Hardbackscratching on drugs

The Independent publishes a very interesting (and enlightening) article about how the book reviews are deriving to hardbackscratching. The discussion is beyond the scope of this blog except for this somehow inaccurate comment:

Besides, bad reviews aren't always right, just by virtue of being bad. In 1847, first reviews of a first novel by a young writer from Yorkshire described it as the most appalling example of contemporary fiction. The author's name? Charlotte Bronte. The book's title? Jane Eyre. (Howard Davies)

Well, the first reviews of Jane Eyre were not particularly negative. A little bit of everything. It was only a couple of months later that Currer Bell's novel was treated as coarse, probably influenced by the reviews of Wuthering Heights.

The Toronto Star announces the appearance of Jasper Fforde at the International Festival of Authors next October 23, with an article on his works, including The Eyre Affair:

In the popular debut title, protagonist Thursday Next is called upon to rescue Jane Eyre, who has been kidnapped from the pages of the classic Charlotte Brontë novel that bears her name. (Vit Wagner)

In other news today: The Source Weekly lists some successful adaptations of classic novels including Wuthering Heights 1939 or Jane Eyre 1944 and 2006. Gaskell's angel-in-the-house description of Charlotte Brontë is still alive and well as this post on feminine-genius is a good example of.

At BrontëBlog we are somewhat tired of the overdose of gratuitous Brontë mentions for promoting PJ Harvey's latest album White Chalk. Nevertheless this one on queerblog (in Italian) crosses the line between the gratuitousness and the surrealist.

Non volendo tediarvi con recensioni da finto critico musicale, mi limito a elencarvi le immagini che l’ascolto del disco evoca nel mio immaginario: un carillon rotto, un’arpa scordata, un mattino piovoso nella brughiera inglese, un bollitore lasciato sul fuoco, una strega innamorata in trip allucinogeno, Emily Brontë sotto metadone, la protagonista di “Lezioni di piano” ricoverata in una clinica sperduta. (huggotron)

We have read about Emily Brontë's mystic visions, in Gérin's terminology. We never thought they could be induced by methadone, though.

Categories: Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, References, Weirdo