EMILY BRONTE PUNCHED THE FAMILY DOG. Although WUTHERING HEIGHTS has scenes of violence and cruelty, my image of its author has been that she was extremely shy and gentle. Now there is the following in John Preston’s review in the Daily Mail of Claire Harman’s CHARLOTTE BRONTE: A LIFE:
“On one occasion, the family dog, Keeper – a mastiff and a big one at that – dirtied a counterpane with his muddy paws. When Emily heard about this, she punched Keeper in the face, not just once, but so often that he was left ‘half blind and stupefied’.”