“It is a woman’s writing, but whose?” – (William Thackeray on the authorship of Jane Eyre)
The pseudonymous publication of Jane Eyre in 1847 by “Currer Bell” sparked one of the greatest literary controversies of the 19th century. The novel proved an immediate and almost unprecedented success, selling out within three months while the public clamored for any information on the identity of its mysterious author.
Speculation was rampant in contemporary papers, with many reviewers attributing the book to a man because of the quality and complexity of the prose. However, William Thackeray, Charlotte Bronte’s literary hero and later an important member of her circle, wrote, “It is a fine book… I have been exceedingly moved & pleased by Jane Eyre. It is a woman’s writing, but whose?” Bronte’s identity was revealed only after the work had gone through several editions. By that time, it was already clear that she had written a classic of English literature. View our current selection.