Reading the Brontës and others

It all comes down to reading, doesn't it?

The BBC looks into updated secondary school curriculum for that has just been announced, which offers students - among other things - the possibility of studying Mandarin or Arabic. The BBC lists the classics that stay put in this new curriculum.

Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Blake, Charlotte Brönte, Robert Burns, Geoffrey Chaucer, Kate Chopin, John Clare, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, George Eliot, Thomas Gray, Thomas Hardy, John Keats, John Masefield, Alexander Pope, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare (sonnets), Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jonathan Swift, Alfred Lord Tennyson, HG Wells, Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Wordsworth and William Wordsworth

The person typing the article obviously didn't opt for the classics when at school, since he/she can't spell Brontë. They didn't even watch the latest BBC adaptation. (*)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, the Post-Tribune looks as well into the state of the classics.

Atticus Finch, Holden Caulfield and Jane Eyre may not be the buzz around the office water cooler these days. But the great works of literature in which they're featured are still well read in Northwest Indiana libraries.
Librarians report that literary classics like "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Catcher in the Rye" and "Jane Eyre" are still well-circulated in the area, despite what a Washington Post article last month said about the classics being in jeopardy in the shadow of the nation's capital. (Piet Levy)

Oh, we're pretty sure that Jane Eyre will see an increase, regardless of school curriculum, after the PBS broadcast of the new adaptation.

And now for a couple of reviews of that constantly-reviewed book which is The Thirteenth tale by Diane Setterfield.

The Stanford Daily gives it the thumbs-up:

Do you remember free reading? Can you recall it at all? For those who cannot, the term entails picking up a book that is not required and perusing it for the sheer enjoyment of its contents. I know. Weird—once you try it.
But fun too. At least, it is in the case of “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield. [...]
Perhaps I enjoyed the book so much, though, because I’m an English major, and this book is essentially a love letter to reading. In particular, Setterfield seems to have a love of gothic novels, such as “Jane Eyre” and “The Woman in White.” Not only do the books themselves feature prominently in the story, but themes and even situations from them appear boldly throughout. Ancient manors, governesses, incest and secret family madness, staples of such books, are here in abundance. Setterfield’s novel also maintains a romanticism common to gothic novels[...]
The writing, too, is excellent. Setterfield has a knack for drawing characters whom we like despite ourselves, even when we cannot understand them or know better than to trust them. Her descriptions are vivid and beautifully stated, yet never obscure. [...]
And while I would not recommend you read the novel during finals season (all-nighters do not mix well with morning exams), I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to read it. Try it. You’ll like it. And then, perhaps, you won’t need to be reminded of the definition of free reading. (Elizabeth Fox)

The Santa Cruz Sentinel succinctly gives it the thumbs-down:

Most winters, I happily consume Victorian novels or wannabee Victorian novels, an example of the latter being "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield Atria, $26, which I can honestly recommend only to 12-year-old girls or readers who thrive on "Jane Eyre" reruns. (Chris Watson)

The blogosphere today also has its share of Brontë themes.

A new Brontë-related blog has been born: Brontë Poetry Resources. This is its aim:

There's very little out there on the Brontes, and having to type out the poems for interactive whiteboard use was driving me crazy, and I should think it's the same for some others too! So, here you are, the poems. Only the ones on my scheme are here, and I'm adding them as I need them. Please use for teaching purposes!

A significant part of the Brontë poems is online. Not all of them, of course. Deepending on what you are looking for, a zillion pages may come up or none at all.

And Knit the Classics is voting their forthcoming reads. If you like knitting, are willing to knit for literature and would like to read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in July and knit a related project then join them and vote for it!

EDIT:
(*) The problem is even worst. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority also writes Charlotte Brönte.

Categories: Books, In the News, Poetry, Websites