Shirley

Summary

Shirley is Charlotte Brontë's social novel of Yorkshire in 1811-12, during the Napoleonic Wars, when trade blockades caused unemployment and Luddite workers smashed new machinery. Its narrator promises at the outset 'something real, cool, and solid', and begins with a comic portrait of three young curates. The central figure is Robert Moore, a half-Belgian mill owner at Hollow's Mill who is determined to install new frames despite the threats of unemployed workers. His cousin Caroline Helstone, a quiet, thoughtful girl living with her uncle, the stern rector Mr. Helstone, loves him, but Robert, burdened with debt, keeps his distance. Caroline, without purpose or prospects, begins to waste away, reflecting on the narrow lives of unmarried women. Then the heiress Shirley Keeldar arrives, a high-spirited, independent young woman who owns the mill and its land and calls herself 'Captain Keeldar'. Shirley and Caroline become close friends. The mill is attacked by rioters, and Robert defends it with soldiers; Shirley and Caroline watch from a distance. Robert, needing money, proposes to Shirley, who scornfully refuses because he does not love her. Caroline falls seriously ill and is nursed by Mrs. Pryor, Shirley's former governess, who reveals she is Caroline's mother, separated from her by a cruel husband; this restores Caroline to life. Robert is shot by a disturbed worker and slowly recovers, humbled. Shirley, meanwhile, loves Robert's brother Louis, a poor tutor once employed by her family, and after much pride on both sides they become engaged. When the Orders in Council are repealed in 1812, trade revives, Robert's fortunes improve, and he finally proposes to Caroline. The novel ends with a double wedding. Written after the deaths of her brother Branwell and sisters Emily and Anne, Shirley is partly a portrait of Emily in Shirley's independence. It treats the questions of work for women, industrial conflict and true charity alongside its love stories.

Top Lessons

• Work for women

  Caroline longs for meaningful occupation; the novel argues for women's useful work.

• Industry and charity

  Robert must learn that workers are people, not obstacles.

• Pride in love

  Shirley and Louis are separated by pride and rank.

Verified Quotes

Medical Lens

Caroline's wasting illness and despair, and Robert's gunshot recovery, are described in detail.

• Vol. II, Ch. 24

  Caroline's illness and slow recovery.

• Vol. III, Ch. 30

  Robert recovers from a gunshot wound.