Shirley, A Tale

Shirley, A Tale is a social novel by the English novelist Charlotte Bronte, first published in 1849. It was Bronte's second published novel after Jane Eyre.

The novel is set in Yorkshire in 1811-12, during the industrial depression resulting from the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The novel is set in Yorkshire in 1811-12, during the industrial depression resulting from the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The novel is set against the backdrop of the Luddite uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry.

Widely regarded as Charlotte Bronte's 'sophomore slump', Shirley is a tricky book to pin down and is the least known of Charlotte's novels and possibly of the Bronte canon as a whole.