logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
50m 27s

The Brontës: everything you wanted to kn...

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode

From their remote Yorkshire parsonage, sisters Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë penned stories that would capture the imaginations of generations of readers. But how popular were books such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights at the time? How did childhood games influence their Brontës' later writing? And how close can we get to their individual personalities? Speaking to Lauren Good, Claire O'Callaghan explores the lives of the literary sisters – from their Yorkshire upbringings to their tragic ends.


The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Jul 8
Exploring the medieval world with Marco Polo
You may be familiar with the name of Marco Polo – the 13th-century Venetian merchant who travelled along the Silk Road, journeyed through Asia and spent time at the court of Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. Famously, he documented his experiences in a detailed account that has inspire ... Show More
44m 59s
Jul 7
The Mitford Sisters | 1 : life of the week
For much of the 20th century, six sisters from Britain’s minor aristocracy had a knack for making headline after scandalous headline. They were Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah Mitford. Now, the sisters' incredible shared story has been adapted into a TV drama cal ... Show More
49m 28s
Jul 6
Beyond the trenches: a new take on WW1
When you think of the First World War, what springs to mind? Is it trench warfare? The myth that troops would be home by Christmas? Or perhaps the idea that the whole thing began because of the assassination of an Austro-Hungarian archduke? In this episode, we’re going beyond the ... Show More
44m 12s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
The Real Anne Boleyn: Sex, Scandal & Betrayal
Anne Boleyn was smart, sophisticated and had SO much charisma. She kept Henry VIII waiting for SEVEN YEARS before they finally got together, and even then it was on her terms. So where did it all go wrong for Anne Boleyn? Were any of the wild accusations made against her true? An ... Show More
50m 56s
Jun 10
What Did Jane Austen Know About Sex?
She wrote some of the most enduring romances in literature. But what did Jane Austen really know about love ... and sex?From longing looks and flirtation, to seduction and elopement, in this episode we're investigating how much of Jane Austen's works was based on experience.Kate ... Show More
48m 56s
Nov 2024
Anne Boleyn | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
How did Anne Boleyn go from being a commoner to being the Queen of England? As soon as she arrived in the Tudor court she stood out from the other beautiful women who were throwing themselves at Henry VIII, but made him wait for seven years before they eventually got together. In ... Show More
41m 17s
Aug 2024
Life Lessons From Historical Women
When women's stories aren't being flat-out ignored from the history books, they can often be sidelined. Well not here! Joining Kate today is the comedian and author of Life Lessons from Historical Women, Eleanor Morton, to share some of her favourite stories of inspirational wome ... Show More
35m 48s
Mar 2021
Stephanie Russo, "The Afterlife of Anne Boleyn: Representations of Anne Boleyn in Fiction and on the Screen" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020)
In the centuries since her execution in 1536, Anne Boleyn’s presence in Western culture has grown to extraordinary proportions. In The Afterlife of Anne Boleyn: Representations of Anne Boleyn in Fiction and on the Screen (Palgrave Macmillan), Stephanie Russo describes the various ... Show More
50m 2s
May 16
What Made You Ugly In Tudor Times?
Why did royalty have worse teeth than commoners? How would the Tudor court have smelt? And when even the Queen of England can be accused of being a witch for a random mole, what hope did the rest of us have?In this new mini-series, we'll be exploring the beauty standards - and id ... Show More
45m 3s
Dec 2024
Catherine Howard | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
Henry VIII called her his 'rose without a thorn', but the teenage Catherine Howard was to fall out of favour less than 18 months after becoming Queen of England. Out of all of Henry's wives it could be argued that the young queen, who was a cousin of Anne Boleyn, is most deservin ... Show More
37m 38s
Jun 23
Shakespeare's Family: New Discoveries
Did the women in Shakespeare’s life—his wife, sister, and daughters—shape his story more than we realise? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Matthew Steggle to hear how new digital tools and rediscovered manuscripts uncover surprising evidence about Shakespeare’s family ... Show More
40m 48s
Nov 2023
562 Literature Later in Life (with Myron Tuman)
Jacke starts the show with a listener email and a look at Emily Dickinson's Poem #238 ("How many times these low feet staggered - "). THEN author Myron Tuman (The Stuttering Son in Literature and Psychology: Boys and Their Fathers, Don Juan and His Daughter: The Incestuous Lover ... Show More
1h 3m
Dec 2024
How Did People Smell in Medieval Times?
Accessing stories from the past can be difficult, but how do we access smells from the past? In today's episode, Kate is joined by Eleanor Jackson, curator of a new British Library exhibition, Mediaeval Women In Their Own Words, which features original texts about, and by, women ... Show More
44m 17s