From humble beginnings, the Brontë family of Haworth, England reached a degree of literary fame that has seldom been replicated. Specifically, Charlotte, Emily and, to a lesser extent, Anne all made significant contributions to world literature. The great tragedy of the Brontë family is that all were taken away by illness before the prime of their lives. Anne died aged 28 year; Emily died at age 30; and Charlotte lived the longest, dying in 1855 at age 38. Each of the sisters struggled to make their way in a world that was not built with female independence in mind. Thus, they had do work for a living as teachers and governesses before finding success as authors. Even then, they kept their identities secret, knowing that female authors were simply not taken seriously.