9. June 2026 19:00
Andrew Stodolny
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronté form a remarkable English literary family. Daughters of a Yorkshire country parson, they overcame significant odds to become published authors. Building on the extraordinary talent they had developed as children, they seized control of their own destiny at a time when most women faced restricted lives predetermined by partriarchal societal expectations and lack of financial agency. In 1837 the Poet Laureate, Robert Southey, told Charlotte that „literature can never be the business of a woman“. All three of them defied this forecast and left behind a remarkable cultural legacy. Charlotte’s Jane Eyre was an overnight sensation when it was published in 1847 and remains much loved by readers today. Emily’s Wuthering Heights (1847) is one of the most iconic novels in English literature; it shocked contemporary critics and remains controversial to this day. In her later novels Charlotte perceptively addressed the treatment and status of women in Shirley (1849) while in Villette (1853) she provided a window into inner consciousness, seen by some as a precursor to James Joyce’s Ulisses. Anne’s Agnes Grey (1847) gives social historians a valuable insight into the experiences of a governess. Her second novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hallis considered by many critics to be the first sustained feminist novel. All three composed poetry, Emily being truly brilliant, drawing significant inspiration for her work from German literature. This lecture will examine how the Brontes‘ lives, personalities and experiences influenced their works, and the significance of where they lived and wrote, the village of Haworth, on the edge of the West Yorkshire Moors.
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After the talk you are invited to a drink !
On leaving school 
Andrew Stodolny was awarded an Exhibition scholarship to read Modern History at Oriel College Oxford.
After graduating, he studied Education at the University of Exeter and entered the teaching profession. He taught in secondary schools in Devon and London before spending most of his career at Leeds Grammar School, a leading boys‘ independent school, which has now merged with Leeds Girls High School to form the Grammar School at Leeds. He specialised in 19th century British and European History in the first part of his career, before becoming Head of Government and Politics. His extracurricular activities included running the Model United Nations Society, resulting in regular trips with his students to Hamburg, to participate in an annual conference for schools. On retiring from his main career, his fascination with the Brontes and their works led him to volunteering at the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth before joining the staff as an educator. He currently organises and presents talks and guided walks about the Brontes to visiting school, university and adult groups and conducts private tours of the house. He specialises in researching and presenting on the life and works of Anne Bronte. However, his work covers the lives and works of all three sisters and includes occasional comparative talks with the Elizabeth Gaskell House Museum in Manchester.
Register
Note: By registering and participating in this event, you consent to the recording of your appearance and / or your voice, to be published by the German-British Society in photos, videos and accompanying sound recordings via any media and for any purpose.
9. June 2026 19:00
Andrew Stodolny
Venue
Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus
Bismarckstr. 90
40210 Düsseldorf
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronté form a remarkable English literary family. Daughters of a Yorkshire country parson, they overcame significant odds to become published authors. Building on the extraordinary talent they had developed as children, they seized control of their own destiny at a time when most women faced restricted lives predetermined by partriarchal societal expectations and lack of financial agency. In 1837 the Poet Laureate, Robert Southey, told Charlotte that „literature can never be the business of a woman“. All three of them defied this forecast and left behind a remarkable cultural legacy. Charlotte’s Jane Eyre was an overnight sensation when it was published in 1847 and remains much loved by readers today. Emily’s Wuthering Heights (1847) is one of the most iconic novels in English literature; it shocked contemporary critics and remains controversial to this day. In her later novels Charlotte perceptively addressed the treatment and status of women in Shirley (1849) while in Villette (1853) she provided a window into inner consciousness, seen by some as a precursor to James Joyce’s Ulisses. Anne’s Agnes Grey (1847) gives social historians a valuable insight into the experiences of a governess. Her second novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hallis considered by many critics to be the first sustained feminist novel. All three composed poetry, Emily being truly brilliant, drawing significant inspiration for her work from German literature. This lecture will examine how the Brontes‘ lives, personalities and experiences influenced their works, and the significance of where they lived and wrote, the village of Haworth, on the edge of the West Yorkshire Moors.
******
After the talk you are invited to a drink !
On leaving school
Andrew Stodolny was awarded an Exhibition scholarship to read Modern History at Oriel College Oxford.
After graduating, he studied Education at the University of Exeter and entered the teaching profession. He taught in secondary schools in Devon and London before spending most of his career at Leeds Grammar School, a leading boys‘ independent school, which has now merged with Leeds Girls High School to form the Grammar School at Leeds. He specialised in 19th century British and European History in the first part of his career, before becoming Head of Government and Politics. His extracurricular activities included running the Model United Nations Society, resulting in regular trips with his students to Hamburg, to participate in an annual conference for schools. On retiring from his main career, his fascination with the Brontes and their works led him to volunteering at the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth before joining the staff as an educator. He currently organises and presents talks and guided walks about the Brontes to visiting school, university and adult groups and conducts private tours of the house. He specialises in researching and presenting on the life and works of Anne Bronte. However, his work covers the lives and works of all three sisters and includes occasional comparative talks with the Elizabeth Gaskell House Museum in Manchester.
Register
Note: By registering and participating in this event, you consent to the recording of your appearance and / or your voice, to be published by the German-British Society in photos, videos and accompanying sound recordings via any media and for any purpose.