Brontes - the Angria and Gondal years Quiz

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.

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.

Answer: Tales of a Grandfather

"Tales of a Grandfather" is a real book by Sir Walter Scott and was a Christmas present to Emily from her Aunt Branwell in 1828. Walter Scott seems to have been an early literary inspiration for Emily.

These three plays were talked about by the children in front of the servants and occasionally scenes were acted out for them. As time went on, the characters and worlds became less real and presumably less acceptable to the adults around them. They would discuss them quietly and secretly, often in bed at night, and from this need for secrecy arose their use of tiny writing and tiny books to record their adventures.

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.

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".

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.

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.

Answer: Branwell banished Emily and Anne from Glasstown.

From the earliest stages, Emily's tales and poems of Glasstown life were much more down-to-earth than those of her older siblings. Despite this, Parry's land co-existed quite happily with its more exotic counterparts until Charlotte's departure for Roe Head.

At this point, it seems that the stories began to lose some of their balance, with Branwell's love of the military wearing the younger girls down and with Charlotte's absence highlighting the lack of the more personal touch. Charlotte returned from Roe Head school for summer and was very disappointed to learn of the split, but despite her best efforts the rift was never healed.

At this stage, the two worlds diverged clearly into Angria and Gondal, developing in very different ways over the years. Sad as the split may have seemed for Charlotte at the time, the early division may have allowed Emily and Anne to diverge creatively.

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.

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.