I don’t think the life of Elizabeth Brontë should be considered solely because of her more famous siblings and replaced with a a redirect to another page because her story has much to offer. For one, her school report has been deemed so important that it is currently conserved in the British Library.
This page is significant. This is because these pages on the Brontë family help those who are interested gain a full and complete information about the literary Brontë family, a family which is very significant (and one which plays a large role in culture in Yorkshire) and one which has been studied by scholars and researched by many since the Brontës died. There was a gap in information about Elizabeth which seemed rather unfair considering the vast amounts of beneficial knowledge available for her family members, thus I created this page – and I wish that it was reinstated.
The case made by many for deletion/reinstation was summarised by such comments:
- “There is a good deal of interest in her family because her sisters were notable novelists, but as Elizabeth died at age 10 she does not appear to be notable in her own right”
- “The article basically says in the lead that we don't know much about the subject. She didn't live long enough to accomplish anything, and is of interest solely in the context of the family.”
- “Redirect with a selective merge. Incredibly sad. She caught measles, which was not known at the time could wreck a child's immune system, succumbing to a series of infections that lead to her death from TB and/or typhus. But we know now that a simple, safe, and effective vaccine can prevent such deaths, right? Right? ”
Initially, these appear to be valid complaints (expect for the last one, which offers no take on the issue except for a lament about old medicinal methods). But the study of history is not only about those who made great contributions in their lifetimes but also about the context and lived experiences of those connected to significant events, people, and environments. Elizabeth Brontë’s life, short though it was, directly influenced the creative and emotional worlds of her surviving siblings. Her illness and death shaped Charlotte Brontë’s depiction of mortality + childhood suffering in her novels (for example, parallels in Jane Eyre’s Lowood). Additionally, whilst merging Elizabeth’s information into a family page might appear convenient, it diminishes the ease of access for those studying her specifically—whether for literary influence, social history, or medical history. Wikipedia is not just a list of “most famous” people; it is a reference work intended to be comprehensive and accessible. What is the point of an encyclopedia if not to keep and preserve useful information?
If anyone is interested, the case for keeping was such:
- “She is notable because she was a member of the immediate family of the Brontes. There is enough material to justify a separate article, and there is a significant number of page views.”
- “Emily is notable because her family is so famous that there is reader interest in her life itself, as shown by the page views. Also, she recently had a Street named after her…”
- “The level of interest in her sisters is such that there will be readers wanting to read this article, and it is all thoroughly sourced. She was part of the context in which the famous authors grew up. The article has substantial page views, so readers are looking for it.”
In the past, the user @DoubleGrazing told me that “the acid test for accepting drafts is ‘would this have better than 50:50 chance of surviving a deletion discussion based on notability’, and I think as this stands, it probably would.” Another user, @Ritchie333, added: “As DoubleGrazing said, the litmus test is "would it have better than 50:50 chance at AfD?" As there is about 4K of reliably sourced prose in the article, I think those odds are met.” This user did also express concern that a redirect might happen.
I really hope this draft is accepted and survives. Scientelensia (talk) 14:56, 13 August 2025 (UTC)
