Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) was an English novelist and poet, and the eldest of the three Brontë sisters. Her experiences in boarding schools, as a governess and a teacher eventually became the basis of her novels. Under pseudonyms the sisters published their first novels; Charlotte's first published novel, Jane Eyre(1847), written under a non de plume, was an immediate literary success. During the writing of her second novel all of her siblings died. With the publication of Shirley (1849) her true identity as an author was revealed. She completed three novels in her lifetime and over 200 poems.

Charlotte Brontë's Shirley (1849), set against the historical backdrop the Napoleonic era, brilliantly combines political commentary with a breathtaking story of love and friendship. The relationship between the eponymous heroine of the novel, and the shy and penniless Caroline is one of literatures great elucidations into the plight of nineteenth century women and gender binaries.