Shirley was published in 1849, and was Charlottes third written novel, and the second one to be published. The novel is set in Yorkshire in the period 1811–1812, during the industrial depression resulting from the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The novel is set against a backdrop of the Luddite uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry. Shirley, the main character, is said to have been based upon Emily, Charlotte's younger sister. During the course of writing Shirley, three of Brontë's siblings died. Her brother Branwell died in September 1848, and shortly after that, her sister Emily fell ill and died in December. Brontë resumed writing, but then her only remaining sibling, her sister Anne, became ill and died in May 1849.



PLOT: (Warning Spoilers)
Shirley begins as Belgian-born mill operator Robert Moore awaits a shipment of machinery – which arrives in pieces, smashed by angry Luddite workers protesting against the loss of jobs to mechanisation.
Although he is determined to become successful in order to restore his family's honor and fortune, Robert's business difficulties continue, due to the Napoleonic Wars and the accompanying Orders in Council, which ban British merchants from trading in American markets. At the start of the novel, Robert is unmoved by the plight of his unemployed workers and is completely focused on profit and money. Robert is attracted to his distant cousin Caroline Helstone, who returns his feelings. The daughter of an absent mother and an abusive father, Caroline has grown up with her uncle, a just but reserved clergyman. Despite their mutual attraction Robert rejects the idea of marrying Caroline in favour of proposing to the rich heiress and landowner Shirley Keeldar, who has newly arrived in the district.
After Robert's rejection, Caroline retreats to her loveless home and begins to waste away until Shirley restores her to health by reuniting Caroline with her long-lost mother, Mrs. Pryor. Shirley, meanwhile, is in love with Robert's brother Louis, a poor tutor, but her pride prevents her from expressing her feelings. Louis, in turn, is similarly restrained from declaring his love for her by pride and fear of being rejected by a woman whose means are considerably greater than his own.
Events on the industrial front escalate when Robert is shot by a member of the opposing faction. During his recovery, he learns what it is like to be at the mercy of another, to be treated as an object, to be totally dependent—the very status of his workers in relation to Robert himself. This role reversal, along with the end of the war and the revocation of the Orders in Council, both of which alleviate Robert's financial difficulties, bring about enormous changes in him. In the end, Robert is reunited with Caroline and is eager to provide work for all the poor and hungry who want it. The communication problems between Shirley and Louis are finally overcome, and the headstrong Shirley submits to Louis as her "master". The novel ends with a double wedding.