Shirley is a novel published in 1849 by the English novelist Charlotte Bronte. Her second novel after publishing Jane Eyre, the story popularized a previously only male name into a female one; since the name "Shirley" reflected the title of a book by a female author and about female characters, it took effect on society. The book takes place in Yorkshire, England, and focuses on uprising that occurred during the time, especially those relating to the textile industry. While writing the novel, all three of her siblings died from natural causes within one year.
Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816 as a poor daughter to a clergyman. She often went by the pen name Currer Bell; it is unsure exactly why, but it was likely because she was a woman and would not be as respected for her work if people knew this. Her first novel was Jane Eyre, but Bronte wrote a manuscript before that, titled The Professor. The work did not secure a publisher. Throughout her life and history, Charlotte Bronte has been deemed one of the greatest female writers of that time in Britain.
