--- title: "Biographical Notes on the Pseudonymous Bells by Charlotte Brontë — Cl…" description: "Read a free sample of Biographical Notes on the Pseudonymous Bells by Charlotte Brontë at Publica Now — a public-domain classic ebook, readable online." canonical: "https://publica.now/creators/vito/works/biographical-notes-on-the-pseudonymous-bells" --- Literary # Biographical Notes on the Pseudonymous Bells by Charlotte Brontë [ V Vito ](https://publica.now/creators/vito) Follow $2.99 [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fbiographical-notes-on-the-pseudonymous-bells) Share Link copied Format epub Published May 02, 2026 Rating No reviews yet ![Biographical Notes on the Pseudonymous Bells](https://fls-a13cb2d7-1b3e-4883-a0bd-297afd110a11.367be3a2035528943240074d0096e0cd.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/works/01kqn0y6b7gk8xm2vn5frzj913/editions/2026-09-06-html-v1/cover.png?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=d29ce3bb571c165c97a702f29f7aee93%2F20260908%2Fauto%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260908T040110Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Signature=9a2fb50512c6ad2c17b510c6789f54b026d74aa4a62fa56784e06e9b57790d07) ## About this work What lay behind the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell? In this concise, revealing account, Charlotte Brontë explains the origins and authorship of the works published under those names, correcting the belief that they were written by a single person. She recalls the Brontë sisters’ reunion in a remote district, their dependence on books and study, and the literary ambitions they had cherished since childhood. The discovery of Emily’s poetry becomes a moment of recognition: Charlotte describes its distinctive force as “wild, melancholy, and elevating,” while also acknowledging the sincere pathos of her younger sister’s verse. Together, the sisters resolved to publish a selection of poems, concealing their identities behind names that would not declare them women. This Publica.now Classics edition includes a new typographic cover and publisher opening and closing pages. Sample ## Take a look inside TWO SHORT PIECES BY CHARLOTTE BRONTË BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF ELLIS AND ACTON BELL It has been thought that all the works published under the names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell were, in reality, the production of one person. This mistake I endeavoured to rectify by a few words of disclaimer prefixed to the third edition of ‘Jane Eyre.’ These, too, it appears, failed to gain general credence, and now, on the occasion of a reprint of ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Agnes Grey,’ I am advised distinctly to state how the case really stands. Indeed, I feel myself that it is time the obscurity attending those two names—Ellis and Acton—was done away. The little mystery, which formerly yielded some harmless pleasure, has lost its interest; circumstances are changed. It becomes, then, my duty to explain briefly the origin and authorship of the books written by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. About five years ago, my two sisters and myself, after a somewhat prolonged period of separation, found ourselves reunited, and at home. Resident in a remote district, where education had made little progress, and where, consequently, there was no inducement to seek social intercourse beyond our own domestic circle, we were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition; formerly we used to show each other what we wrote, but of late years this habit of communication and consultation had been discontinued; hence it ensued, that we were mutually ignorant of the progress we might respectively have made. One day, in the autumn of 1845, I accidentally lighted on a MS. volume of verse in my sister Emily’s handwriting. Of… [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fbiographical-notes-on-the-pseudonymous-bells) The sample continues in the full work. [ #Brontë family ](/search?query=Bront%C3%AB+family) [ #Authors, English -- 19th century -- Biography ](/search?query=Authors%2C+English+--+19th+century+--+Biography) [ #Brontë, Emily, 1818-1848 ](/search?query=Bront%C3%AB%2C+Emily%2C+1818-1848) [ #Brontë, Anne, 1820-1849 ](/search?query=Bront%C3%AB%2C+Anne%2C+1820-1849) [ #Authors, English ](/search?query=Authors%2C+English) [ #19th century ](/search?query=19th+century) [ #Biography ](/search?query=Biography) [ #Brontë, Emily ](/search?query=Bront%C3%AB%2C+Emily) [ #Brontë, Anne ](/search?query=Bront%C3%AB%2C+Anne) ## Reviews No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts. [Sign in to leave a review](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcreators%2Fvito%2Fworks%2Fbiographical-notes-on-the-pseudonymous-bells) No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts. 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