Urban Heathcliff

The Times interviews Emma Tennant, author of a couple of Brontë sequels: Heathcliff's Tale and Adèle (aka The French Dancer's Bastard aka Thornfield Hall: The Jane Eyre's Hidden Story)-

Then there is Heathcliff’s Tale and Thornfield Hall (the story of Adele, Mr Rochester’s French ward in Jane Eyre). The sequels are playful and knowing — Pemberley begins: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a married man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a son and heir — although Tennant describes them as “more of a ventriloquism, really”.
That does them down. Tennant pulls off a clever balancing act, keeping to the much-loved voice of the original while addressing questions that would never have occurred to Austen or Charlotte Bronte. “The mores have changed,” she says. “Then, marriage was the end and happy ever after. Now we want to know: what would this marriage actually have been like, having to run this huge great house while being sneered at by Lady Catherine de Bourgh.” (Anna Burnside)

The Independent traces a fashion profile of Yunus Ascott, a jewellery designer described like an urban Heathcliff:

James Sheridan : I'd say you're the Heathcliff de nos jours – an urban Heathcliff. Would you say that's an accurate assessment?
YA: I have to confess I have no idea what you're talking about, but Eliza thinks that you're spot-on.

Get the 'Wuthering Heights' look
Cape, £180, by Ted Baker, 0845 130 4278
Scarf, £15, by Topman, 0845 121 4519, www.topman.com
Cardigan, £65, by Monsoon, 0844 811 0068

The Cleveland Plain Dealer uses the Brontës to illustrate an article about an art gifted family:

If you're looking for proof that artistic talent gets passed genetically, along with the family cheekbones or red hair and freckles, a handful of famous relatives come to mind. The Bronte sisters. Woody and Arlo Guthrie. Singer-actress Judy Garland and her singer-actress daughter, Liza Minnelli. (Karen Sandstrom)

Categories: References, Sequels