Buñuel in a Penguin contest

A contest and an exhibition:
1. The contest:

13th Annual Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

With an unbeatable lineup of over 300 of the greatest literary works the world has ever known, Signet Classics is the publisher that students, education professionals, and the public turn to more than any other. Now, Signet Classics is proud to host its thirteenth annual Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest, in which five high school juniors or seniors can each win a $1,000 scholarship award to be used toward their higher education plus a Signet Classics library for their school! Students enter by writing an essay on one of four topics posed for this year's competition book, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Essay Subject: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Select one of the following four topics:

1. Erica Jong, in her "Introduction," in the Signet Classic edition, states:

The universe of JANE EYRE operates according to female laws. Jane's success as a heroine depends on her breaking all the rules decreed for nineteenth-century women." (p. viii).

To what extent is Jane Eyre an appropriate heroine for the feminist movement? In what ways, if any, does she fall short? Give examples from the novel to support your conclusions.

2. In outline, the novel is a Victorian update of the Cinderella story; a non-descript young woman, poor and abused, catches the eye of a Prince Charming, powerful and wealthy. After a series of obstacles, she marries him, and they live happily ever after. Do you regard the Jane/Rochester story as a fairy tale? If so, discuss the reasons for your opinion. What elements make their love affair seem like a fantasy? Or, do you believe the love between them is realistic? If so, what accounts for their strong attachment to each other despite the differences between them?

3. Discuss the elements of "paranormal" or supernatural experiences in the novel. Use specific examples to illustrate the way characters' dreams and visions help advance the narrative, reveal psychological complexity, build suspense and evoke sympathy for the characters? You may also discuss the ways such elements enhance (or detract from) the overall realism in the novel.

4. Discuss the issue of social class in the novel. What overt or implied class differences exist between Jane, the governess, and her employers and her young charges? How is Jane's status different from that of other servants in the household? Use specific scenes that illustrate the social system that existed.

Open to 11th and 12th grade full-time matriculated students who are attending high schools located in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, or home-schooled students between the ages of 16-18 who are residents of the United States and the District of Columbia.

Click here to read the Official Rules. But bear in mind that to be eligible, all entries must be postmarked by April 15, 2009 and received on or by April 22, 2009. Winners will be notified by June 15, 2009 via telephone or e-mail.
2. And an exhibition in Lleida, Spain (which has been previously shown in Estoril, Portugal). An exhibition in photographs taken by Luis Buñuel when he was looking for locations for his films. It includes several of Abismos de Pasión: the Hacienda de San Francisco Cuadra in Taxco.

Del 18/03/2009 al 15/04/2009
Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs i Centre Llatinoamericà de Lleida
Lloc: Sala Gòtica Mèxic fotografiat per Luís Buñuel

Aquesta exposició posa de manifest, tal com encertadament assenyala Claudio Isaac, l’escrupulós treball, previ al rodatge, fet per Buñuel. Aquestes fotografies, realitzades per trobar les diverses localitzacions on filmar els exteriors de les seves pel.lícules, complementen el minuciós treball portat a terme en l’escriptura dels guions, també expliquen el precís mètode amb el qual filmava el senyor Luis, mètode que li permetia rodar amb rapidesa (sempre sense superar el temps previst), contribuint així al baix cost de les produccions que va dirigir, les quals constitueixen el requisit fonamental per tal de poder realitzar una obra personal, un cinema d’autor que aconsegueix salvar les limitacions imposades per la indústria cinematogràfica, capaç de treballar amb una relativa llibertat per filmar unes pel.lícules que ja s’han convertit en clàssiques. (Javier Espada) (Google translation)

Categories: Art-Exhibitions, Contest, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Wuthering Heights