Bronte, Charlotte

bron'te, Charlotte (1816-1855), an English writer. She was one of three sisters, daughters of an English clergyman, and was for a time a governess in Brussels. She wrote four books, The Professor, Jane Eyre, Shirley, and Villette, Jane Eyre is celebrated; the rest are forgotten or are of interest simply because they were written by the author of Jane Eyre. It is said that any writer can produce one successful novel, but that only a genius has material for more than one. It is a small collection of fiction that cannot afford a place for Jane Eyre. Miss Bronte was married in 1854 to the Rev. A. B. Nichols, her father's curate.