"The shocking nature of the Brontës' novels quickly faded, but the overwrought images solidified, often conflating the writers' personalities with simplistic views of their heroines': Charlotte must be the proper Jane Eyre and Emily the wild woman roaming the heaths of Wuthering Heights (in her soul if not her actions). During the Victorian era, the prim Charlotte's popularity was highest among the sisters, but in the 20th century she lost ground to the rebellious Emily."

The NYTimes on The Women Behind the Myths