The Brontë era

The New Yorker briefly mentions John Mullan's Anonymity:

In England, the use of the word “anonymous” to describe a literary work dates only from the sixteenth century, but by the end of the eighteenth seventy per cent of all novels were published “in secret.” Mullan traces the flourishing of the practice in this detailed history, arguing that concealment was only rarely the aim. Anonymity and pseudonymity might be invoked out of fear or diffidence: in 1555, one punishment for treasonous writings was the loss of the right hand; “modest” women authors were long identified simply as “A Lady.” But anonymity could also incite interest: Jonathan Swift constructed elaborate hoaxes, “more promotional than shy,” to veil his authorship of “Gulliver’s Travels,” and the guessing game surrounding the true identity of Currer Bell, the professed author of “Jane Eyre,” was such that, in its first year of publication, reviews outnumbered copies sold.

The Boston Globe interviews singer Laura Marling:

"I did lock myself away and read for a long time," says Marling, on the phone from her flat in London's Shepherd's Bush neighborhood. "My favorite escape is the Bronte era, that dark, graceful, elegant old English way of life that I wish I was born into, and in a way believe I should have been born into." (Joan Anderman)

The Independent reviews Britain Since 1918 by David Marquand and concludes the article with a reference to the Heathcliffgate:

But perhaps there is hope. During Gordon Brown's first days in power, the "Governance of Britain" green paper proposed democratic reforms, over war powers, treaty-making, free speech and the rule of law, to nurture a new sense of British identity. The select committee scrutinising the draft Constitutional Renewal Bill saw it as an incoherent retreat. But it still conveys impetus for reform, notably its attack on the royal prerogative, that Berlin Wall against active citizenship. Just possibly, Brown – democratic collectivist in his socialism, Whig imperialist in his prudence, nationalist in his unionism, Scottish republican as Jimmy Maxton's biographer – could reconcile all these ancient traditions. Perhaps the doomed hero of Marquand's crusade is not Heath but Heathcliff. (Kenneth O'Morgan)

The North County Times presents the San Diego's Old Globe Theatre new season which includes:

The summer's in-the-round production will be Charles Ludlam's gothic English comedy "The Mystery of Irma Vep," which spoofs British literary classics from "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights" to "Rebecca." Director Henry Wischamper will make his Globe debut. (Pam Kragen)

The Cumberland News publishes one of those seasonal beginning-of-a-new-school-year articlesec :

To the best of our ability, we did too – fretting over apostrophes, distinguishing their from there, principle from principal, advise from advice, whether writing essays on sexual tensions in Wuthering Heights or forging a note from Mum to seal a skive from hockey. (Anne Pickles)

Trashionista interviews author Jane Beaton:

Do you have a theme song?
Oh, Wuthering Heights. Does everyone say that?
What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)
Well, this is my first interview, so I suppose anything! I suppose people would want to know if I actually did my research at a real boarding school, and I would have to say no - I did my research reading Enid Blyton, Elinor Brent-Dyer, Susan Coolidge, Antonia White, JK Rowling, and Charlotte Bronte!

On the blogosphere, Letras en el Tiempo briefly posts about Charlotte Brontë in Spanish.

Categories: Books, Brontëites, References, Theatre, Wuthering Heights