The Green Dwarf: A Tale of the Perfect Tense

Witty and engrossing, this early work displays the precocious intelligence, lively imagination, and flair for storytelling that Charlotte Brontë brought to perfection in her later fiction. Lady Emily Charlesworth is in love with Leslie, a struggling artist. Lord Percy, a fierce, arrogant aristocrat, will do anything to lay his hands on Leslie’s chosen bride. As war breaks out between Verdopolis—Brontë’s imaginary political state—and Senegal, the lovers do battle for control of Emily’s heart. With its exotic melange of political intrigue, amorous subterfuge, and Gothic scenery, The Green Dwarf reveals the dynamic and experimental nature of Brontë’s “long apprenticeship in writing.” Charlotte Brontë is best remembered for her perennially popular novel Jane Eyre.