Today, Yorkshire. Tomorrow, Breaking Dawn

The York Press publishes a reminder of today's celebrations of The Yorkshire Day in York. Including Sarah Barrett's A Room of Their Own signings:

Street entertainers will be giving performances and Yorkshire author Sarah Barrett will be on hand to sign copies of her new book about the Haworth-based Bronte Parsonage. (Nicola Fifield)

Not today but tomorrow is the release of the new installment of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series: Breaking Dawn which is covered in several newspapers. The Brontë references of the saga are featured:

But take a closer look at these novels penned by a 35-year-old mother of three who cites among her chief influences Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Daphne du Maurier, and you’ll discover one of the more intriguing accomplishments in recent young adult literature. (Christopher Kelly in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

So what do I, a ­married twentysomething, so ­thoroughly enjoy about a 17-year-old girl and her ­complicated ­relationships with the various mythical creatures in her life?
1. Romance. Edward Cullen, our vampire hero, is as dashing as his namesakes, Charlotte Brontë's Rochester and Jane Austen's Ferrars. His relationship with Bella borders on Romeo and Juliet, but we are all hoping for a happier ending. (Elizabeth Price in The Lexington Herald-Dealer)

Meanwhile, the death of Bella and/or Edward in Breaking Dawn would follow in the classic tragic romances of Romeo and Juliet or Heathcliff and Catherine from Emily Bronte’s classic Victorian romance, Wuthering Heights. Both romances have been referred to extensively in the series, particularly in the third book, Eclipse, perhaps preparing the reader for Edward and Bella’s inevitable demise. (Neil Godbout in Prince George Citizen)

With my “Twilight” obsession reaching new levels every day, you can only imagine my excitement to sit down with Stephenie Meyer, the author of the series, which now has an exponentially growing fan base. She wasn’t at liberty to talk about “Breaking Dawn” just yet (the fourth and final installment of the series, told from Bella’s perspective, comes out tomorrow), but I was able to talk to her about everything else, such as the pressure of her newfound rock star status, the influence that writers such as the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen had on her writing, and of course, the development of Bella and Edward. (...)
Bella draws allusions to the complicated emotions and self-realizations of Cathy of Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” and, perhaps in a very different and more innocent way, to the undyingly but piercingly love-struck Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” (Kim Stolz in MTV Movies Blog)

Which fictional character would you compare Bella to?
I think that Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Bennet are more apt comparisons, in terms of the niche Bella fits into—despite the vampires, she is really a romance character. Having said that, I don't think that Bella has the complexity to become a legendary character. She has many good qualities, including loyalty and bravery, but she doesn't dig very deep intellectually or engage moral questions. (Amrisa Niranjin interviews Professor Amy Clarke of the University of California in The School Library Journal)

When two of my students asked to borrow the dusty copy of Wuthering Heights sitting on my classroom bookshelf, though, I knew something else was going on. Through my eight years of teaching English to grades 9 through 12, no one had ever asked about Wuthering Heights. Now, suddenly, there's a waiting list?
Meyer was responsible. As Bella struggles with her seemingly impossible love, she finds parallels to Romeo and Juliet and the love triangle of Heathcliff, Cathy and Edgar. (Vikas Turakhia in St. Petersburg Times)

For each of her novels, Meyer was inspired by literary classics: "Pride and Prejudice" for "Twilight," "Romeo and Juliet" for "New Moon," "Wuthering Heights" for "Eclipse," and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for "Breaking Dawn." (Terri Schwartz in The Boston Globe)

EDIT (August 8):

The books are also rife with allusions to Shakespeare, Austen and the Brontes, a nice touch that will inspire fans to hit the classics sections of their bookstores. (Sarah Seltzer in RH Reality Check)

The English translation of the manga Emma by Kaouro Mori (2002) is reviewed in the Daily Yomiuri:

Of course, the relationship between Emma and William at the center of this story is sure to grab the heartstrings of any readers who enjoy romantic fiction, or even some of the tragic love stories that have filled the pages of Thomas Hardy or novels by the Bronte sisters. (Stephen Taylor)

The Philadelphia Enquirer reviews the film Brick Lane (check other appearances on BrontëBlog):

Chanu (Satish Kaushik) [is a] jolly, portly gent who prides himself on his literary acumen -- he quotes from Thackeray and the Brontes -- Chanu initially comes across as pompous, fatuous, a believer in the possibilities of upward mobility in British society. (Steven Rea)

The2moons posts several screencaps of the Reader, I Married Him documentary, Un peu de lecture briefly talks about Wuthering Heights (in French), Too Fond of Books reviews Wide Sargasso Sea.

Categories: Alert, Books, Comics, Movies-DVD-TV, References, Wide Sargasso Sea, Wuthering Heights