Emily Bronte was born on July 30, 1818 on Thornton at Bradford, her father's parsonage. The Bronte family moved to a remote region of northern England called Haworth. Since this was such a tiny Yorkshire village, many people referred to it as the "moors."" The moor life was very blunt, and the lifestyle was considered to be "too coarse."" Bronte was the fifth of six children, and the oldest, Elizabeth, was only four years older than she was. Bronte had four sisters and one brother, and because they were close in age, they had close relationships. Mrs. Bronte died when Emily was only three years old. She was left to be cared for by her two eldest sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, and her eccentric father. As if the death of Emily's mother wasn't enough, her two eldest sisters later died of typhus fever.
Since Emily and her remaining siblings were too young to provide for the family, Emily's aunt, Elizabeth Branwell, moved in to be their caregiver and guardian. The children were not fond of their extremely religious aunt; therefore their father hired a servant, Tabitha Akryroryd, to be the "mother figure- in their home. In Wuthering Heights Tabitha was comparable to the character of Nelly Dean, for she provided the Bronte children with love and security that neither their aunt nor mother had been able to give.
Emily Bronte's literary influence came directly from her father Patrick. He taught his children to think unconventionally and to question everything that was put before them. He instilled love of literature and intellectual passion while other children were learning religion, ethics, and etiquette. Furthermore, Patrick Bronte was one of the founding members of an important library known as Keighley Institute. This allowed his children free access to vast selections of books in history, art, biography, and poetry.
When Emily's older sisters went away to school, Emily and her younger sister Anne began to work on a fantasy series called the Gondal Chronicles.
