No promised heaven, these wild desires

Could all, or half fulfil;

– Emily Brontë, “The Philosopher”

Bronte Studies invites new and original essays of no more than 7,500 words responding to the theme of “The Brontes and the Wild,” which inspired the Bronte Parsonage Museum’s 2023 programme of events and activities and the Bronte Society’s conference.

The Brontes’ intimate knowledge of the wild, natural world surrounding their moorland home – and their ability to capture that world in word and image – has captivated biographers, scholars, critics and readers from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Yet, the Brontes’ engagement with the concept of “the wild” encompasses more than representations of landscape and weather. Intense and uncontrollable emotional and imaginative states; insubordinate, untameable characters; and meditations on discipline, law and religion demonstrate the Brontes’ capacious understanding of what might be encompassed by “the wild.”

Bronte Studies solicits new scholarship that explores and expands understandings of the Brontes' relationship with "the wild." In what ways are the terms "wildness" or "the wild" configured in relation to the Brontes' lives, works and afterlives? We particularly welcome submissions on understudied topics, texts, materials and themes in the Brontes' lives and works, including, but not limited to:

• Ecology, botany, geology, ornithology
• Victorian interests in natural history
• Weather
• Animals
• Real and imagined natural worlds
• Climate and climate change
• Travel and tourism
• Race and imperialism
• Society and civilisation

We are especially interested in submissions from underrepresented groups.

Please submit articles of no more than 7,500 words via the journal’s submission portal by 31 May 2024, ensuring that you tick the appropriate box to mark it as a submission for 'The Brontës and the Wild' special issue. All articles should adhere closely to the journal’s ‘Instructions for Authors’ guidance and follow the Chicago Manual of Style's author-date system. As per the journal’s policy, all articles will be subject to double-blind peer review. The Special Issue will be published in 2025 and will be guest edited by Dr Amber Pouliot. If you have any questions about any of the above, please direct them via email to brontestudies@bronte.org.uk.