A blistering criticism of the literary world in which she lived, Charlotte Brontë's "The Biographical Notes on the Pseudonymous Bells" contains two fascinating and insightful essays by the author of "Jane Eyre" addressing her late sisters' Emily and Anne's writing careers (Emily wrote "Wuthering Heights," Anne created "Agnes Grey" and"The Tenant of Wildfell Hall").

With surprising frankness and honesty, Charlotte offers a glimpse of the challenges the young women faced when trying to get their respective works published, which included taking on male pen names - Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily), and Acton (Anne) Bell - in an attempt to sidestep the harsher criticism female authors so often received.

Charlotte - writing as the sole surviving member of the famous "Brontë Sisters" writing trio - also explores some of the qualities that distinguish her sisters from each other - and from other writers - and takes the reader behind the scenes to reveal the difficulties they faced in bringing these groundbreaking novels to the world.