May you live in interesting times

The Times Online carries a very interesting article on a new venture the National Trust might embark on. Namely:

It proposes to take some punters back to very interesting times indeed. During the winter it wants to rent out the Dorset cottage where Thomas Hardy grew up and later wrote Far from the Madding Crowd. It’s a picture-postcard, thatched-roof sort of place. There should be plenty of takers — even if some Hardy enthusiasts are up in arms about the scheme.
But there’s a condition. Guests will have to cook, wash, eat, entertain themselves and generally exist as the Hardys did in the 1840s. The only concessions will be battery-powered candles, water from a tap rather than a well, and a flushing loo — which, of
course, was not available in ordinary homes until Thomas Crapper and John Shanks, the Rolls and Royce of lavatory construction, came along in the 1860s.

Imagine that could take place in the Parsonage! And who hasn't daydreamed about time-travelling? Tough experience indeed, but such an adventure.

The article goes on to look at the state of things back in the 1840s and the author comes up with this question:

And if the Man Booker Prize had been around in the 1840s, just think of the books that could have been left off the shortlist! Wuthering Heights, Vanity Fair, A Christmas Carol, Around the World in 80 days ...

Granted, there were many novels that are now practically forgotten but it is true that literary awards back then could have been a nightmare for the appointed jury.

On a very different note, The Guardian provides us with the priceless image of the day:

Ms Batmanghelidjh has presence. She makes Carmen Miranda look like Jane Eyre.

The Globe and Mail reviews - surprise, surprise - The Thirteenth Tale. This time Wuthering Heights joins Jane Eyre in the comparison, but this time too, the author sheds some light on the constant Jane Eyre name-dropping:

Nevertheless, it's a quick read: The chapters are short and they often end with on a spooky note to keep you turning the pages. There's also a familiar old-English fustiness that is packed with direct references to Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and other perennials.
Setterfield says her intentions in name-dropping Jane Eyre might be one of the most misunderstood aspects of the book.
"I'm not really hung up on originality, I have to admit. I do love story elements that have got a patina of something that's been used and reused, told and retold. In that sense, I knew I wasn't telling a hugely original story.
The big originality in the book, if there is one, is the way it presents reading and puts the love of books at the centre of the plot and at the centre of the characters' lives.
"I never thought that that was actually going to be something that would make it hugely commercial, because I thought that's not really what people are looking for these days," she said.

So now at least we know what this Jane Eyre thing is all about. Sort of, anyway.

And finally for the story flooding the Brontë press. Remember Emily Brontë the horse? Well, she's doing great.

EMILY BRONTE was a strong fancy for Classic glory over the winter after two sterling efforts as a juvenile and can make a winning seasonal reappearance in the Listed EBF Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield tomorrow. (read more)

She was also the star of the latest Region 3 Brontë Newsletter:

I sent a “Get Well” card (with horse motif) to the horse’s owner, His Majesty Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in Dubai, United Arab Emerites, inquiring about Bronte’s disposition. In time, I received a full color photo [...]
But, I still had no record of her naming nor why named for Emily Brontë. I sent a follow up e-mail to Miss Ciska Groen, Public Relations, Newmarket, but her response was less than satisfactory. She writes, “However, I can only report that there is no specific reason for her name.” Well, that obviously can’t be true but that is where the matter stands. If I learn anything new, I will be sure to pass it on. (Left-hand picture taken from this Newsletter)

We were hoping for His Majesty Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to be a true Brontëite at heart :(

Categories: Victorian_Era, Books, Weirdo, In_the_News, Emily_Brontë,