‘Gross flattery’: The Search for the Worth of Words in Branwell Brontë’s 1837 Letter to William Wordsworth

Abstract

In 1837, shortly after Charlotte Brontë wrote to the Poet Laureate Robert Southey, Branwell Brontë sent a letter and sample of his poetry to William Wordsworth. The siblings were seeking patronage and approval for their poetry, as well as a readership beyond the confines of Haworth Parsonage. Although Southey replied to Charlotte, Branwell’s letter met with no response and Southey reported that Wordsworth was ‘disgusted’ by it. This essay analyses Branwell’s letter and the poem, in particular examining the influences that shaped the younger poet’s writing and which would have been clearly legible to Wordsworth. In particular, it focuses on the influence of James Hogg, a great literary hero of Branwell. Taking into consideration Wordsworth’s largely negative assessments of Hogg’s poetry, and also of his coarseness, it seeks to explore why Branwell’s writing provoked such a strong reaction.