A press release from the Brontë Parsonage Museum:More information on The Telegraph & Argus and The Heart of Haworth.Brontëana Surgery at the Brontë Parsonage Museum
The Brontë Parsonage Museum is interested in speaking to anyone who thinks they may own household artefacts, books, drawings or letters that they believe to have belonged to the Brontë family or that have connections with the Brontës or historic Haworth
Throughout October the Brontë Parsonage Museum will be offering free, expert advice on such material to people living in and around Haworth. In addition to finding out what important Brontë or Brontë-related items might still be in private hands, the museum is also keen to encourage local people to use the museum’s resources to find out more about items in their possession and have the opportunity to benefit from conservation advice.
This unusual move comes as part of a programme of community events currently taking place following a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to the museum. The grant will also support new developments to the historic rooms of the Parsonage in January 2010, including new displays focusing on the Haworth community in which the Brontës lived. Further information on this project is available at www.theheartofhaworth.blogspot.comIt is well known that various pieces of ‘Bronteana’ passed into the hands of local families following an auction of Brontë household items which took place in Haworth after Patrick Brontë’s death in 1861. Obviously we’re keen to know what if anything is still out there, but also to offer information and advice to anyone who is lucky enough to own items connected with the Brontës or Haworth in the Brontës’ time. (Andrew McCarthy. Director of the Brontë Parsonage Museum)Anyone wanting to know more about items they own or take advice on cotbrnservation can contact the museum anytime in October. All enquiries will be dealt with strictly confidentially. In the first instance, contact Ann Dinsdale, Collections Manager, Brontë Parsonage Museum - a.dinsdale AT bronte.org.uk 01535 640198 www.bronte.info.
ATTACHED IMAGE – A page from the 1861 sale catalogue accompanying the auction of Brontë household items which took place in Haworth after Patrick Brontë’s death.
I feel badly, actually, that they’re forced to read me. Then again, I don’t think it’s the high school kids who are in trouble with literacy. I think it’s the adults. The percentage of adults in this country who read hardcover fiction is less than 1 percent. For some reason, when you look on planes, it’s women who are reading the novels. My son had to read “Jane Eyre” and he was disgusted –- “Jane Eyre” is an excellent novel! (Julie Steinberg)
Students who like Jane Eyre in the Westhampton Beach News, weddings at Oakwell Hall on De Havilland, Booklist mentions Syrie James's The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, Echostains comments on the recent appearance of a possible Charlotte Brontë's Bible on BBC1's Antiques Roadshow: Bought from a dealer in the 1920s or 30s for 50.00, the bible is crammed packed with tiny notes by Charlotte. The expert authenicated the writing as Charlottes, dating the bible from about 1845. It’s estimated value? between £15,000 and £20,000!EDIT:
She had been consulted by experts on the Antiques Roadshow about a bible thought to be annotated byThe article was wrong in saying annotated by Patrick Brontë instead of by Charlotte Brontë.PatrickCharlotte Bronte which eventually turned out not to behisher handwriting. (Clive White)
Literary Biography by Michael Benton, a book which features a lot of Brontë references, is out this month:Literary Biography: An IntroductionIncludes:
Michael Benton
ISBN: 978-1-4051-9446-4
Hardcover
280 pages
October 2009, Wiley-Blackwell
Literary Biography: An Introduction illustrates and accounts for the literary genre that merges historical facts with the conventions of narrative while revealing how the biographical context can enrich the study of canonical authors.
* Provides up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of issues and controversies in life writing, a rapidly growing field of study
* Offers a valuable biographical and historical context for the study of major classic and contemporary authors
* Features an interview with Wilfred Owen's biographer, Dominic Hibberd; a gallery of literary portraits with commentaries; close readings that illustrate the differences between fiction and biography; speculation about likely future developments; and detailed suggestions for further reading
2. Life [Hi]Stories: Telling TalesCategories: Biography, Books, Scholar
Aspects of Narrative
(i) Beginnings: Charlotte Brontë
4. Literary Biomythography
Biomythography
Myth-Making: The Brontë Paradigm
(i) Facts: Selection and ‘Spin’
(ii) Fact into Fiction
(iii) Fiction into Myth
(iv) Myth into ‘Faction’
(v) Demythologising the Brontës
6. Literary Biography and Portraiture
Sister Arts
(x) Branwell’s Ghost: Branwell Brontë’s Portrait of his Three Sisters
We are, apparently, scrabbling around for what biologists call "genetic benefits" and "resource benefits". Genetic benefits are the genes that produce healthy children. Resource benefits are the things that help us protect our healthy children, which is why women sometimes like men with big houses. Jane Eyre, I think, can be read as a love letter to a big house.You see, the actual drama at the end of Jane Eyre is not that Mr Rochester is crippled and blind, but that Thornfield, Jane's true love, is burnt to the ground.
Like the manuscripts of Charles Dickens that showed the genesis of David Copperfield, or the poems of Emily Brontë that hint at Heathcliff, sketchbook doodlings revealed by The Times today show how Nick Park created Wallace and Gromit. (Will Pavia)Absolutely. That is exactly why the fact that we have no manuscript original of Wuthering Heights is so sad.
The show was in just the right venue: Val Wiseman, at the mike beneath gothic arches, made frequent references to her musings on Patrick Brontë, about how he would have walked where she walked in Dewsbury Minster, about what he might think of the music. Her personal engagement (dating back to childhood) was total, which resulted in her effectively bringing to life through narrative and song such characters as Blanche Ingram from Jane Eyre, Helen Huntingdon from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights. There were many references to and quotes from Brontë texts in her lyrics (I particularly liked her take on Blanche), and she explained all the contexts more than adequately for the benefit of those in the audience who might not be as fully acquainted with the poetry and the novels as herself. (Richard Wilcocks)Categories: Jane Eyre, Music, Weirdo, Wuthering Heights
Minot-Sleeper Library, Bristol, NHTuesday, September 29 in Florida:
The Monday Morning Book Group is reading WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte for their September selection.The discussion is September 28th, 10:00 a.m. at the library. There is still time to pick up a copy and join us for the discussion.
Course Detail: OSLHA013 - Brontë SistersWednesday, September 30 in Florida (again):
University of South Florida
What were the Bronte sisters really like? What was their relationship to each other, and to outsiders? This study group will look at the lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte. We will cover aspects of their lives and the times in which they lived. Particular attention will be paid to three of their novels: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. These suggested readings will enhance class lectures and discussion. (Literature & Writing)
Instructor
William Scheuerle, PhD Victorian Literature, Syracuse University, is Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus, USF. He recently served as Director of the Humanities Institute, College of Arts and Science, USF.
Schedule: Tu from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
09/29/09 - 11/17/09
Location: Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church
2902 W Fletcher Ave, Tampa, FL 33618
Dinner and a Movie
Enjoy dinner at Daytona State College's Cafe 101 and follow up with a comfortable seat in the Southeast Museum of Photography's Madorsky Theater for a look at the classic films of 1939. Seventy years have passed and these landmark features (all having received Academy Award nominations that year) still shine on. See them in pristine large-screen restored condition with full cinema quality picture and sound.
September 30, 2009 7:00 pm
Wuthering Heights (1939) is one of the greatest romantic love stories ever filmed, from Emily Bronte's tragic Victorian novel. An abandoned orphan Gypsy boy Heathcliff is taken in by a well-to-do 19th century English family. He becomes their stable boy and falls in love with the family's spoiled young daughter. 104 min. (Dir. William Wyler)
The Southeast Museum of Photography is a service of Daytona State College
1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. (Building 1200) Daytona Beach, FL, 32114
UTA 299 L'écriture des femmes d'ici et d'ailleurs (groupe 39)More information on Le Messager La Salle.
Deux continents, deux époques
Carole Lamoureux, M. en études littéraires
En explorant les œuvres de quatre auteurs (Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Germaine Guèvremont et Anne Hébert) ayant vécu à diverses époques et en des lieux différents, il s’agira de soulever les thèmes et les signes textuels participant à leur vision du monde.
Les mercredis de 13 h à 15 h 30, du 30 septembre au 21 octobre
(durée : 10 heures – 4 rencontres)
Endroit :Mairie de l’arrondissement LaSalle, 55, rue Dupras, local 504
(Bing translation)
Tonight on BBC1, Antiques Roadshow broadcasts the episode which features Charlotte Brontë's Bible:Fiona Bruce takes the team to the Lancashire coast for a busy day in the magnificent Blackpool Tower Ballroom.Anorak suggests creative alter egos for known sexual positions:
Objects under discussion include a bible containing handwritten extracts from Charlotte Bronte; powerful images drawn under fire by a war artist; and a boot sale brooch that makes the owner want to scream with delight when she hears the valuation.
So when your lover is wild in bed she’s one person and when she’s a cosy cuddler she’s another. Forget pet names for sexual organs, time to give yourselves alter egos for every sexual position. Missionary sex should be termed “Jane Eyre”[.]We assume missionary here is not an allusion to St John Rivers (or then again maybe it is).
Name 3 favorite books/series and why you think everyone should read them.The soprano Jacqueline Quirk has uploaded to her Facebook page and to YouTube a video with a 2008 recording of Bernard Herrmann's I Have Dreamt (from his Wuthering Heights opera). The pianist is Louis Menendez.
Everyone should read these just because they're so awesome: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause, the Chaos Walking books by Patrick Ness, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Ramble: Wuthering Heights from HaworthCategories: Haworth
Is ta the'ere, owr Heathcliffe, sithee?!
Date Sun 27th Sep 2009
Time 10:15am
Location Haworth BD22 8DR
Meet Church steps
Cost £8 Member, £9 Guest
Host Volunteer Walk Leader: Caroline Prosser
This relatively short route takes us from the honey-pot village of Haworth, up onto the bleak moorland that inspired the Bronte novel ‘Wuthering Heights’. At this time of year, we should see the best of the early autumn heather.
Setting out from the church, we pass the parsonage that was home to the Bronte sisters, and then begin a climb which leads out above Lower Lathe reservoir, to Bronte Bridge. From here the route climbs steeply for a final longish ascent to Top Withins – the derelict farmhouse believed to have been the location of the fictional ‘Wuthering Heights’.
Our return route follows the Pennine Way, heading eventually into the village of Stanbury, from where we begin to circle back to Haworth. For those travelling from further afield (and perhaps those locally based as well?) we should be back in the village with time to spare for anyone wanting to have a good look around – or perhaps head for one of the many teashops on offer!
Grade: 3; Distance: approx. 7 miles
An alert for today, September 27. A new chance to see Grazia Deledda & Emily Brontë - Fiamme del paradiso by Rita Atzeri in Elmas, Cagliari (Italy).Domenica 27 settembre 2009, alle ore 20, andrà in scena presso il cortile della casa comunale di Elmas, la nuova produzione de Il crogiuolo “Grazia Deledda & Emily Brontë - Fiamme del paradiso”, realizzata per l'Istituto Superiore Etnografico della Sardegna, che è anche coproduttore dello spettacolo. L'iniziativa è organizzata dall'associazione culturale L'alambicco ed è parte della manifestazione "Festa dei lettori 2009". (Bing translation)Aprile interviews director Clara Murtra:
Fiamme del Paradiso nasce dalla lettura del libro "Grazia Deledda, temi, luoghi, personaggi (ed. Iris, 2005)". In questo saggio, nel capitolo dedicato al ruolo che la scrittura ebbe nella biografia della scrittrice nuorese, Angela Guiso traccia un parallelo tra la Deledda e la Brontë, sottolineando il valore salvifico della cultura e della conoscenza nella vita e nelle opere. Grazia Deledda ed Emily Brontë nacquero in due isole molto lontane tra loro: la Sardegna e l'Inghilterra, nel "cuore" di queste isole - la Barbagia e lo Yorkshire.Categories: Emily Brontë, Theatre
Interpretato da Clara Murtas (Grazia Deledda), Rita Atzeri (Emily Brontë ) e dal danzatore Franco Casu, con la colonna sonora di Giuseppe Baldino e scene e costumi di Marco Nateri, lo spettacolo, rispetto al libro, cambia il centro della circonferenza emotiva che ruota, invece, intorno al desiderio, comune alle due autrici, di innalzarsi spiritualmente senza perdere l'aderenza alla "terra". Un percorso caro alle interpreti ed in particolar modo alla regista Clara Murtas, come si evince dal tono dell'intervista che ha voluto concedere ad Aprileonline.
Clara, sei protagonista di un duetto al femminile con la Atzeri, in cui interpretate Grazia Deledda ed Emily Brontë. Una necessità di ricordare o piuttosto di far rivivere un fuoco, di lasciare che un vento che mai si spegne continui a mantenere rovente quanto le due straordinarie scrittrici ci hanno lasciato?
Il mio vuole essere un promemoria per ricordare a tutti l'importanza della poesia e la funzione del poeta in questo mondo. Spesso si dice che il poeta vive fuori dalla realtà e con ciò si allude al fatto che non produca niente di tangibile e di utile ma bisognerebbe parlare piuttosto di una sua difficoltà di adattamento alla realtà convenzionale perchè egli sente e contempla la realtà vera che è quella poetica, una fiamma che perennemente brucia senza consumare e che alimenta la vita.
Come si porta una parola che nasce poetica e letteraria in scena? Che tipo di adattamento è stato fatto?
Tutto viene dalla capacità di immaginazione. La parola di queste due artiste unita alla loro biografia ha la capacità di risuonare e di rispecchiarsi nell'immaginario di ognuno di noi; nel mio caso ha evocato sensazioni e significati della mia propria biografia ed è bastato costruire con le loro lettere, i diari e le poesie, un dialogo indiretto tra le due artiste, un percorso parallelo condivisibile con tutto il pubblico. Questo grazie anche all'atmosfera creata da musiche registrate di autori dell'800 e contemporanei.
In cosa di quel sentimento ritrovi la tua passione artistica, che è di recitazione e di canto?
Tutto è poesia! nel senso che la ricerca dell'armonia nel mondo è poesia. E l'identificazione con tutti coloro che vedono un mondo invisibile dietro l'apparenza della cosiddetta Realtà mi suscita profonda com-passione che si trasforma in suono cantato o recitato. Per evitare l'autocommiserazione ho evocato in questo spettacolo il daimon delle due artiste interpretato dal danzatore franco Casu, ambiguo personaggio irreale che invece possiede la vera, reale visione delle cose che è sempre multiforme e contraddittoria... come una risata tra le lacrime.
Dove pensi sia il punto di rottura fra le società che queste due straordinarie letterate hanno vissuto e il nostro? Che contributo all'analisi del nostro tempo può dare la rievocazione di queste vite?
Purtroppo non è una riflessione consolante: a cinquant'anni di distanza la Deledda non trovò minori difficoltà della Brontë nell'affermare il proprio diritto di immaginare e descrivere le sue visioni. Però l'insegnamento che ne possiamo trarre è che ogni doloroso sforzo delle nostre antenate ha condotto le donne a rafforzare la loro autostima e possiamo vedere come in quell'epoca, tra la fine dell'800 e il primo 900, si ebbe una fioritura dell' ingegno femminile che costò sangue e lacrime ma che fu il solido gradino sul quale tutte noi siamo salite per costruire il gradino sul quale saliranno le nostre figlie.
In un suo celebre aforisma la Deledda, nella sua sottile e tagliente ironia, diceva "Se vostro figlio vuole fare lo scrittore o il poeta sconsigliatelo fermamente. Se continua minacciatelo di diseredarlo. Oltre queste prove, se resiste, cominciate a ringraziare Dio di avervi dato un figlio ispirato, diverso dagli altri". La sensibilità artistica può ancora oggi aiutare a sentire e a svegliare le coscienze in una forma alta, superiore, o il nostro tempo è troppo offuscato da desideri materiali che impediscono di guardare all'elemento spirituale individuale e collettivo con la necessaria dedizione?
Bene ti risponderò con le parole di Platone (Repubblica): "Quando tutte le anime si erano scelte la vita, secondo che era loro toccato , si presentavano a Lachesi. A ciascuna ella dava come compagno il genio (daimon) che quella si era assunto, perchè le facesse da guardiano durante la vita e adempisse il destino da lei scelto. Il daimon guidava l'anima anzitutto da Cloto: sotto la sua mano e il volgere del suo fuso, il destino prescelto è ratificato. Dopo il contatto con Cloto, il daimon conduceva l'anima alla filatura di Atropo per rendere irreversibile la trama del suo destino. Di lì senza voltarsi l'anima passava ai piedi del trono di Necessità ... ognuno vive nell'epoca necessaria a compiere il suo destino. (Renzo Francabandera) (Bing translation)
A GUIDED tour around Dewsbury explores the town in the era of Patrick Brontë.The Daily Mail reviews the Vintage Classics's Brontë Collection:
The free event is part of the celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of his arrival in the town this weekend.
The walk concludes with a guided tour of the Brontë connections at Dewsbury Minister, where food will be served.
Graham Hardy leads the walk from the town hall at 2.30pm.
He said: "I'll talk about how Dewsbury was when Patrick Brontë was curate at the Minster in the early years of the 19th century.
"At that time there was an open beck at Crackenedge Lane and Longcauseway.
"We'll look at the markets and talk about how they were in Patrick Brontë's day, before moving on up Grove Street to see Grove House. This was home of the Halliley family – Rachel Halliley was married to the Rev John Buckworth, who was vicar of Dewsbury at the time Patrick Bronte was curate."
The tour concludes at the minster, where Mr Hardy hands over to the Rev Elizabeth Lee who will give a tour of the building.
For information on the event call 01924 466076 or 457057.
Meanwhile a treasure hunt takes place in which Brontë fans can solve the Brontë puzzle by finding answers hidden in Dewsbury town centre shops.
Treasure Hunt clue sheets are available at the library, local shops now and to print click here . There will be a prize for the winner drawn from the correct entries. The closing date for entries is Monday October 5.
This beautifully designed box-set of four acclaimed novels by the Bronte sisters had me engrossed in Wuthering Heights for the first time since my school days.The Wuthering Heights Northern Ballet Theatre's tour is coming to Norwich. EDP24 has a reminder of the production:
The absolute wonder is how a shy and sheltered vicar's daughter could have conjured up such passion, violence and psychological torment from imagination alone.
Literature's most famous dysfunctional family endures child-abuse, kidnapping, wife-beating, marital rape, anorexia, alcoholism, forced marriage, madness, borderline necrophilia and the rantings of a monstrous anti-hero with absolutely no redeeming qualities.
One infant casually hangs puppies from a chair and a corpse is dug up for a final kiss. Having read this spooky and undisputed masterpiece, you sure wouldn't want to be roaming across the Yorkshire Moors on a dark and windy night. Marvellous. (Val Hennessy)
It's a timeless tale of obsessive love that's captured the imagination and tugged on the heart-strings of generations of romantics. Set against the brooding backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors, Emily Brontë's classic Wuthering Heights tells the story of Cathy and Heathcliffe. It's been told many times on screen, and back in 2002, Northern Ballet Theatre's then newly-appointed artistic director David Nixon collaborated with renowned composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, well-known for his West End hits Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, to bring the story to the stage.The Telegraph engrosses the list of reviews of Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs which quote Jane Eyre:
It's become a popular piece in NBT's repertoire, and this autumn it's being re-staged as part of the company's 40th anniversary celebrations.
On Tuesday the tour arrives at Norwich Theatre Royal, a venue which has long had links with NBT.
And former principal dancer Charlotte Talbot, who originally created the role of Cathy, has returned, this time working behind the scenes.
It's a ballet that is special to Charlotte in more ways than one. Not only did she get the chance to play one of literature's great romantic heroines, but she also met Claude-Michel, who became her husband.
“It's interesting for a dancer to go on the other side of the wall,” Charlotte says. “You have to know everything about the production - before I just had to know my part, but with this you have to deal with the bigger picture. When you re-stage the show you have to start from scratch and fit it all back together.”
And she's pleased with the result.
“It was a lot of hard work and we didn't have very long to re-stage it, but I think the dancers have really taken it to the next level,” she says. “I really enjoyed it. Hopefully I will be able to do something similar again.” (...)
Are there any characters in particular which she enjoyed playing?
“I've got a real soft spot for Cathy. It's a very demanding ballet, physically and emotionally. You've really got to portray the love story and make it realistic. It's exhausting. (Emma Lee)
Moore has been described as writing in the tradition of 19th-century realism, but her characters’ hyperaesthetic sense of the strangeness of life would make that an unlikely categorisation, even without the highly mannered concatenation of events that forms her novel’s climax. Moore herself mentions Jane Eyre as an influence on her novel, and certainly she has an interest in the Gothic tendencies of domestic life. (Jane Shilling)The power of a name is analysed in the Telegraph-Journal:
An unusual name is more difficult to remember. Why is this? You would think it would be more memorable. When I meet an Emma, however, I can endow her with the characteristics of Jane Austen's Emma. My great-grandmother was Emma, and from the stories I have heard, I can conjure up the new Emma as a feisty female. Emily has the characteristics of Emily Dickinson, Emily Carr and Emily Brontë: a spinster artist. (Nancy Bauer)NotiCine (Spain) reviews Aaron Schneider's film Get Low:
Como en "Cumbres borrascosas", el fantasma de su amada, le espera en el camino... (Patricia Sanmartín) (Bing translation)Der Westen (Germany) presents the German DVD release of Wuthering Heights 1998 and also has a giveaway right now offering three copies. Kristianstadsbladent quotes Charlotte Brontë talking about the handball player Jesper Larsson.
De 'moors' van Emily Brontë zijn de Kempen van Conscience. (Karl Van Den Broeck)(Google translation)The Jamaica Gleaner attributes to Emily Brontë (!) and Jane Austen the origins of the bodice ripper genre, the Liverpool Echo maybe goes too far quoting the Brontës as writers who have been inspired by Liverpool, Book Sanctuary and Chez Tom-tom (in French) reviews Jane Eyre, Becky's Book Reviews posts about Syrie James's The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, books i read, why i like them and why i dont vindicates the two novels by Anne Brontë, the (in)famous opinions of Charlotte Brontë about Jane Austen appear again on A Season with Austen and Paixão por Livros (in Portuguese) compiles several Jane Eyre editions and movie adaptations.
In a special screening directly addressed to kids, today, September 26, at the British Film Institute:Jane Eyre by Robert StevensonAlso, the Museum of London offers the following walking tour:
With Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine
Sat 26 Sep 13:50 NFT2
Bronte's classic novel is given the full Hollywood treatment in this moody, atmospheric production. Jane Eyre has little family and is brought up in the household of her aunt Mrs Reed in a cold, unloving environment. She leaves her difficult childhood and moves to Thornfield Manor where she is to be governess to the ward of Mr Rochester, a mysterious, charismatic man with an unpredictable disposition. Before long, Jane finds herself at risk from the secret of Rochester's world and, by staying, she may be putting herself in terrible danger.
Women in the CityIf you are in London, a combination of both events could be quite a treat!
Sat 26 Sep, 11am – 1pm
Book in advance £8
Discover the women who left their mark on the male dominated City, despite all the odds. On this walk we'll discover the church where world famous author, Agatha Christie, worshipped and based one of her most famous characters on the vicar. We'll also see where the Bronte sisters revealed themselves as female authors much to the amusement of their publisher! We'll follow the life and trial of Lady Jane Grey, Queen for just 9 days, and see where Elizabeth Fry lived whilst campaigning for prison reform. Learn about other queens, the only Lady Lord Mayor and more influential women who make up the cast list for this illuminating women in the City walk.
Here is Charlotte Brontë, laid low with fashionable hypochondria, but genuinely laid genuinely low, suffering "advanced torment [which] in its most dramatic and richly-imagined forms seems even to have defined a late version of the Gothic imagination and a vision of the creative temperament stymied, isolated or in exile". (Michael Bywater)And from The Telegraph:
By Brontë’s day it had become a form of depression. She worried about her health since her four sisters had died young – Maria and Elizabeth from typhoid, Anne and Emily from consumption. For Freud it was a neurosis with sexual connotations, a “state of being in love with one’s own illness”. (Cassandra Jardine)Here's another review. In this case of Gaile Petursson-Hiley’s dance piece Brontë. Winnipeg Uptown Magazine gives it an A-.
Lives of quiet desperation often speak volumes. Winnipeg choreographer Gaile Petursson-Hiley gave voice to Victorian-era sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, whose brooding, windswept novels such as Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre lit her imagination and inspired her newest full length production, Brontë.The Syracuse New Times has an article on the work of 19th-century artist James E. Freeman, currently on display at Munson-Williams-Proctor (Utica, NY).
The abstract contemporary work opened at the Rachel Browne Theatre for a three-show run, Sept. 18 through 20, performed by a strong company of dancers: Kristin Haight, James Phillips, Brock Adams, Kathleen Price Hiley and Darby Gibbs. The 62-minute show also featured an evocative lighting design by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Robert Mravnik, as well as the choreographer's own ruffled costumes and a set design consisting of stacks of antiquated books that rose out of the stage like tombstones.
The long-time Winnipeg dancer is well known for her imaginative, earlier works such as Cherry Blossom Pink (2002) and her last major show, Faeries (2006), produced by the company she co-founded with Stephanie Ballard. Her latest creation takes viewers on a darker, more intense journey right into the heart of Victoriana, where unbridled passion always lurks just below the surface.
Once the more introspective show heats up, its layers of multiple perspectives intrigue by blurring the line between reality and fiction. Petursson-Hiley's artful attention to subtle detail - such as Gibbs dreamily resting her head on a stack of books during Haight's and Phillips' stormy duet - suddenly shifts the focus and challenges whether you are witnessing emotional truths or merely hazy characters born from the Brontës' (and choreographer's) fertile imaginations.
A riveting duet between Phillips and Adams crackles with the intensity of a Spanish bullfight as their relationship morphs between sparring rivals and simpatico partners. Seeing Adams poignantly cradling Phillips like a Pietà figure near the end underscores the testosterone-fueled tension with heartrending tenderness, as does a later solo by Phillips that evokes the expressive poetry of a soliloquy. Petursson-Hiley does not shy away from gritty emotion, but embraces it in all its colours and endless complexities.
The omnipresent texts are imaginatively incorporated throughout the non-narrative work, used alternatively as stepping-stones and skates, or slammed together to punctuate the choreographer's angular movement vocabulary like raw exclamation points.
Perhaps the most potent image in Brontë is the dancers inscribing lines in thin air like cryptic messages in a bottle. It's as if the medium becomes the message itself. Our task is not to interpret the literal meaning of the words, Petursson-Hiley seems to suggest, but rather to wonder at the power of creativity that allowed three Victorian women to ultimately endure - and transcend - their all too bleak and gloomy lives. (Holly Harris)
But at the height of his abilities, Freeman seemed to fade from American thought. He continued to live and work in Italy, but capricious American tastes in art did not fully value the “cult of sensibility.” Similarly, works by authors Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters were brushed aside as sentimental fluff at the time.We don't know about Freeman, but we are very sorry to say that in some circles Jane Austen and the Brontës are still dismissed as exactly that.
Lucky me, I got to stay with old friend, bon vivant and former long-time Whistlerite, Jan Gavin, at her charming home surrounded by an even more charming garden in Hampshire. It was fascinating to meander through Jane Eyre's house nearby... (Glenda Bartosh)We confess to having thought for a few secons of some sort of fake, theme-park-y Jane Eyre house until of course it dawned on us that Hampshire is where Jane AUSTEN's house is. And isn't it sad to actually 'meander' through a place and not be even capable of remembering its - famous - 'owner's' name?
Class time was mostly a call-and-response between a droning professor and a chorus of furious notebook scribbles, occasionally interrupted by an eager-beaver who once raised his hand and referred to Heathcliff as "an African-American." (Alec Mouhibian)On the blogosphere, Blogging for Books reviews Wuthering Heights and Ángeles de Cenizas (in Spanish) selects it as book of the week. Just Like in the Movies writes about Wuthering Heights "1972" (it's actually 1970, the one with Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff)) and its kitchen. Little Changes for a Lazy Lady posts about Jane Eyre. BookNAround reviews Syrie James's The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë. The Bookish Kind recommends a book on the Brontës called The World of the Brontës by Jane O'Neill. And finally, Cara Lockwood - author, among others, of Wuthering High - is interviewed by Bring Back Bard:
3. What did you do to make the characters your own?Categories: Books, Brontëites, Charlotte Brontë, Dance, Jane Eyre, Weirdo, Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff (from Wuthering Heights) has always fascinated me as a character. In Emily Bronte's book, he is pretty much a villian who seeks revenge on those who have wronged him. But I always found his character tragic. His revenge, after all, is fueled by heartbreak. It's the loss of his true love Catherine that makes him ruthless. I was really interested in the idea of trying to redeem him. He has a great capacity to love, is fiercely loyal and a great survivor. So in Wuthering High, I gave him the opportunity to make different choices. The result, I think, is that he's a very strong, very compelling romantic hero.
The Cheltenham Literary Festival and Mills & Boon organize a survey and a contest:Here you can vote and choose among others, Heathcliff or Rochester.Does Heathcliff set your heart racing? Or does Darcy make you swoon?
Mills & Boon are heading to the Literature Festival to answer the ultimate question: who is the nation’s favourite literary hero? Launching today, Mills & Boon’s survey seeks to discover which literary hero is guaranteed to set temperatures soaring.
The list includes ten of the best romantic heroes – taken from works by Thomas Hardy to Jane Austen, from the debonair charm of Rupert Campbell Black to the dashing bravery of Richard Sharpe – take part online for the chance to win a fabulous Mill’s & Boon hamper filled with romantic books and champagne. Support your literary hero now!
The ultimate object of desire will be revealed at the Festival in Literary Heroes on 13th October. In true Mills & Boon style, the audience will be served pink champagne by ‘Butlers in the Buff’, after authors Stella Duffy, Katie Fforde, actress Virginia McKenna and best-selling Mills & Boon author Sharon Kendrick discuss their favourite leading men, and what makes an unforgettable literary hero.
Rubery Library, Birmingham, UKCategories: Alert, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights
We meet in the library on one Friday a month. Tea and coffee are available from 6.15pm and the meetings start at 6.30 pm until 7.30 pm.
September 25th, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Telegraph & Argus informs about the present status of the Old Schoolroom restoration project:Action is being taken to protect a listed building where the Bronte sisters and their brother taught, as campaigners prepare a bid to restore the famous building.Picture source: Keighley News: John Collinson and Averil Kenyon, of Brontë Spirit, view old photographs with Cllr Glen Miller in the Old Schoolroom.
The Keighley area committee has stepped in to help finance a new boiler at the Old Schoolroom in Haworth. It is being fitted to protect it over the winter – the old boiler is irreparable – as guardians of the building prepare to raise up to £250,000 towards the £1 million restoration.
They are now preparing bids to meet the balance of the cost to construct a roof, fit windows, install toilets and a kitchen and re-configure the inside.
Helping spearhead the project is John Collinson and Averil Kenyon of Haworth Church-based Bronte Spirit which has taken on the project.
The building, constructed by the Reverend Patrick Bronte, father of the famous sister novelists, Emily, Anne and Charlotte, in 1832, is owned by the church.
His three daughters and their brother Branwell taught at the school which catered especially for the poor of the parish. Mr Collinson said the project was expected to be completed within about two years.
The schoolroom was constructed in three phases – the original in 1832 and the others in 1850 and 1870.
Mrs Kenyon said: “The school room is one of the most important historical buildings in the area and must be conserved for the future.
“It’s a tribute to Patrick Bronte’s work in the village which was impressive.”
It was opened throughout August with an exhibition of photographs of old Haworth and attracted about 2,700 people, which campaigners say illustrates interest in the building.
Keighley Councillor Glen Miller, chairman of Keighley area committee, said: “All three ward members agreed to help fund the boiler because this is a self-help group and needs support.”
It became a weekday school in 1843 when he secured another grant for a salaried teacher and it closed as a school in 1903. (Clive White)
The Brontë Parsonage Museum is interested in speaking to anyone who thinks they may own household artefacts, books, drawings or letters that they believe to have belonged to the Brontë family or that have connections with the Brontës or historic HaworthTim Holland has an article on To The Center which quotes Shirley as an antecedent of the greedy Wall Street investors:
Throughout October the Brontë Parsonage Museum will be offering free, expert advice on such material to people living in and around Haworth. In addition to finding out what important Brontë or Brontë-related items might still be in private hands, the museum is also keen to encourage local people to use the museum’s resources to find out more about items in their possession and have the opportunity to benefit from conservation advice. (Read more) (Andrew McCarthy)
Almost daily one sees, hears and reads of the abuses and exploitations perpetrated by the residents of the financial community. The authors of these critical reports express outrage while their readers and listeners, who believe themselves to be the objects of the exploitation, are angered by the described callousness and selfishness of the financial manipulator. But why are the actions of the money seekers deemed to be such a surprise? Is all this something new we have not come in contact with before?The Bi-College News gives their opinion about the Wuthering Heights covers à la Twilight affaire:
In 1849, Charlotte Brontë’s second novel, "Shirley", was published. Set against an industrial backdrop in Yorkshire, England during 1811 and 1812, it was here that the fear and outrage of knitting craftsmen over the introduction of machinery designed to mass produce “stockings” at prices that would undercut the then weaving “cottage” industry, boiled over into violence. The mill owners were accused of lining their own pockets at the expense of the mill workers, who could no longer make a decent living. And so the “Luddite” movement raged through Yorkshire in an attempt to confront the businessman who would place his own personal wealth interest above the well-being of his workers and community.
"All men, taken singly, are more or less selfish; and taken in bodies they are intensely so. The British merchant is no exception to this rule: the mercantile classes illustrate it strikingly. These classes certainly think too exclusively of making money: they are too oblivious of every national consideration but of that of extending England’s (i. e., their own) commerce. Chivalrous feeling, disinterestedness, pride in honor, is too dead in their hearts. A land ruled by them alone would too often make ignominious submission – not at all from the motives Christ teaches, but rather those Mammon instills."
The quote above from Charlotte Brontë’s "Shirley" is a mild one as she explores the self interest of the mill owners and their flagrant appeal to patriotism in making sure England is first and dominant in matters of industry and commerce. The same arguments continue to be put forth (Wall Street must remain the center of the financial world) almost 200 years later and, to our peril, we embrace them.
Charlotte Brontë may not have been a trained economist or even one who made a study of “best practices” in the textile industry, however, as with so many great writers, she was a keen observer of the world in which she lived. Her vantage point was at ground level. “Many of them (tradesmen) are extremely narrow and cold-hearted, have no good feeling for any class but their own, are distant – even hostile to all others; call them useless; seem to question their right to exist; seem to grudge them the very air they breathe, and to think the circumstance of their eating, drinking, and living in decent houses, quite unjustifiable.” (...)
The personality traits and business practices outlined by Charlotte Brontë have not changed since "Shirley" was written and the concepts will not change over the next 200 years. To believe they will is truly foolish. There will be successes but they are always limited. Sooner or later something new will be introduced and the rules will not cover it. It is the very nature of the merchant to exploit the uncovered gap, as he would be remiss if he did not. Corporations are not human beings; they exist for a pure and simple object: profitability. It is the sworn duty of the corporate leader to maximize the objective of the company and will be held accountable for not doing so.
So while "Shirley" exposed an inconvenient truth about the emerging industrial age, Charlotte Brontë did not break new ground in analyzing the psychology of the pursuit of wealth. However, she stands as one of the “reminders” to us that there is no body of historical evidence that supports voluntary regulation as an effective means of protecting consumers, workers or even the country that spawns the industry.
Since its inception, the "Twilight" series has been infecting the pre-teen world like a terrifying zombie plague, turning those who succumb to it into rabid sparkly vampire fanatics who dream of having their own stalker vampire boyfriends and mythical creature love triangles. I could fill up the whole Opinion section just with a rant about how much I loathe this series, but "Twilight" was nice enough to give me a concise reason to hate it these days: its recent mutilation of "Wuthering Heights." (Read more) (Meena Seralathan)This vampire-Heathcliff obsession is becoming a tiring cliché. Today in the Telegraph, reviewing the TV series True Blood:
[Stephen] Moyer’s vampire is a tragic hero in the Heathcliff mould. The first time he appears on screen he is ordering a bottle of synthetic blood (O-neg, his favourite flavour) in a Louisiana bar. Dark-haired and deathly pale, he exudes a stillness and controlled intensity. His eyes lock with those of waitress Sookie (Anna Paquin), who informs him that they did have some, but no one ordered it, so it went off. 'You’re our first… vampire,’ she says. (Chris Harvey)A curious Brontë reference appears in this article about new S/F film remakes in Star-News:
Once again, we’re playing with paranoia about rapid, disorienting technological change. Surely things can’t work this perfectly all the time, and what happens when they don’t? (That thought occurred to me Saturday night, while I was watching a rerun of “Devotion,” the old Bronte sisters’ biopic, and Olivia de Havilland’s face suddenly pixelated.) (Ben Steelman)Terence Jenkins, author of Return, is interviewed in the Croydon Guardian:
The ex-teacher, whose favourite book is Wuthering Heights, writes every day, but finishing his debut book Return meant having to be disciplined. (Samantha Webster)And goTriad talks with the author Linda Beatrice Brown:
I was in a home where there were lots and lots of books. I was read to a lot by my father. He would read fairy tales, "Winnie-the-Pooh," children's books. Then when I was older, my sisters were big readers, too, and we used to read books together. We would have all read "The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" or "Wuthering Heights," and then we would talk about it. (Erin Rainwater)Vue Weekly reviews R. Sikoryak's Masterpiece Comics, Kiss a cloud reviews Agnes Grey, Jane Eyre is quoted in an article about e-readers in the Zionsville Times-Sentinel, Broadway World presents yet another production of The Mystery of Irma Vep:
Deconstructed Productions presents Charles Ludlam's comic masterpiece The Mystery of Irma Vep. This smart, clever, quick-change marathon ransacks literary and cinematic pop culture as it satirizes everything from Hitchcock's Rebecca to classic horror films (The Mummy, The Wolf Man) to literary classics like Wuthering Heights and Shakespeare.Let's finish this newsround with an appeal to our readers. If someone can disentagle this reference published in The Dominion Post about the New Zealand Fashion Week they will have our absolute admiration:
The Mystery of Irma Vep is co-produced by the WeHoChurch, and press previews on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 8:00 pm. Opening night is Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 8:00 pm. The show will run for a limited engagement, performing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 7:00 pm through October 11. The WeHoChurch Space is located at 916 North Formosa Avenue in West Hollywood, CA.
It was KGB meets the Zambesi style police on the moors of Wuthering Heights where trendy trampers and sporty rockers roam and play. (Carolyn Enting)Categories: Brontëana, Brontëites, Haworth, Movies-DVD-TV, References, Shirley, Theatre, Wuthering Heights
Branwell Brontë died 161 years ago, finding his much-needed peace at last. This year has seen him alive once again in the pages of several books dealing with his sisters in fictional tales. He's usually a secondary figure needing, nevertheless, to be treated very carefully, being after all a key figure too, bearing in mind that he was the driving force behind the 'scribblemania'. And yet, despite his own alter ego's incursions in fiction, we can hardly believe that he ever imagined himself as a character in a novel.Jane Eyre. The MusicalCategories: Jane Eyre, Music, TheatreThe Mary Gill Theatre at Chaparral High SchoolParker, CO
Performances on:
September 24 at 7:00pm- Meghan Damour as Jane
September 25 at 7:00pm- Shelby Shelby Van Houweling as Jane
September 26 at 1:00pm- Shelby Shelby Van Houweling as Jane
September 26 at 7:00pm- Meghan Damour as Jane
Jane Eyre is the story of an orphan girl who overcomes an abusive childhood and the death of her best friend to become the governess of Thornfield Hall. At Thornfield Hall, she falls in love with Edward Rochester, an Earl with a dark secret. On their wedding day she discovers his secret: he already has a wife, an insane lunatic hidden in the attic. Shocked, Jane flees to her childhood home, to find that her aunt is dying. Even though her Aunt had treated her cruelly as a child, Jane forgives her. In her absolution of her aunt, and the realization that she is someone who can love and be loved in exchange, she returns to Thornfield Hill, only to discover it has burned to the ground and Rochester has been blinded. Jane and Rochester are married and soon Rochester's sight partially returns so that he is able to see his new-born son.
The Cast
Jane Eyre -Meghan Damour & Shelby Van Houweling
Young Jane- Shannon Foley
Helen Burns- Jamie McPherson
Adele- Brittany Shaffer
Edward Rochester- Jake Miles
Blanche Ingram- Kaylee Lindahl
Bertha Mason- (The Figure) Elise Rivas
St. John Rivers- Clayton Porter
Rest of the cast
Crew
Director Jerry Vander Does
Rest of the crew
Sad and weird news for a start. Two members of the (horse) cast of Wuthering Heights 2009 were killed in a motorway accident, Castle (picture source, mounted by Andrew Lincoln) and Barbarella. From The Sun:FOUR horses - including two that starred in a recent hit telly movie - were killed on a motorway after scrap metal thieves stole the gates to their field.The Huddersfield Examiner gives more details concerning the Dewsbury Brontë Festival:
Eleven horses escaped and galloped on to the A1(M) when the crooks used oxyacetylene torches to remove two 25ft gates.
Three were mown down and died at the scene. A fourth was found close to death nearby, with two distressed but uninjured horses standing guard over it.
Among the dead animals were Barbarella, 12, and Castle, 15, which both appeared in last month's ITV1 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Tom Hardy.
Barbarella was ridden by Tom, who played Heathcliffe, and Castle by Andrew Lincoln, who played heroine Cathy's husband Edgar. (...)
The other two horses that died were seven-year-old ponies Ozzie and Charlie. Five horses made their way safely back to their field.
Sickened owner Sue Clark, 65, called the crooks "scumbags".
None of the people in five vehicles involved in Sunday's horror was injured but were "extremely shaken".
Police hunting the thieves at Timbertops Equestrian Centre near Wentworth, Pontefract, West Yorks, appealed for information on metal gates offered for sale.
Sue said: "They stole the gates for a few quid and caused the death of four horses. They could have killed people as well." (Alastair Taylor)
DESCENDANTS of the Brontë family will soon be back in Mirfield.The Halifax Evening Courier announces the official opening of the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms at Sowerby Bridge train station. A station with Brontë past:
David Millian is a relation of the Reverend Patrick Brontë’s brother William.
He will visit and stay in Mirfield and revisit his heritage.
Imelda Marsden from the Brontë Society said they will look round north Kirklees where Patrick and his famous literary daughters have connections.
She said: “I’ve been in touch with David since 2000 and it’s nice for him to be able to visit here.
“I’ll be showing him the school and the church which are central to the Brontë story.”
While here, Mr Millian will tour the Red House Museum in Gomersal and Oakwell Hall in Birstall.
He will also see Val Wiseman perform a musical Brontë tribute, Keeping the Flame Alive, at Dewsbury Minster on Friday September 25 at 7.30pm.
The event coincides with the Rev Patrick Brontë arriving in Dewsbury 200 years ago where he was a curate at Dewsbury Minster.
He will meet up with Sarah Brontë’s descendants and visit the Brontë grave at Whitechapel Church in Cleckheaton.
They will also visit the Hollybank Trust at Roe Head, Mirfield, where the Brontë sisters were educated. (Joanne Douglas)
It was the second station for Sowerby Bridge – the first was built in 1840 at the bottom of New Road, and was where Bramwell (sic) Bronte would have worked. (Cathy Neligan)Robert Jones, Jr links Jane Eyre to DC Comics' Wonder-Woman in a review of Secret Six (Issue 13) on Comic Book Resources:
There’s been this discussion of rage over in the main "Wonder Woman" title, and I think I’ve discovered its touchstone. It’s the same rage that was articulated brilliantly (and much to Virginia Woolf’s chagrin) in Charlotte Bronte’s "Jane Eyre." For the woman who is forced to rally against the unassailable forces that oppress her (and they are legion), rage is a weapon to be cherished rather than suppressed.The Age has an article about book-import laws in Australia. We are interested in its beginning:
Many of us love reading books. Some are published authors. A very few write so well, their books are read by generations. Presently, I am addicted (again) to Jane Eyre. (Natalie Hickey)On the Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates) we read an acknowledgement to a former professor for introducing the author to English literature, including Jane Eyre, The Times announces that ITV is seeking legal actions against STV for not airing, among others, Wuthering Heights 2009.
London Brontë Society member Val Wiseman who is a well know Jazz vocalist was voted best female Jazz singer in 2008. Is to perform at the Dewsbury Minster on Friday 25th September 2009 at 7.30pm, and launch a musical tribute to Rev Patrick Brontë and his famous family. Keeping the Flame Alive is a unique and moving and entertaining tribute to the Brontës Lives and work. Words and Lyrics sourced from Brontë Novels and Poems. This musical tribute presentation as brought history and literature alive in equal measure. Val as given the themes in the tribute a sharp modern relevance.More information about the CD can be found in this previous post of ours.
This show is must not to be missed both by Brontë enthuasts and for those who enjoy music, this is the first showing in Yorkshire, Bronte descendants form Rev Patrick Brontë brothers and sister to be present at the Dewsbury minster.
The CD KEEPING the FLAME Alive is on sale at the Brontë Parsonage museum shop and is also going to be in the Red House museum shop in Gomersal this as a Brontë connection. Charlotte Brontë visited and stayed there with her school friends family the Taylors.
The Brontë ConnectionThe Huddersfield Examiner has additional information:
20 and 27 September 2009 - 7:30 PM
Dramatic readings and commentspresented by Dewsbury Arts Group members.
Brontë Treasure Hunt
Monday 21st September 2009 until Monday 5th October 2009, 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Solve the Brontë puzzle by finding the answers hidden in Dewsbury Town Centre shops.
Dewsbury Town Centre
Pick up your Treasure Hunt Clue Sheet from Dewsbury Minster, Dewsbury Library and local shops. Prize for the winner drawn from the correct entries.
The Life and Times of Patrick Brontë in Dewsbury
Saturday 26th September 2009 until Saturday 17th October 2009, 9:30AM - 3:00PM
An exhibition exploring the life, work and impact of Patrick Bronte in Dewsbury
Patrick Bronte
In 1809, Patrick Brontë arrived in Dewsbury as Curate of the Parish Church. This informative exhibition explores Patrick's life, work and impact on the town at a pivotal time in Dewsbury's industrial life and heritage. Features Parish registers, costumes, displays and recorded stories.
Note: Refectory open until 2.30pm for meals and refreshments. [Church Services: Sun: 10.30am & 6.30pm. Weds: 12 noon]
Brontë Connections? - Family History Day
Saturday 26th September 2009, 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Do you have Brontë connections? The Huddersfield & District Family History Society will be at the Library to give help and advice on how to research your family tree and will also be exploring early 19th century records of Dewsbury when Patrick Brontë lived and preached in the Town.
Special Market - Costumed Traders
Saturday 26th September 2009, 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Dewsbury Market, with its fabulous Victorian Market Hall and the largest and most renowned open market in Yorkshire, was voted the Best Market in the UK in 2007. Traders join in the Town's Brontë celebrations by dressing in period costume.
An evening with Dr Juliet Barker
Saturday 26th September 2009, 7:30PM
An evening with the internationally renowned historian and distinguished biographer of the Brontes.
Brontë Walk
Sunday 27th September 2009, 2:30PM
This guided stroll around the town explores the Dewsbury of Patrick Brontë's era. The walk concludes with a special guided tour of the Brontë connections at Dewsbury Minster. Refreshments available. The walk lasts approximately one hour.
BRONTE lovers from all over the world will be descending on Dewsbury this month to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Patrick Bronte’s arrival in the town.EDIT: More information can be found in this article on BBC News:
The father of the famous Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Ann, came to Dewsbury in 1809 and spent two eventful years here as curate at Dewsbury Parish Church, now renamed Dewsbury Minster.
An exhibition depicting Patrick’s life is to be held in the church, and many other events are being organised by a special committee set up a year ago to plan the Bronte Festival. (...)
Renowned Bronte expert, Dr Juliet Barker, who wrote the widely acclaimed book, The Brontes will be visiting the town to talk on the life of Patrick and his family, and celebrated jazz singer Val Wiseman, will be paying a moving tribute to him in song.
Dewsbury Arts Group have organised a presentation on Patrick’s life in the town which they will be performing on two nights in Dewsbury Arts Centre.
Market traders will be wearing Victorian dress to mark the occasion, and historic walks around the town have been planned.
The organising committee, chaired by Mr Denis Ripley, are keen to tell the world Dewsbury played a far more significant role in the lives of the Bronte family than historians have ever given it credit for.
Mr Ripley said: “People may associate the Brontes with Haworth, but many believe the Bronte story started in Dewsbury.
“If Patrick hadn’t come to Dewsbury when he did, the Bronte family as we know it, may never have existed.”
There are many fascinating stories to tell about Patrick’s stay in Dewsbury and the effect he had in the town, including diving into the River Calder to save a drowning boy and tackling a thug who tried to disrupt a Whitsuntide
Another interesting Dewsbury connection to the Bronte story is the fact that it was a Dewsbury man, William Walsh Yates, editor of the Dewsbury Reporter for many years, who first proposed the formation of a Bronte Society and a Bronte Museum.
Mr Ripley added: “The first annual meeting of the Bronte Society was held in Dewsbury Town Hall, and Mr Walsh was responsible for collating much of the Bronte artefacts, including letters, drawings, manuscripts and personal relics, from the Dewsbury and Hartshead districts.
“He also wrote a book on Patrick’s stay in Dewsbury in an attempt to rectify an omission made by Mrs Gaskell, whose famous biography of Charlotte failed to mention he had spent two eventful years in Dewsbury and had a great influence on the development of Dewsbury itself.
“He came to Dewsbury from the south of England, but just imagine if he had stayed there. The chances are he would never have come to Yorkshire at all. Dewsbury certainly plays an import part in the Bronte story.”
The festival starts on Friday September 25 and continues on Saturday 26, Sunday 27 and throughout the following week.
As Dewsbury man Denis Ripley points out: "It was as a result of him coming here that the Yorkshire connection was launched and became famous worldwide!"
Denis should know, after all he's one of the people behind Brontë Dewsbury 200 - a weekend of celebrations held in September 2009 marking the town's links with the famous family - a a chance to put Dewsbury on the literary map.
As Denis explains: "Particularly since this started, I've read up quite a lot about the Brontës and very rarely does Dewsbury get a mention. Hopefully in future it will!"
So what brought Patrick Brontë to Dewsbury in the first place? Amateur local historian Graham Hardy explains that back in 1809 it seems that he was facing a choice between working in the West Riding or the much warmer climes of the West Indies. Perhaps surprisingly, Patrick chose Dewsbury!
Graham believes he decided on Dewsbury because it was believed to be fertile ground for 'spreading the word': "They regarded Yorkshire - which was just going through the throes of the Industrial Revolution at that time - as The Promised Land, the land where they were going to save souls."
There are people coming from all over the country. What else could we do that would pull them in like that?
Denis Ripley on Brontë Dewsbury 200
It wasn't long before Patrick Brontë made his mark on Dewsbury: "There was the occasion when a drunk tried to stop a Sunday School procession and Patrick Brontë unceremoniously threw the drunk into the ditch at the side of the road.
"There was also another occasion when Patrick was doing his Sunday evening meditation in the old vicarage by the side of the Minster and the church bell ringers decided to have an extra practice. Patrick was so upset about this that he seized his shillelagh [a large stick], dashed up to the belfry and actually drove them out!"
Denis Ripley adds that as well as saving souls, Patrick also saved someone's life: "He was walking along the River Calder and he met a group who were acting silly. One boy pushed another into the river. In spite of the fact that he couldn't swim, he jumped in and saved the boy."
Patrick Brontë was clearly no shrinking violet, but he was also - even in his early days in Dewsbury - a man of influence who wanted to right any wrongs which took place in the town.
Graham explains: "There was a young man called William Nowell who was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. It was claimed by another young man that William had enlisted in the army at Lee Fair - a gathering just outside Dewsbury. William denied this...but he was hauled before the magistrates and flung into prison as a deserter.
"Patrick was very upset about this so he got together some of the prominent members of the town, credible witnesses, and he wrote to Lord Palmerston, who was Secretary of State for War but who Patrick had known at Cambridge. Palmerston intervened, as well as [social reformer and anti-slave trade supporter] William Wilberforce.
"Between them the case was reviewed, William Nowell was freed and the chap who'd given the false evidence was transported to the colonies!"
Back in the 21st century, Graham says Brontë Dewsbury 200 was a big thing for the town: "In contrast to the bad publicity we've had over the past few years with suicide bombers and fake kidnappings and goodness knows what else, this is a town which has a rich cultural history and it's a place of interest to visit and to enjoy."
And Denis says, he's now hoping to attract Brontë fans from far afield: "There are people coming from all over the country. What else could we do that would pull them in like that? And once they start coming here, they'll keep coming!"
