rontë Studies invites new and original essays of no more than 7,500 words responding to the theme of "The Brontës and the Wild," which inspired the Brontë Parsonage Museum's 2023 programme of events and activities and the Brontë Society's conference.
The Brontës' intimate knowledge of the wild, natural world surrounding their moorland home—and their ability to capture that world in word and image—has captivated biographers, scholars, critics and readers from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Yet, the Brontës' engagement with the concept of "the wild" encompasses more than representations of landscape and weather. Intense and uncontrollable emotional and imaginative states; insubordinate, untameable characters; and meditations on discipline, law and religion demonstrate the Brontës' capacious understanding of what might be encompassed by "the wild."
Brontë Studies solicits new scholarship that explores and expands understandings of the Brontës' relationship with "the wild." In what ways are the terms "wildness" or "the wild" configured in relation to the Brontës' lives, works and afterlives? We particularly welcome submissions to understudied topics, texts, materials and themes in the Brontës' lives and works, including, but not limited to:
- Ecology, botany, geology, ornithology
- Victorian interests in natural history
- Weather
- Animals
- Real and imagined natural worlds
- Climate and climate change
- Travel and tourism
- Race and imperialism
- Society and civilisation
We are especially interested in submissions from underrepresented groups.
Please submit articles of no more than 7,500 words via the journal's submission portal by 31 May 2024, ensuring that you tick the appropriate box to mark it as a submission for "The Brontës and the Wild" special issue. All articles should adhere closely to the journal's Instructions for Authors guidance and follow the Chicago Manual of Style's author-date system. As per the journal's policy, all articles will be subject to double-blind peer review. The Special Issue will be published in 2025 and will be guest-edited by Dr Amber Pouliot. If you have any questions about any of the above, please direct them via email to brontestudies@bronte.org.uk.
Created 2 January 2024
Last modified 7 January 2024