Museums and Galleries Month

News sites are brimming with Brontë news today.

First of all, as the Telegraph reminds, May is the (British) 'Museums and Galleries Month'. This alone would be a good reminder that the Brontë Parsonage Museum can still get your votes for Britain's Best, and of course a pleasant excuse to go and visit the place. But to the point:

To mark the occasion the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is making the profiles of 45 people in some way associated with such places available - free of charge - online.

And true to their word, the entry for Charlotte Brontë on the Dictionary of National Biography website is available to one and all.

Kazam Media News reports briefly on Justine Picardie's talk at the du Maurier Festival.

Justine is clearly extremely knowledgeable not only about the works of Daphne du Maurier but also the lady herself as a person. Her speech and subsequent discussion with members of the audience (which included several members of Daphne's family with whom Justine is clearly well aquainted) delved deeply into the views and insights that Daphne may have held regarding Branwell Bronte and the possibility that she may well have considered the parallels between their lives. Justine is a writer and can therefore be excused her lack of comfort at being on stage which was somewhat evident. For those who have or are studying the great Daphne du Maurier to a level which includes attempting to understand the psychology of the author to a considerable depth then this presentation would have been fascinating and no doubt beneficial but was perhaps a little too deep for most others. (David Hughes) Pictures of the event, here.

We would have loved to hear what she said bout Daphne du Maurier and Branwell Brontë, since we found her introduction to the recent edition of The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë really interesting.

A few days ago, we found on Associated Content an article/essay on Adèle, today we have come across yet another article/essay entitled A Comparison Between Wuthering Heights and the Poetic Works of Bronte.

"Remembrance" is a poem based on a lost love, but lost long before death ever occurred. However, it is after death that the extent of the love is realized, which is almost a duplicate of Heathcliff and Catherine's realization on Catherine's deathbed. "Remembrance" focuses on a love lost due to time; the love was left behind in childhood and never given the chance to flourish. Thus, it is after death that the memories and regrets begin creeping in, "Faithful, indeed, is the spirit that remembers / After such years of change and suffering!" (11-12) As in Wuthering Heights "Remembrance" recalls a childhood love that was left behind, but never forgotten. It emphasizes the truth of moving on with life. The love may be forgotten temporarily, but it is always there within the back of the mind, and within the heart. (SJD)

Truly worth your time. And fabulous food for thought.

Now for some reviews, which abound in the blogosphere, as usual.

Both theskull42 and Tea at Trianon review Wuthering Heights 1939. TCM reviews the newest DVD edition of Jane Eyre 1944. And The Park Bench compares Jane Eyre to something called Speed Dating from Harlequin's NASCAR collection. Apparently such a book and such a collection exist.

A blog in Spanish - En Olissipo - has an article on Paula Rego, who recently devoted an entire collection to Jane Eyre and even exhibited her paintings at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

To conclude, we would like to alert anyone who might be interested in the following. It comes from Hometown Life (Michigan):

The Phoenix Players Auditions
Open auditions will be held on May 22 and May 30 for actors interested in being part of its 2007-2008 season. The auditions are held to become a member of the acting troupe, not for a particular play. Plays under consideration for the season include: Cheaper by the Dozen, Jane Eyre, The Miracle Worker, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Secret Garden, God's Favorite, Little Women, and Steel Magnolias.

More details.

Categories: Art-Exhibitions, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Poetry, Scholar, Talks, Theatre, Websites, Wuthering Heights