About the Collection

Born in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England in 1816, Charlotte Brontë is one of the most influential novelists of the 19th century. Best known as the author of Jane Eyre (1847), Brontë was an accomplished novelist, publishing three widely regarded novels in her lifetime. Lesser known is her poetry. Held within the Rare & Special Books Collection at the University at Buffalo, The Wounded Stag and Other Poems presents 20 pages of poetry manuscripts written by Charlotte Brontë. Dated 1836, when she was just twenty years old, the manuscripts showcase her deliberate, cramped hand and, in some cases, her writing process, with crossed out lines and notes in the margins. Included along with “The Wounded Stag” are untitled poems and a poem titled “Reason.” The volume was bound and given the title “The Wounded Stag and Other Poems” by a previous owner.

Keeping this collection intact, conservation was completed in 2016 thanks to the generous support of Professor Steve McCaffery, former David Gray Chair of Poetry and Letters, UB Department of English.

Complete details can be found in the finding aid for this collection.