Parhelia

It has been a while since the latest poll of the-best-book-of-whatever. This time it's the UK retailer play.com which has asked 2000 customers to choose the 'Greatest novel of all time'. We find a couple of Brontës on the list. From The Telegraph:

6. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
21. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Remember this? Broadway world talks about Arlene Hutton's upcoming premiere of her new play: Letters to Sala and discloses the title of her play about the Brontës that seems to be already finished: Parhelia.

Arlene Hutton is best known for THE NIBROC TRILOGY, which includes LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC (NY Drama League Best Play nomination), SEE ROCK CITY (In the Spirit of America Award) and GULF VIEW DRIVE (LA Weekly and Ovation Award nominations). Other plays include AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, about Kentucky Shakers, and PARHELIA, a new work about the Bronte family

Parhelia (or Sun dog) is an atmospheric optical phenomenon where a bright spot can be seen on a solar halo. The optical effect is such that sometimes two sun dogs can be seen on either side of the (real) sun. According to Margaret Smith, Ellen Nussey's 1849 Diary reads: "[July]Saw 2 suns of Haworth Moor 1847". Some years later Ellen Nussey added 'colourful' corrections to the incident. When she recalled the event for A.M.F. Robinson's biography of Emily Brontë, the story was slightly different:

Once, at this time, when they were walking on the moor together, a sudden change and light came into the sky. "Look," said Charlotte; and the four girls looked up and saw three suns shining clearly overhead. They stood a little while silently gazing at the beautiful parhelion; Charlotte, her friend, and Anne clustered together, Emily a little higher, standing on a heathery knoll. "That is you!" said Ellen at last. "You are the three suns." "Hush!" cried Charlotte, indignant at the too shrewd nonsense of her friend; but as Ellen, her suspicions confirmed by Charlotte's violence, lowered her eyes to the earth again, she looked a moment at Emily. She was still standing on her knoll, quiet, satisfied; and round her lips there hovered a very soft and happy smile. She was not angry, the independent Emily. She had liked the little speech.

Well, you know... When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

EDIT: From The Sunday Telegraph (22 July 2007):

A New York City [Brontë Society] Member, the playwright Arlene Hutton, is writing a version of Chekhov's Three Sisters featuring Charlotte, Emily and Anne, with curates instead of soldiers. 'Chekhov borrowed Mrs. Gaskell's Life of Charlotte from a Russian library just before writing the play', she tells us, a discovery which certainly intrigues. (Olivia Gordon)

Monsters & Critics includes Jane Eyre 2006 on a list named From Rags to Riches (!):

There are many filmed versions of this story, the latest from BBC starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens. Plain orphaned Jane begins as a governess, but through her courage and goodness earns love and respect, and even inherits a fortune. Charlotte Bronte purposely created Jane as an unremarkable heroine, and in doing so gave the world one of the best romantic rags to riches stories. (June L.)

The Times asks why great female musicians are not described as geniuses:

Take Kate Bush. Ever since the electrifying Wuthering Heights in 1978, Bush has not only pushed the boundaries with her consistently exceptional and original compositions, but she has paved the way for successive lady geniuses, including Björk and Alison Goldfrapp. (Jane Czyzselska)

Sherry Vosburgh posts on the Brussels Brontë Blog about her first visit to Haworth, no less than for the recent June AGM! A nice post that is introduced like this:

This account of a first visit to Haworth was written by Sherry Vosburgh, who joined our group just a few weeks ago and made a last-minute decision to go to the June weekend. Most of the accommodation in the village had been booked months in advance but she managed to find a room, albeit right at the bottom of the steep hill up to the Brontë Museum and the venue for the events. However, she survived the experience and seems to have enjoyed it! (Read more)

The Brontë Parsonage Blog also posts something connected to the AGM weekend: the visit to Thornton. The post includes some very nice pictures as well as an account of the trip.

Later, there was a walk around the village. Of course, there was a significant pause outside the birthplace, which was sold in an auction last year to a London property developer. It is empty, but has, apparently, been "damp-proofed and repainted" inside. The tiny patch of garden at the front had been hastily dug over, unearthed bulbs on the surface. (Richard) (Read more)

The Parsonage Blog also publishes a reminder of next Friday's Simon Armitage appearance at the Brontë Parsonage Museum (same in The Telegraph & Argus). Check this previous post for more information. Finally, Mystery_Stills proposes a Jane Eyre Icons Challenge.

Categories: Brontë Society, Brontëana, Jane Eyre, In the News, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, Theatre, Wuthering Heights