Charlotte Brontë and the Little Men or What stuck confoundedly in George Smith's throat?

Abstract In early December 1852, Charlotte Brontë wrote to her friend, Ellen Nussey, that 'something in the third volume' of Villette stuck 'confoundedly in [the] throat' of her publisher, George Smith. Most commentators and biographers locate the source of his displeasure in the portrayal of himself as John Graham Bretton (Dr John) and in the transfer of interest from this character to that of Professor Paul Emanuel in the third volume. This article argues that the explanation should be looked for elsewhere, namely, in the events surrounding the fate of the 'little man', Paul Emanuel and his departure for the West Indies and in Charlotte's own relationships with George Smith and James Taylor.