The inmortal pen of the wrong sister

Laura Miller writes in the Wall Street Journal about the irresistible appeal of the vampire archetype. Maybe inspired by the numerous Brontë references of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga, she mentions the Brontë sisters' works:

The fusion of the romance and vampire genres isn't as unlikely as it might seem. The archetypal romantic hero owes a lot to two characters from Victorian literature: Mr. Rochester in "Jane Eyre" and Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights." The two sisters who wrote those novels, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, were, like most literary women of their time, great admirers of Lord Byron, whose stormy, passionate heroes (based on his own bad self) served as patterns for Rochester and Heathcliff.

The Taunton Gazette publishes an article about the upcoming Theatre III's Jane Eyre. The Musical production which we presented yesterday. The author of the article is not really very informed about what she is talking about:

Fans of the Bronte sisters’ novels, your time is now.
Jane Austen has been enjoying her day in sun, about two centuries long and counting.
But now, the other Jane of romantic literature – the equally immortal “Jane Eyre” of Emily Bronte’s pen – still holds her claim among the most, well, romantic heroines of fiction.
She’s more than “note” worthy, as Theatre III of Acton brings to the stage, “Jane Eyre: The Musical,” which – as you probably figured out from the title – is the classic, Gothic love story with singing in it.
And an orchestra, a live orchestra, to be even more romantic.
It’s the practice of Theatre III to open each new drama season with a musical, and when the rights became available to produce “Jane Eyre,” there was an air of serendipity as the drama group prepares for its 54th season.
With Austen enchanting a new generations, it was perhaps inevitable, and only fair, that her literary peers, the Bronte sisters, glean appreciation for their works. (...)
“The show is written in the model of a lot of shows over the past 20 years, the most obvious being ‘Les Miserables,’” said Theatre III publicist Tom Melander.
Like that play, “Jane Eyre: The Musical” reflects contemporary sentiments but strives to stay true to the darkly rich atmosphere of the story’s era.
Melander observed, “The music is meant to convey the story. I think there is a lot of resonance in the style of music as well as the play.” (Margaret Smith)

Bloomberg reviews the current London exhibition Yes I No by Sam Taylor-Wood (more information on previous posts):

Upstairs at Mason's Yard, there is a series of photographs of terrain similar to that in Emily Bronte's 19th- century novel ``Wuthering Heights.'' These look a lot like the bleak landscapes minor Victorian painters often turned out (one in the Tate, titled ``The Joyless Winter Day'' by Joseph Farquharson may give you the idea). (Martin Gayford)

According to the reviewer of the Newcastle Chronicle, Hayley Westenra's live rendition of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights is

the best version I have heard since the original. (Gordon Barr)

In the Spanish press, El Periodista Digital interviews the writer Eugenia Rico who confesses her obsession with the Brontë sisters. The Spanish newspaper Público publishes an article about a controversial study about the discrimination of female sport in the media. The particular votes of some of the members of the Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucía contain a Brontë reference:

¿[Podría] alguien en su sano juicio suscribir una propuesta en los EEUU tendente a matizar, reducir o suprimir las retransmisiones televisivas más vistas y sustituirlas gradualmente por el billar o un poquito de esgrima?". (...)"Con toda probabilidad, pasaría a formar parte, con Jack Nicholson, del reparto de Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco o, directamente, irse al piso de arriba de Jane Eyre". (Google translation) (Olivia Carballo)

El Cultural interviews Margaret Atwood who insists in her economical theory of Wuthering Heights:

Me convertí en victoriana. Ése fue mi campo de estudio en la Universidad, fue la época por excelencia en que las tramas giraron en torno al dinero y la gente estaba empantanada en estallidos de capitalismo. Cumbres borrascosas está guiada por el dinero: Heathcliff gana una fortuna y regresa para comprar la casa a sus anteriores dueños. A Madame Bovary podría haberle ido bastante bien si se hubiera mantenido dentro de su presupuesto. No fue el adulterio, sino las deudas, lo que la hundió. (Google translation)

Heliothaumic posts about Jane Eyre and uploads an original illustration. And finally, Oxford reader posts an enthusiast review of Justine Picardie's Daphne.

Categories: Art-Exhibitions, Books, Brontëites, Jane Eyre, Music, Theatre, Wuthering Heights