In Our Time Podcast Response - Skretta

Pros

1. British accents are nice to listen to.
2. The people talking are obviously well informed on the topic
3. It touches on many themes we discussed in class

Cons

1. It was kind of boring and I spaced out for almost all of it the first time I listened to it.
2. It was long and the people talking still didn't get to everything they wanted to talk about
3. It was kind of hard to tell who was talking for parts

What I found interesting

The most interesting part of the podcast to me was at the beginning when they discussed Bronte's family.

They mentioned her father first, Patrick Bronte. He was the son of an Irish farmer in county Down.  He eventually become a clergyman through his education and at the age of sixteen had already founded his own school.  He also studied at Cambridge where he received high academic honors.  Also they mention that he taught, but don't say where, and touch on education running throughout his life.  He was a hero to Charlotte.

The podcast only briefly touches on her mother Maria.  Pretty much the only thing they mention about her is that her name was Maria, she was Cornish, that she was very devoted to her husband, and she died when Charlotte was young.  I still think this little tid bit is interesting though.  They mention that Patrick Bronte was a hero to his daughter but from this I also believe that her mother was as well.  I find it striking that in the brief description of Bronte's mother you can see a parallel between her and Jane.  When Jane finally marries Rochester she is completely devoted to him. Similar to the way that Maria was devoted to Patrick.  

Also the podcast talks about her siblings.  Charlotte was one of six children.  Apparently she lost two of her siblings when they were quite young.  These two sisters died at school.  This school would go on to become the hideous Lowood School of the book.  The real life Charlotte only stayed at school ten months, nothing compared to the eight years Jane spends at Lowood.  It seems that these two sisters who died at school could've served as inspiration for Helen Burns in the novel.  The way Jane acts around Helen and how friendly they are towards each other does seem to emulate the way siblings act.  Think about it.  Up until this point Jane is shy and hasn't spoken to anyone at Lowood.  However, she has no qualms about approaching Helen, and who would be scared of talking to a sibling?

More about Patrick

Patrick Bronte was born the eldest of ten children.  His last name was originally Brunty, but he had it officially changed to Bronte.  He was born in 1777 in North Ireland at Emdale.  As mentioned before when he was 16 he was already a school master.  He entered Cambridge in 1802, which is where he adopted the name Bronte.  He was ordained to the church into 1807.  He married Maria in 1812.  He started to go blind in his 60's and in 1861 died at the age of 84.

More about Maria

Maria Bronte, born Maria Branwell, was the 8th of 11 children and was born in Cornwall in 1783.  She was born into a fairly affluent family that was deeply involved in the politics and trade of their region.  Between 1808 and 1811 a series of four family deaths broke apart her immediate family and Maria left for Yorkshire in 1812 to start a new life.  It was here while she was working as an assistant in a school that she met Patrick Bronte.  They were married on December 29, 1812.  After having six children, Maria died in September, 1821.

More about the Bronte Children

Patrick and Maria Bronte had six children.  The first daughter, also named Maria, and the second daughter named Elizabeth were born in 1814 and 1815 respectively near Hartshead.  Then the family moved to Thornton.  Then came Charlotte in 1816, Patrick in 1817, Emily Jane in 1818, and lastly Anne in 1820.  Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Emily all studied at a school for the daughters of clergymen, which would become the inspiration of Lowood.  Maria and Elizabeth would both die in 1825 after becoming sick at school and being sent home.  Soon after the two eldest were discharged from school Charlotte and Emily were recalled in good health and would never return.  The only boy, Patrick, was somewhat of a failure.  In 1838 he set himself up as a professional portrait painter in Bradford but failed to make a living and took a job as a tutor in 1840. However he was fired within a year.  He then worked as a clerk for a railway from October 1841 to April 1842 when he was fired again.  He then worked as a tutor again, this time in the Robinson household near York.  However, he was once again fired in 1845 after an affair with his employers wife. Over the next three years he became addicted to alcohol and opium and died in 1848.  Little is know about Emily.  She was educated at Clergy Daughters' School at age six for only six months and again for three months at a different school.  She started writing young and often collaborated with her sister Anne.  Emily wrote under the nom de plume Ellis Bell.  She died in 1848 at home.  The youngest sister Anne was born in 1820 and was just twenty months old when her mother died.  She wrote from a very early age like her sisters and served as a governess in two different houses from 1839 to 1845.  She hated the work and found it lonely.  Near the end of her life she published two novels.  The first in 1847 then the second in 1848.  She died in 1849 at Scarborough.