Record Number: 28806

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[A former pupil of Cowan Bridge School, Yorkshire (the model for 'Lowood' in Jane Eyre), to Charlotte Bronte's widower, Arthur Bell Nicholls:]

'On first reading Jane Eyre several years ago I recognised immediately the picture there drawn [of the school], and was far from considering it in any way exaggerated. In fact, I thought at the time, and still think the matter rather understated than otherwise [comments further on points of comparison between the real and fictional schools] [...] I had no knowledge of Mrs Nicholls [Bronte] personally, therefore my statement may fairly be considered an impartial one.'

Century:

1800-1849, 1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Oct 1847 and 6 Jun 1857

Country:

n/a

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Anon

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

n/a

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Charlotte Bronte

Title:

Jane Eyre

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

28806

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Thomas James Wise and John Alexander Symington

Title:

The Brontes: Their Lives, Friendships and Correspondence

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

2:4

Page:

302-303

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Thomas James Wise and John Alexander Symington (ed.), The Brontes: Their Lives, Friendships and Correspondence, (Oxford, 1980), 2:4, p. 302-303, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=28806, accessed: 26 April 2024

---

Additional Comments:

Reader's letter reproduced by Nicholls in his letter of 6 June 1857 to the Editor of the Halifax Guardian, defending Bronte's representation of Cowan Bridge/Lowood against attacks by surviving members of the family who had run the real-life school.