Charlotte Brontë and Roman Catholicism

Abstract

The common perception of Charlotte Brontë's attitude to Roman Catholicism as one of suspicion and distrust, if not straightforward hostility, is superficial and reductive. The atmosphere of the Brontë household was in that respect one of tolerant indifference rather than outspoken criticism, and references in the juvenilia make Roman Catholicism seem exotic rather than dangerous. It was only the experience of her time in Belgium, reflected in The Professor and Villette, that helped Charlotte Brontë to develop a mature response to Roman Catholicism — one in which her overt hostility hides a sense of interest, attraction, and sometimes even fascination with things Catholic.