Currer Bell

Charlotte Brontë sidestepped the soft misogyny of the male-dominated publishing industry by first submitting the novel "Jane Eyre" under the pen name Currer Bell, though critics and readers were astounded at the feminine empathy of the novel's alleged gentleman author, according to Joyce Carol Oates in her essay "Pseudonymous Selves."

Is the pen name mightier than the sword, or just a modern writer's flimsy foil? Tawny Tipples* 2010

"Currer Bell," as under any other, more or less euphonious.

Famous Reviews R. Brimley Johnson 1899

They did not care for her in the least as "Currer Bell," but had known and loved her for years as Charlotte Bronte.

Life of Charlotte Bronte — Volume 2 Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell 1837

I seem to dread the advertisements -- the large-lettered 'Currer Bell's New Novel,' or 'New Work, by the

Life of Charlotte Bronte — Volume 2 Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell 1837

'Currer Bell' to be a man; they would be more just to him.

Life of Charlotte Bronte — Volume 2 Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell 1837

* The Poems of Ellis, Acton, and Currer Bell was published and advertised at the sisters' own expense and sold only two copies.

Nava Atlas: Based Upon the Book: An Interview with Charlotte Brontë Nava Atlas 2011

* The Poems of Ellis, Acton, and Currer Bell was published and advertised at the sisters' own expense and sold only two copies.

Nava Atlas: Based Upon the Book: An Interview with Charlotte Brontë Nava Atlas 2011

Whether it is Charlotte Brontë writing as Currer Bell in the 1800s, Alice Bradley Sheldon writing under the name James Tiptree Jr. in the 1960s and 1970s, or a HUGE number of women who today write under their initials (including me) there idea that this is something new is at best silly.

Taylor’s a Feminist – But So Is James 2009

Currer Bell is not known in the district, and I have no wish that he should become known.

The Life of Charlotte Bronte 2002

They did not care for her in the least as “Currer Bell,” but had known and loved her for years as Charlotte Bronte.

The Life of Charlotte Bronte 2002