In search of the mythical images of Yorkshire: the poetry of the Brontë sisters in the literary tourism of Haworth

Abstract

One of the sites of cultural pilgrimage most paradoxically popular in both England and the United Kingdom is Haworth, a small village located in the relatively isolated and inhospitable windy moors of Yorkshire, apart from the usual haunts of the so-called 'literary tourist'. The strange phenomenon of the huge popularity achieved by the Brontë family (father and brother also wrote) has been addressed in several studies that examine both the impact of their works and the 'mythologizing' process that occurred shortly after Charlotte's death in 1855. Matthew Arnold dedicated his elegy entitled "Haworth Churchyard" to them, Elizabeth Gaskell wrote a famous literary biography of Charlotte, and most recently Lucasta Miller digressed about The Brontë Myth. In particular, the many places and regions mentioned in their novels, although mostly fictional, have been explored extensively by critics. However, few studies have investigated the specific impact that the poetry written by the three sisters had not only in this long process of ‘mythification’ but also in creating a powerful imagery associated with the real spaces that were inhabited and impregnated by them. Our purpose is thus to demonstrate that the images, memories, emotions and descriptions relating to these spaces that are present in their poems are instrumental not only in the construction of this mythical process but also, and especially, in their potential transformation into a high quality touristic product.