It is a fact that the Brontës loved animals and that the family always had pets in their home, especially dogs. I am a dog lover as well. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that someone had gone to the trouble of writing a book of more than 340 pages dedicated to the Brontë family dogs.
The book in question is “Grasper, Keeper and Flossy – The Brontë Family Dogs in Fact and in Fiction” by Jane Sunderland.
I saw that the book was for sale in the small shop at the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton, and, as I said, being a dog lover, I bought it, as I was curious to know what it would entail. The book was first published in 2024, but it was the first time that I had seen it. It was mentioned on the Brontëblog (I now discovered) which I regularly read, but for some unexplained reason it had escaped my attention.
I also found out that a review had been written by Michael Stewart, so I can only refer to and recommend his excellent article on this book published in Brontë Studies in early 2025. Members of the U.K. Brontë Society have easy access to Brontë Studies through their membership.
If you know the Brontë story, you will certainly have heard of the family dogs Grasper, Flossy and Keeper; and you will perhaps have an idea of what they looked like, as Emily has painted all of them. The dogs are part of the Brontë story and seemed to be important in their lives.
Brontë biographies mention, for example, the special bond that Emily had with her big dog Keeper. These dogs are at the center of Sunderland’s book. But it goes even further as the author also tries to establish the influence of these real dogs on the fictional dogs mentioned in the novels of the Brontës, including their influence on the plots of the novels, the characterizations in the books and possible metaphors.
Sunderland mentions seven sources and types of evidence used when writing her book:
1) The Brontës’ artwork: paintings, drawings and sketches – these give us an idea of how the Brontë dogs looked. But there are many sketches and paintings of other (unnamed) dogs as well – the Brontës were very talented in this field.
2) The Brontë letters, diary papers and other primary written material in which the dogs are mentioned or shown.
3) Written material by other persons who have known the Brontës and met the dogs – by Charlotte’s best friend from Roe Head School, Ellen Nussey, in her reminiscences and letters; by Charlotte’s first biographer, Elizabeth Gaskell, in her 1857 Life of Charlotte Brontë; and also by John Stores Smith, a random visitor at the Parsonage in his 1850 Personal reminiscences; a day with Charlotte Brontë, which includes a description of the old Keeper.
4) Written accounts by writers who had not met any of the Brontë family members but who had talked to people who had known them (and who mention the dogs!) – mainly early biographies such as by Marion Harland on Charlotte and by Mary Robinson on Emily.
5) Brontë dog artifacts: objects associated with the Brontë dogs such as the dog collars.
6) Two key secondary sources, used by the author as they were “valuable for their informative, detailed, trusted, verified – and verifiable – insights into the lives of all the Brontë family members, an important backdrop to an understanding of the lives and different significances of the dogs” (to quote the author). These are: Juliet Barker’s The Brontës and Christine Alexander and Margaret Smith’s Oxford Companion to the Brontës.
7) The fictional dogs in the Brontë novels: these could provide indirect evidence of the actual dogs as there may be correspondences between certain fictional dogs and the real Brontë dogs (e.g. Keeper and its fictional counterpart Tartar in Shirley; Flossy and its fictional counterpart Snap in Agnes Grey). There are 20 named fictional dogs in the Brontë novels, at least one in each book, and many unnamed dogs.
“Grasper, Keeper and Flossy” contains four separate parts:
Part A: The family dogs and the fictional dogs This part gives an introduction to the real Brontë family dogs and what we know from the Brontë evidence (paintings, sketches, letters, the novels, etc.). Sunderland also gives a more general historical picture of family dogs as companions, the relationship with their owners and their place in the home in the 19th century in contrast to working dogs. In Brontë times, dogs were not always seen as domestic companions in the home and were usually kept outside. But there was a change in attitude (be it perhaps more class related) as for instance Queen Victoria also kept dogs as companions. We do not know whether the Brontës kept a family dog in their home prior to moving to the Haworth Parsonage. There seems to be no evidence that there was a dog in Thornton. The first dog known as a Brontë family dog was Grasper (thought to be a terrier dog), then came Keeper (Emily’s big mastiff-like dog) and then Flossy (a spaniel). Flossy was probably given to Anne as a present by the Robinson girls for whom she was a governess at Thorp Green Hall. Sunderland showed that Patrick Brontë paid dog taxes, citing records of these payments. The dogs in the Brontë novels may be inspired by the real Brontë pets Keeper and Flossy and could be their counterparts in terms of breed, appearance or behaviour.
Part B: What we know about Grasper, Keeper and Flossy This part examines in more detail the three known Brontë dogs mentioned in the title of the book: what we know about these dogs through artifacts, letters and other real evidence, where they came from, what they looked like, their breed, their life in Haworth, their special relationship with Brontë members (e.g. we know that Emily had a very special bond with her dog Keeper who was her constant companion), and their deaths. Moreover, especially for Keeper and Flossy, Sunderland examines how these dogs influenced the fictional dogs in the novels. A very good example of this is the influence of Keeper on the dog Tartar in Shirley. But also in other novels inspired traces of both Keeper and Flossy can be found.
Part C: The family dogs literary contributions to the Brontë fiction This part deals with the literary contributions of Keeper (in Shirley and The Professor) and of Flossy (in Villette, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) to specific named dogs in the novels mentioned. There is also a special chapter on the working dogs and pet dogs in Wuthering Heights. This part is perhaps more speculative but tries to establish how the Brontë dogs through their fictional counterparts seemed to have helped shape the Brontë novels in terms of plot, characterization and metaphor.
Part D: Interspecies Equivalences This part of the book discusses interspecies (i.e. animal-human) equivalencies in the Brontë novels, taking into consideration the real Brontë dogs (Grasper, Keeper and Flossy). This is done via separate sections such as interspecies identification, canine sentience, how dogs are talked to in the novels, the naming of the dogs (different categories: human names, transitive verb names, non-transitive names or other names), canine agency and mitigated canine cognition. A surprising but interesting chapter!
My conclusion: Before reading this book, I did not realize that there are so many dogs mentioned in all seven Brontë novels, be it named or unnamed. Wuthering Heights takes the lead. Emily’s book may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a fascinating take on the Brontë dogs (real and fictional) which many Brontë fans and dog lovers will certainly appreciate. I really loved it!
One thing is certain, though: knowing the Brontë dogs can be very handy for Brontë quizzes as there seems to be a question about the Brontë dogs – be it real or fictional – in nearly every Brontë quiz! Keep this in mind …
Marina Saegerman
No comments:
Post a Comment