Jane Eyre goes to Japan

Classical Comics, which as we have been publishing will publish a Jane Eyre comic adaptation this fall prepares also a Japanese version:

Against the tide of Japanese inspired graphic novels hitting western shores, Classical Comics have signed a deal with Ittosha Incorporated of Japan to translate and publish their series of graphic novel adaptations of literary classics in Japanese.

The influence of Manga on western media art is unquestionable, and the style is hugely popular amongst British teenagers in particular. This trend is not new - even Monet was influenced by Japanese artwork that he saw exhibited in the late nineteenth century. With the popularity of series like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! that have helped form multi-media standards amongst today’s youth, it’s easy to see how the Manga phenomenon has taken hold in the UK.

Although the word “Manga” is merely the Japanese word for comic book art, it has come to represent a style of drawing, typified by abstract features of large eyes and small mouths, so often seen across the globe in today’s media-rich society; which makes this particular deal all-the-more interesting as it goes against the established east-to-west culture flow.
Chairman of Classical Comics, Clive Bryant said,

“Our multiple text versions of well-loved classic literature have already proven to be a huge success around the globe, particularly with students and teachers who welcome this vibrant, colourful way of introducing these wonderful books. Language translations are a natural extension to this. Not only are we exporting Great British literature, but we’re also delivering part of our deep culture at the same time. Just as westerners nd the Japanese culture intriguing, we think that there are many people in Japan who will be equally fascinated by our heritage.”

Terumasa Hirano, Chairman and Executive Editor of Ittosha Inc. added,
“When we first came across the Classical Comics range, we immediately saw the potential for a Japanese translation. While the artwork is very different to what we see over here, that is part of their appeal and helps to deliver these famous stories."

Ittosha Inc will launch the winter 2008 season with the first two Shakespeare books in the series: Henry V and Macbeth. Jane Eyre (Brontë), Frankenstein (Shelley), Great Expectations (Dickens), and A Christmas Carol (Dickens) will follow, as will all of the titles published by Classical Comics in the UK and the US.

Greater Kashmir publish an article about the reliability of narrators in literature. The author of the article knows his Brontës:

For example a Nelly Dean of Wuthering Heights, the novel by Emily Bronte, is unable to understand fully the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. She is so prejudiced towards Cathrine that she once remarks while catherine is ill:
“She is fainted or dead I thought so much the better. Far better than she should be dead than lingering a burden and a misery maker to all about her”. It is the ideology of Nelly Dean that prompts her to voice her feelings like that and she does not understand Cathrine and Heatcliff (sic) the way we do. (...)
Charlotte Bronte was once asked why she and her sisters resorted to pseudonyms. She replied that it made their work the focus of attention of a critic rather than their personal life which amounts to true literary criticism. (Tanveer Ahmad)

Près de la plume... au coin du feu talks about Wuthering Heights (in French). Incurable Logophilia reviews The Professor:

The novel stands on its own. Taken as a whole, I didn’t find The Professor as well-constructed as Jane Eyre, nor its main characters as fascinating – but broken up into scenes and ideas, it’s a wonderful study. And its supporting cast are quirky and wonderful – Mr. Hunsden, Mlle Reuter, Mr. Pelet. I could see a lot of Rochester in Hunsden.

Categories: Comics, Jane Eyre, References, The Professor, Wuthering Heights