The Janes

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Charlotte Bronte disliked Jane Austen. She considered her devoid of the "grand passion" that is the fuel of characters like Mr. Rochester, Jane Eyre and herself. While Austen delighted in the merry making and the jovial mingling in Regency soirees, Bronte hid behind a curtain to eavesdrop and not partake in the gatherings organized by her handsome editor George Smith. Perhaps after her experience with "The Professor" she realized that some things were better kept locked in attics. Bronte's passion channeled into the writing of fiction, her comfort zone the isolation of the moors. No creaking door or gossip for dinner. As her friend Elizabeth Gaskell portrayed in her novel "North and South", about industrial England, geography has a huge impact on character, even fictional characters. It seems to be that a rugged terrain produces rugged, convoluted souls that care not for a ball at Netherfield Park.