Becoming Brontë

Penguin Classics on Air has uploaded several audio files with interesting information about Sheila Kohler's Becoming Jane Eyre.

Becoming Brontë
Elda Rotor talks with Sheila Kohler, author of the novel Becoming Jane Eyre about how the story of the Brontë sisters — Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, and their best known works — Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey inspired her beautifully imagined tale, and with scholar Juliette Wells about teaching the classic works by the Brontë sisters.

A very interesting interview for Brontë fans in general and Becoming Jane Eyre readers in particular, as Sheila Kohler shares her views and impressions on the Brontës as well as providing insight into the creative process that went into the book: the story, her characters, both the Brontës and her minor characters, etc.

We beg to differ, though, when she says that, 'we don't have much irony in Charlotte Brontë'. Perhaps not so much when compared to Jane Austen - which is what Sheila Kohler is doing - but the irony is there all the same, in our opinion. Juliette Wells, which also touches on this subject again in comparison to Jane Austen, makes the same point as Sheila Kohler, though. Juliette Wells also talks about her book The Brontës in the World of the Arts, Anne and Branwell, and the Brontës' influence in pop culture.

If you are interested in listening to Sheila Kohler herself reading and talking about her book, this is a list of her next public readings:

1/30/2010 6:00 PM
Reading at Canio's in Sag Harbor, NY
2/2/2010 7:00 PM
Sheila Kohler & Edmund White in conversation about Becoming Jane Eyre - MERCANTILE LIBRARY, New York
2/8/2010 6:30 PM
Reading at ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNION -Washington, DC
4/20/2010 7:00 PM
Reading at PORTER SQUARE BOOKS - Cambridge, MA
4/24/2010 2:00 PM
Reading at JOSEPH-BETH BOOKSELLERS - Lyndhurst, OH

Besides Laura's Reviews contest where you can obtain a copy of Sheila Kohler's book, The Bookreporter has also a Valentine's contest where copies of Becoming Jane Eyre, the Penguin Deluxe omnibus edition of Three Novels: Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights and many other books are being given away.

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