Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey

6b Emily and Anne Brontë. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885. 

Notes

Wuthering Heights the only novel by Emily Brontë was first published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. The novel tells the dark and passionate story of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, whose obsessive love unfolds across the bleak Yorkshire moors and reverberates through the next generation. Emily Brontë’s secluded life in the remote village of Haworth along with the wild landscapes surrounding the Yorkshire moors deeply shaped the novel’s atmosphere and themes of isolation, emotional intensity, and the powerful influence of nature. Her introspective personality and imaginative inner world helped produce one of the most unconventional and haunting works of Victorian literature, a novel that initially puzzled critics but has since become a cornerstone of the English literary canon.

Published the same year, Agnes Grey was written by Emily’s sister Anne Brontë, who published under the name Acton Bell. The novel follows Agnes, a young governess struggling to maintain dignity and moral integrity while working for wealthy but careless families. Drawing heavily from Anne Brontë’s own experiences as a governess, the story offers a realistic and often critical portrait of the limited opportunities available to women and the difficult social position governesses occupied in Victorian households. Unlike the gothic intensity of Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey is quieter and more observational, reflecting Anne’s strong sense of morality and compassion, shaped by the disciplined and religious upbringing she shared with her sisters in Haworth.

Description

Deep green canvas binding with black lettering and details to upper board. Gilt lettering to spine. Illustrations throughout. Slight loosening to spine but fully intact. Bumped points and softened head and foot of spine. Very good condition overall.