Born in Yorkshire, England, in April 1816, Charlotte Brontë was the third of the six children of Patrick and Maria Brontë .
The Professor, Charlotte's first manuscript, was not accepted by publishers. It was published posthumously in 1857. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography was published in October 1847, by Smith, Elder & Co. of London, under the pen name ' Currer Bell.'
Jane Eyre, with its depiction of feminism, achieved immediate success. But the publication of Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell (Emily) and Agnes Grey by Acton Bell (Anne) intensified the speculation about the identity and gender of the mysterious Currer Bell. It resulted in the critical reaction to her work. Shirley, her second novel, was published in 1849 and in 1853 appeared Villette, her fourth novel.
Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls in June 1854. She died in March 1855, aged thirty-eight, with her unborn child. She was buried in the family vault in the Church of St. Michael and All Angels at Haworth.