Gay Longbottom | The Brontës: Landscape, Nature and the Unnatural

The Brontës shared a love of nature and long walks in wild, Gothic wind-blown spaces, of the Yorkshire moorland scenery.

Inspired by Romanticism, they wrote about nature's power and its connection with the imagination. Yet, for the Brontës, nature is not always tranquil and benevolent, but also representative of wild, stormy moods.

This course on nature and the unnatural in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall will examine characters connected to landscape, extreme states and experiences, and nature as a mysterious and supernatural force.

About Gay

After a lengthy career teaching English, Social Studies, and ESOL in secondary schools in Christchurch, as well as Speech and Drama and Public Speaking in her private studio, Gay now focuses on teaching communication skills to students in schools as an itinerant teacher. She also offers lessons to adults in her home studio in picturesque Picton. Additionally, Gay serves as an Examiner for Speech NZ.