Books Quote by Mick Jackson
““She pops her head into a bare-looking kitchen and has a little wander round it. Here, she reads, Emily would sometimes make bread with her right hand while holding a book of German verse in her left. Well, OK, Yuki thinks, now you're talking. Because she applauds any woman who is unashamed of her intelligence. Also, what a great little trick. Over dinner last night the Elders were discussing Branwell, the dissolute Bronte brother, and someone mentioned a little party-piece he was said to have performed at the local pub in which he'd write a line of Latin with his right hand while writing the same thing in Greek with his left. So now Yuki's wondering if the Bronte kids weren't, in fact, exceptionally gifted linguists - or whether having your hands do different things simultaneously wasn't just about as wild an evening as you were likely to have back then. She heads up the stairs, where it's a little cooler - and more dismal, if that's possible - and stands on the landing, consulting her leaflet, where she learns that there were, in fact, another two Bronte girls, who died when they were still children. Two invisible, extra Brontes no one's ever heard of, since neither lived long enough to lift a pen. The first bedroom she enters, it seems, is where the mother passed away, knowing that all her children would have to go on, motherless. With just their crazy father to look after them. And this really is just about too much for poor Yukiko. She's tempted to throw herself onto the old bed and have a good long cry about it, and might have done so if she didn't suspect that the bed, bedroom floor and the entire Bronte house would likely to collapse around her, which would only mean her being dragged off to the local jailhouse, to be beaten about the body with copies of 'Wuthering Heights'.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Brontë House, 2023
A character reflects on the Brontë family's tragic history, their intellectual vigor, and the weight of legacy, feeling overwhelmed by the house’s oppressive atmosphere.
In simple terms: She feels crushed by family history and expectations.
Acknowledge past burdens but seek personal agency.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- visiting historic homes
- studying literary families
- dealing with personal loss
- creative writing
- psychological introspection
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does personal identity shape our perception of history?
- Can we honor legacy without being consumed by it?
The narrative dramatizes emotions, which may exaggerate actual historical facts.