Shirley

Shirley is an orphan and heiress who longs to do something important with her life. She works to help the poor-and her friends-in economically depressed West Yorkshire at the time of the Luddite protests against the textile industry.

The eldest of the three Brontë sisters, Charlotte is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which was published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Brontë's works were revolutionary for their time, reflecting a truthfulness about love and relationships that was not common in Victorian-era England. While Jane Eyre was, and continues to be, her most popular work, Charlotte Brontë published numerous works during her short life, including juvenilia, poetry, and the novels Shirley and Villette. Charlotte Brontë died in 1855, outliving both of her sisters, Anne and Emily. Collectively, the Brontë sisters' novels are considered literary standards that continue to influence modern writers.