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Emily Bronte Facts & Worksheets

Emily Bronte is one of the three famous Bronte sisters. She is an English novelist and poet known for her masterwork the “Wuthering Heights” under the pen name Ellis Bell.

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Emily Bronte is one of the three famous Bronte sisters. She is an English novelist and poet known for her masterwork “Wuthering Heights” under the pen name Ellis Bell, and her work is now considered one of the English classics.

See the fact file below for more information on Emily Bronte or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Introducing Emily Jane Brontë

  • Emily Jane Brontë was born on 30 July 1818 in Thornton, West Yorkshire, England.
  • Her father, Patrick Brontë, was an Irish-born Anglican clergyman born in 1777 and died in 1861. 
  • Patrick married Maria Branwell in December 1812, and together they had six children, five daughters, and one son.
  • Emily was the second youngest child. Her older siblings were Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Bramwell, and her younger sibling was Anne.
  • Emily was perhaps the most talented of the three Brontë sisters and published under the pseudonym/pen name Ellis Bell.
  • She is renowned in English literature despite only having one book, Wuthering Heights, published.
  • Emily died 19 December 1848, aged 30.

Emily’s Early Life

  • Emily was born in 1818 in Thornton, West Yorkshire, where her father was a curate with the United Church of England and Ireland.
  • In 1920, when Emily was two, her father was offered a new curacy and moved his family to Haworth, in the Yorkshire moors.
  • In September 1821, when Emily was only three years old, her mother died of cancer.
  • Her two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, both died shortly after.
  • Emily’s mother’s sister, Elizabeth Branwell, left her home in Cornwall to move in with the family to assist Patrick with the children’s upbringing.
  • All the children were educated at home during their early life except for the one year Emily and Charlotte spent at the Clergy Daughters School at Cowan Bridge.
  • Despite the lack of formal education, Emily and her siblings were well read, having access to a wide range of published material, including Byron, Shelley, and Sir Walter Scott.
  • Emily was described as a shy girl, very close to her siblings, and a great animal lover.
  • She was also a loner who loved being out in nature by herself.
  • She was also already writing fiction and poetry at a young age. In 1831 twelve-year-old Emily and her younger sister Anne created an imaginary/fictional North Pacific island named Gondal, which they penned about copiously.
  • In 1835, when Charlotte secured a teaching position at a school at Roe Head, Emily, then aged 17, accompanied her sister to be a pupil at the school. She only remained there for three months as she was very homesick and returned home.
  • In 1838, aged 20, Emily went to be a teacher in a school at Law Hill. She was not a healthy person and the days were long and tiring. She resigned after six months due to exhaustion and again returned home.
  • In 1842 Emily and her sister Charlotte went to the Pension Héger in Brussels to learn foreign languages and school management. Charlotte intended to open a school back home.
  • By now, Emily was fluent in German and French and was also a competent pianist, and it was suggested that she stay on at Pension Héger and teach music.
  • Unfortunately, when her aunt died, Emily felt the need to return to Haworth in October 1842.
  • Charlotte and Emily attempted to open a school in their house in 1844 but failed as they could not attract students to their remote abode.

Emily’s Short Adult Life

  • In 1844, Emily Brontë began two new notebooks. In one, she meticulously copied out the 45 poems relating to her imaginary world Gonda. The second notebook contained all her non-Gondal poems. 
  • In 1845 Charlotte came across these notebooks, and it came to light that all three sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, wrote verse/poetry.
  • A year later, they jointly published the book Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell.
  • All three sisters used pseudonyms (fictitious names), as female authors were not held in high regard in that era.
  • The book contained 21 of Emily’s poems, 21 of Anne’s, and 19 of Charlotte’s. The venture cost the sisters the princely sum of £50 and disappointingly only sold two copies.
  • In 1847 Emily’s Wuthering Heights and her sister Anne’s Agnes Grey were published shortly after Charlotte’s Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre was the most successful of the three.
  • Emily has been ill for some time, and soon after the publication, her health began to decline rapidly.
  • She died of tuberculosis in December 1848.
  • Sadly Wuthering Heights was only recognized as one of the finest novels in the English language a long time after her death.

Emily’s Death and Legacy

  • Emily died of tuberculosis on 19 December 1848.
  • Her brother Branwell had died shortly before in September 1848, and her sister Anne died the following May (1849), both also from tuberculosis.
  • Today, the Bronte Society operates a museum to preserve the works of the three Bronte sisters.
  • Critics say that Emily’s writing was influenced by her environment. Her life was spent in solitude without any close friends. She enjoyed being outdoors, neither meeting with nor talking to people. 
  • Some contemporary critics consider Emily the best writer among the Bronte sisters even though Charlotte’s book Jane Eyre was successful before her book Wuthering Heights. 
  • Wuthering Heights has been described as “a highly imaginative work of passion and hate set on the Yorkshire moors”. 
  • Sadly Emily Brontë never knew the extent of fame she achieved with her only novel, as she died only a year after its publication, at the young age of 30.

Emily Bronte Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Emily Bronte Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about one of the world’s most renowned writers. Emily Bronte has authored many of today’s literary classics including Wuthering Heights and many other beloved poems and proses.

Download includes the following worksheets

  • Emily Bronte Facts
  • Call Me Ellis Bell
  • The Bronte Sisters
  • Literary Glossary
  • Who Wrote What
  • Emily Timeline
  • Quotable Lines
  • English Contemporaries
  • Wuthering Heights Analysis
  • Critics Say
  • Poem for Emily

Frequently Asked Questions

How long did it take Emily Brontë to write Wuthering Heights?

It is believed that Emily wrote Wuthering Heights in about one year, starting it in December 1845 and completing it the following year. However, it was not printed until December 1847.

Why is Wuthering Heights considered a classic?

Wuthering Heights is considered a classic because it gives an honest and accurate portrayal of life in that era, providing a truthful glimpse of history. It was originally considered controversial because it covered topics of domestic, mental, and physical abuse and raised questions about religious and moral values. At the same time, the writing was categorized as quality literature.

Why did Emily Brontë use a pen name?

Emily Brontë chose to write under a pseudonym/pen name for several reasons. One reason was that female authors were not taken seriously back then, and she wanted her publication to be accepted without bias. Another reason was to avoid attention and publicity as she was a shy individual.   

Is Wuthering Heights a difficult read?

Wuthering Heights is considered beautifully written and suitable from level Grade 6 upwards. The poetic language is considered complicated, and the characters complex. The dramatic story is set in the Victorian era and covers social class, turbulent and passionate relationships, tragic romance, and doomed love.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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