An edition of Shirley (1800)

Shirley (Annotated)

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Shirley (Annotated)
Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte B ...
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  • 4.3 (6 ratings) ·
  • 70 Want to read
  • 5 Currently reading
  • 8 Have read

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Last edited by bitnapper
October 8, 2023 | History
An edition of Shirley (1800)

Shirley (Annotated)

  • 4.3 (6 ratings) ·
  • 70 Want to read
  • 5 Currently reading
  • 8 Have read

Shirley, published in 1849, was Charlotte Brontë’s second novel after Jane Eyre. Published under her pseudonym of “Currer Bell,” it differs in several respects from that earlier work. It is written in the third person with an omniscient narrator, rather than the first-person of Jane Eyre, and incorporates the themes of industrial change and the plight of unemployed workers. It also features strong pleas for the recognition of women’s intellect and right to their independence of thought and action.

Set in the West Riding of Yorkshire during the Napoleonic period of the early 19th Century, the novel describes the confrontations between textile manufacturers and organized groups of workers protesting the introduction of mechanical looms. Three characters stand out: Robert Moore, a mill-owner determined to introduce modern methods despite sometimes violent opposition; his young cousin Caroline Helstone, who falls deeply in love with Robert; and Shirley Keeldar, a rich heiress who comes to live in the estate of Fieldhead, on whose land Robert’s mill stands. Robert’s business is in trouble, not so much because of the protests of the workers but because of a government decree which prevents him selling his finished cloth overseas during the duration of the war with Napoleon. He receives a loan from Miss Keeldar, and her interest in him seems to be becoming a romantic one, much to the distress of Caroline, who pines away for lack of any sign of affection from Robert.

Shirley Keeldar is a remarkable female character for the time: strong, very independent-minded, dismissive of much of the standard rules of society, and determined to decide on her own future. Interestingly, up to this point, the name “Shirley” was almost entirely a male name; Shirley’s parents had hoped for a boy. Such was the success of Brontë’s novel, however, that it became increasingly popular as a female name and is now almost exclusively so.

Although never as popular or successful as the more classically romantic Jane Eyre, Shirley is nevertheless now highly regarded by critics.

Publish Date

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Shirley (Annotated)
Shirley (Annotated)
2021-07-04, Independently published
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
2020, Standard Ebooks
in English
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
2014, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
in English
Cover of: Shirley (Oxford World's Classics)
Shirley (Oxford World's Classics)
February 19, 2007, Oxford University Press, USA
in English
Cover of: Shirley (Wordsworth Classics) (Wordsworth Collection)
Shirley (Wordsworth Classics) (Wordsworth Collection)
April 1, 1998, Wordsworth Editions Ltd
Paperback in English
Cover of: Shirley (Penguin Popular Classics)
Shirley (Penguin Popular Classics)
February 24, 1994, Penguin Books Ltd
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
1905, John Grant
in English - Thornton ed.
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
1900, Harper & brothers
in English
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
1895, Smith, Elder, & Co.
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
1882, Smith, Elder & Co.
in English
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
Publish date unknown, Thomas Y. Crowell & company
in English
Cover of: Shirley
Shirley
Publisher unknown
pocket book

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Book Details


ID Numbers

Open Library
OL43097153M
Amazon ID (ASIN)
B098G94XB4
Better World Books
BWBM51138336

Source records

Promise Item

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
October 8, 2023 Edited by bitnapper Merge works (MRID: 86612)
September 16, 2023 Edited by Lisa merge authors
September 8, 2023 Edited by bitnapper merge authors
December 7, 2022 Created by ImportBot Imported from Promise Item