Branwell Brontë, the brother of the famous sisters, Charlotte, Anne and Emily, is often viewed as the black sheep of the family. While he may have been his father’s favourite, his literary reputation paled in comparison to his siblings, his various positions of employment ended in disgrace, and he was believed to have been an alcoholic and a laudanum addict. However, scholarship has shown that Branwell’s literary output was prolific and that his talents were by no means inferior to his sisters’. Some have even argued that Branwell’s work has been underestimated and that, in fact, he was the greatest talent of them all. Charlotte at the very least made her own bitterness public regarding her brother’s wasted potential.
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Citation: Van Der Meer, Carolyne. "Branwell Brontë". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 September 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=581, accessed 26 November 2024.]
