‘All true histories contain instruction’: Truth and Everyday Heroism in Agnes Grey

The writings of the Brontës have frequently been studied in relation to conceptions of heroism. More specifically, critics have focused on the influence of war heroes such as the Duke of Wellington or Napoleon in the early writings of the siblings, principally those authored by Charlotte and Branwell Brontë. This article, however, explores the conception of 'everyday heroism' in Anne Brontë's novel Agnes Grey (1847). It argues that the ordinary characters portrayed in Brontë's work embody qualities usually associated with the heroic. Further, the analysis of heroism can reveal new insights into the representation of gender roles and class relations in the novel.