Sunshine of the Heart

Sally treads old familiar pathways through fields of corn and wheat in Sussex, very close to the place she grew up. Her thoughts are with Charlotte Brontë, who wrote haunting poems about her own complex, equivocal feelings towards her childhood and the place she grew up. Sally reads the famous opening passage from Brontë's novel Jane Eyre. Jane, an unwanted orphan who retreats into the world of books was a pivotal figure in Sally's psychological development as a young teenager.

Charlotte Brontë (1816 to 1855) was the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who lived to adulthood. She lived a life marked by personal struggle, frustrations, loss and grief. Jane Eyre was published in 1847 under a male pseudonym. It was a highly original book, with strong autobiographical elements, initiating a genre of its own, the "governess novel". 

The three sisters - Charlotte, Emily and Ann - had published their poems in 1846, the year before Jane Eyre, also pseudonymously. The poems which Sally reads in this episode are Regret, Winter Store, and Evening Solace. After the success of Jane Eyre, Charlotte stopped writing poems. You can find out more about her poetry here:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/charlotte-bronte

In the first of her anti-memoir series, Girl With Dove, Sally writes in detail about her relationship with the character of Jane Eyre as she was growing up in very difficult circumstances:

https://sallybayley.com/girl-with-dove

The producer of the podcast is Andrew Smith: https://www.fleetingyearfilms.com

The extra voice in this episode is Emma Fielding.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. Special thanks go to Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.