This April, Jane Eyre fans are getting ready to celebrate the birthday of author Charlotte Brontë. This year our beloved creator of Thornfield Hall will be turning two hundred years old! To celebrate her life, her work, and her lasting contribution to our favorite collection of brooding English men, here are some fun facts about Jane Eyre and its author:

• Just like her main character Jane, Charlotte Brontë worked as a governess: In 1839 she was hired by a wealthy family in the country to educate their children.  Unfortunately, she hated the job and often wrote negatively of her time there.
• Bertha Mason, Mr. Rochester’s insane, attic-bound wife, was based on a true story: During her travels, Brontë learned of a case where a mentally ill woman had been confined to a room in the attic. In 2004, a hidden staircase was discovered in the rumored house that was very similar to the description of Thornfield Hall’s staircase.
• Lowood, the harsh school Jane was sent to, was also based on a real place: Charlotte, Emily (her younger sister who wrote Wuthering Heights), and Charlotte’s two older sisters were all sent to a boarding school after their mother passed away. This school was the inspiration for Lowood’s terrible food, rules, and conditions—even the cruel headmaster was drawn from Brontë’s experience as a child. In fact, her depiction of the headmaster was so spot-on that after Jane Eyre was published, Charlotte was forced to write an apology letter to the headmaster of her old boarding school. 
• Brontë fell in love with a married teacher: This may have been the inspiration for the doomed romance between Mr. Rochester and Jane. Charlotte went as far as to write her teacher a love letter, but, sadly, her affections were not returned. 
• Helen Burns was based on her sister Maria: Just like Helen, Maria was neglected and abused at boarding school when she was ill. Maria and the second-oldest Brontë, Elizabeth, both contracted tuberculosis, the dreaded disease that eventually kills Jane’s best friend (sorry, spoiler!). They were sent home, but tragically died shortly after. 
• Charlotte published Jane Eyre under a male name: All three of the Brontë sisters published their works under a male pseudonym. Originally, Jane Eyre was published under the name “Currer Bell.” She and her sisters were so secret about their identity, not even their publisher knew they were women (most of their correspondence with their publisher was conducted via letters). When Jane Eyre’s popularity took off, the literary world became obsessed with learning more about the identity of its author. It wasn’t until a year after the deaths of Anne and Emily Brontë that Charlotte let the cat out of the bag in the prefaces to Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey. 

So this April 21 take a moment to honor a noteworthy woman who managed to dupe even her publishers and bestow upon us several exceptional novels (including this librarian’s personal favorite), inspired by her dramatic upbringing. Happy Birthday, Ms. Brontë!