrown at her by her spiteful cousin John Reed. There are a number of examples of the Brontes' faithful copies from this book at the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth.

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: They were Arctic explorers.

Even at this early stage, Emily revealed her respect for real life battles against the elements. She had little time for military exploits, unlike her older siblings. Very little evidence exists to do anything other than speculate whether Anne shared her admiration or went along with her older sister's ideas at the time.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Mr Brocklehurst

As in the book, the real life founder wrote a series of terrifying stories known as the Children's Friend. These describe unfortunate children being set on fire, having their limbs amputated and dying. The aim was to 'educate' children in the importance of living a pure life on earth. Even more sadly, the eldest Bronte sisters, Maria and Elizabeth became dangerously ill at Cowan Bridge and succumbed to tuberculosis despite being sent home. They were only ten and eleven years old when they died and the early loss brought the four remaining siblings - Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne - even closer.

From Quiz Brontesaurus!

Answer: Jane Eyre

Feminist critics have suggested that the madwoman depicted in "Jane Eyre" was really Jane's inner self - a woman of passion, rage and frustration locked away by a repressed society!

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: Chief Genius

The children dubbed themselves Chief Genii, a title intended to reflect their roles as protectors of their people and lands, rather than rulers. The title also reflects the influence of the "Tales from the Arabian Nights".

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Bradford

An easy one if you know British cities - the other three options are real but in different counties: Bideford, Devon; Blandford, Dorset and Bedford, Bedfordshire. Branwell apparently had real talent and had earlier gone to London armed with letters of introduction to the Royal Academy - no mean feat. It's unclear why but he couldn't bring himself to enter the building when he got to London and came home again, having squandered the money he'd been given and the hopes that went with him. He seems to have been a competent enough portrait painter while in Bradford but a new invention - photography - was in its earliest form and he just couldn't compete.

From Quiz Brontesaurus!

Answer: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Published under the pseudonym Acton Bell, Anne's "tenant" is a woman who leaves her marital home in order to protect her young son from an abusive father and husband. Ahead of its time, the novel shocked readers by showing a woman capable of independent action who earned her own living as an artist --while still juggling with social respectability in a world where separation was frowned upon.

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: Africa

Branwell used his artistic skills to re-draft a map of Africa which the Brontes then divided up and allotted to their soldiers. The continent was divided into four kingdoms named after the individual soldiers: Parry's Land, Ross's Land and Wellington's Land, except for Napoleon's which was named Sneaky's land. African expeditions were as much in the news at this time as the Arctic expeditions of Ross and Parry.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Blackwood's Magazine

As in the real life magazine the children included stories, book reviews and even correspondence sections to which their imaginary characters contributed. It is difficult to envisage what amazing works these are until you view those that have been preserved in the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth. They are only about 2 inches high by 1 inch wide and the writing inside is tiny but perfectly legible if you have good enough eyesight or a magnifying glass!

From Quiz Brontesaurus!

Answer: William Makepeace Thackeray

When all Charlotte's remaining siblings had died of tuberculosis, including her much-loved brother Branwell, she visited London regularly to meet up with her literary friends Thackeray and Elizabeth Gaskell.

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: Glasstown and Verdopolis

The founding of the Great Glasstown Confederacy marked the beginning of the more serious Bronte writing efforts based on their new worlds. Glasstown itself seemed far from Yorkshire reality, with blue lakes, constant sunshine and snow-capped mountains. Glasstown history, which was meticulously recorded in tiny handwriting, often mirrored real-life events and even stories from everyday Haworth.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Byron

Although their father was a clergyman, the Brontes read widely even as children and this included the works of Byron. The racy poet was a particular inspiration in their childhood writings and creation of their fantasy kingdoms of Angria and Gondal. Their later creations of Heathcliff and Mr Rochester also owe more than a little to Byron's moody influence. One of the letters from Charlotte to her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey recommends Byron's works, although she did say she should probably skip Don Juan.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Brussels

Charlotte would also teach there for just over a year, becoming infatuated with Monsieur Heger, the director. Her experiences were probably very similar to those she would later describe in her novels The Professor and Villette. The sisters got as far as printing a prospectus for their school for young ladies, which would have been based at the parsonage in Haworth, but didn't receive a single application.

From Quiz Brontesaurus!

Answer: Ireland

Patrick Bronte (17 March 1777 - 7 June 1861) was born in Loughbrickland, County Down, Ireland. He came from a poor Irish family and was a strict Methodist. His authoritarian nature is believed to have had a deep influence on his daughters' fictional narratives as well as their psychological development.

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: Augusta Geraldine Almeda

Not surprisingly to later readers of Wuthering Heights, Gondal heroines were very strong-willed individuals. They took lovers and husbands and discarded them at a moment's notice. Augusta's complex love life formed a central component of the Gondal plots. It is difficult to imagine a world further removed from that of the Bronte women. In contrast, the Gondal landscape was based heavily on Emily's love of Yorkshire.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: Bell

Charlotte was Currer Bell, Emily took Ellis Bell and Anne became Acton Bell. The surname was inspired by the middle name of the curate who would later become Charlotte's husband: Arthur Bell Nicholls.

From Quiz Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years

Answer: Robert Southey

Charlotte appears to have been disgusted with Southey's advice, which also stated that "literature cannot be the business of a woman's life". Thankfully, she continued with her daydreams and writing. Branwell sent a selection of his poetry to William Wordsworth and demanded that he be sent a reply - not surprisingly, he never received one. Emily, of course, rejected all attempts to publicise their work and would only later reluctantly agree to a joint volume of poetry printed under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

From Quiz B is for Bronte

Answer: The Black Bull

The Black Bull still stands in Haworth today, at the top of the hill on the main street. The church is beside it and the parsonage only a short walk up the hill.

From Quiz Brontesaurus!

Answer: Catherine Linton

Catherine Linton, Heathcliff's soulmate in "Wuthering Heights," is this forlorn creature.

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