November 2023 MBR The Literary Studies Shelf

The Literary Studies Shelf

Walking with Anne Bronte
Tim Whittome, Editor
Xlibris
https://www.xlibris.com/en
9781669878223, $50.99 Hardcover/$30.99 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Anne-Bront%C3%AB-Insights-Reflections/dp/1669878228

Walking with Anne Bronte is a literary exploration of reflections about the least known of the three Bronte sister writers. Tim Whittome compiles a literary tribute that cultivates a diverse approach to understanding and celebrating her life and messages, from personal reflections and poetry to academic insights. These are organized into sections so that readers can readily choose the type of biographical or literary inspection that is of particular interest (although the anthology operates as a unit, so to skip through without reading it in its entirety would be to do it a grave disservice).

As Tim Whittome states in his introduction, readers should not expect new revelations surrounding Anne's works, but a celebratory inspection of their ultimate impact. The writers who contribute these insights come from many walks of life and expertise; from Catherine Rayner (who has been involved with the Bronte Society for many years and is well known to Bronte scholars and members) to illustrator Christina Fishburne (who is active across social media sites dedicated to the Brontes, and has become very involved with the Crow Emporium Press in illustrating Bronte novels). The diversity of these perspectives and approaches to the Bronte sisters in general and Anne in particular lend a multifaceted feel to this survey of different themes in her writings.

Take Catherine Rayner's essay "Buried in Paradise," for example. Here, many myths about the family are explored, from descriptions of the times to insights into family dynamics and Anne's place in it: "These few snippets offer a rare glimpse into Anne's characteristics from her sibling's perspective. None of them appear to me as accurately defining Anne but are, instead, somewhat belittling and hurtful. Anne was at the rear of the pecking order and can be viewed, in outward appearance, as someone who could be easily molded into the person her family chose her to be." The footnoted references will please scholars interested in various interpretations of Anne's life and character.

In contrast is "Anne Bronte's Task: Living in a Postlapsarian World" by Anne Talvaz, which offers her personal connections to Anne Bronte's writings and world which influenced her twenties onward, when she was able to discern the difference between Anne's works and those of her more famous sisters Charlotte and Emily: "...it was not until I was in my early twenties that I began to fully appreciate Anne's tales of disillusionment and regeneration and reach the conclusion that, for all her youth, she was a writer for adults. And it was not until I was asked to write this essay that I realized that of all the Bronte siblings, she was the only one whose writing formed part of an ethical project."

Walking with Anne Bronte should be considered a foundation reference for any literary library including works by and about the Bronte sisters. Its wide-ranging articles, poems, and reflections also will pique the interest of reading groups and book clubs interested in Anne's works and how they resonate and are interpreted in modern times.

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