Our last week in class was absolutely amazing! I've been taking a course on English literature and the Bronte sisters, so naturally it's been extremely interesting. The University of Leeds has an amazing Special Collections of ancient texts: we got to view several 18th century books in the Country Houses class, but this week were able to see some mind-blowing Victorian pieces. I was freaking out because there were letters from Oscar Wilde, Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens, as well as miniature, hand-written books by Branwell and Emily Bronte and the crown jewel of the Brotherton Library at Leeds, the first edition of Shakespeare's complete works. Needless to say, I was in awe.
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| Letter from Oscar Wilde |
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| 1st edition of Shakespeare's plays |
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| Branwell Bronte's miniature books |
On Friday, we took a day trip to Haworth, the village where the Brontes lived and wrote their timeless novels. Their father's parsonage is now a museum run by the Bronte Society and displays their furniture, clothing, drawings, etc. It was so neat to get to walk around the house and see where and how they lived. Jane Eyre is my favorite book, so I was very grateful to be in the same rooms as Charlotte when she wrote it. It's opportunities like this that make me value studying abroad so much: you are able to stand where they stood and soak in all the wonder. We also got to eat some delicious (and cheap) fish and chips, and then we walked around the very charming village, goofing off and making the most of our last day of class.
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| Haworth crossing |
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| The cutest local, Oscar! |
If you've ever read Wuthering Heights, you know that the moors play a huge part in the story. When Emily Bronte wrote the novel, she was inspired by her home, so we took a hike up the moors to see exactly what she meant. It was absolutely breathtaking, both literally and metaphorically: the hike was quite tiring, but it was so worth it because the views were unmatched. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day, and to be out on the moors was truly a blessing. I had such a lovely time taking in the amazing views and being with my friends and wonderful teacher, Alice: it was a glorious day to say the least.
Thanks and gig 'em,
Rachel
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