Thursday Talks
“Something real, cool and solid…unromantic as a Monday morning…it shall be cold lentils and vinegar without oil; it shall be unleavened bread with bitter herbs, and no roast lamb” (Shirley p1)
Having been criticised in some quarters for ‘melodramatic’ elements in 'Jane Eyre', Charlotte Bronte advised her readers on the very first page that her second published novel would be ‘realistic’. Shirley was duly drawn vividly from the lives of the people of West Yorkshire during industrialization. The result was the closest Charlotte came to writing a social novel, produced under the most trying of personal circumstances: the loss of her three siblings.
Contemporary complaints that it contained too many characters and lacked coherence have endured, too often obscuring the passages of brilliant writing which it contained, particularly on the experiences of women and on the shortcomings of contemporary Anglican clergymen.
This talk will avoid spoilers on the story and focus instead on Charlotte’s remarkable insights and the immortalization in print of many of the people she knew, including how much of the elusive Emily Bronte it is possible to glean from the Shirley Keeldar character.
Our Talks are delivered by our knowledgeable Parsonage staff. This year we will be delivering them in person at the Parsonage, and online for anyone who can't make it to the Museum. Details on how to join are below.
This Thursday Talk will take place at 2pm on Thursday 25 August.
Tickets are free with admission to the museum, and will take place in the Old School Room.
This event is first come first serve, please sign up at the welcome desk on arrival on the day.
Can't make it in person? No problem! We will be running an online version of the Thursday Talk at 7:30pm, the very same day.
Tickets for the evening event cost £3. The event will start at 7.30pm UK time. This event will take place via zoom. It is a live event and will not be recorded.
Full details of how to join the event will be sent once you have booked your place.
Please do not book a £3 ticket if you are planning on attending in person, at 2pm. The online ticket is for a Zoom event, at 7:30pm.