Greying up Mr Rochester

Michael Fassbender seems to have embarked on a long, long round of interviews. The Huffington Post asks him about his forthcoming role as Mr Rochester.

[Erica Abeel]: You're extremely handsome and gifted. How is that luck?
MF: A lot of gifted people out there, but there's a large portion of luck ... I'm also doingJane Eyre directed by Cary Fukunaga ("Sin Nombre"). It will be interesting to see what kind of angle he'll take on it.
EA: Aren't you too young for Mr. Rochester?
MF: I'll grey up a little. Then a film with David Cronenbourg, "The Talking Cure." I'll be working with Christoph Walz and Keira Knightley. It's about the triangle between Freud, Jung and his patient Sabina, a patient of both of theirs, written by Christopher Hampton.

A couple of news outlets look at different ways of adapting the Brontës for new readers. The Los Angeles Times, reviewing the graphic novel Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, looks back at the origins of the genre.

Back in 1941, a Russian immigrant named Albert Lewis Kanter had (literally) a novel idea for the fledgling medium of the American comic book -- he launched Classics Illustrated, a series that lived up to its name by converting "Ivanhoe," "Jane Eyre," "The Iliad" and scores of other bookshelf familiars into funny-book fodder. (Geoff Boucher)

And The Valley Advocate discusses Real Reads and whether Mark Twain can be thus condensed:

Publisher Real Reads is British, and the series, which includes retold works by authors like Jane Austen and the Brontes, is aimed at new speakers of English in places like Turkey, India and China, not just kids. (James Heflin)

You can check out our review of the Real Reads Brontës here.

Quite a novel way of adapting the Brontës is certainly dance. The Yorkshire Post has an article and a podcast on Northern Ballet, the company that recently toured the UK with their take on Wuthering Heights.

An alert from Henderson, Nevada:

Book club discusses 'Wuthering Heights'
Jan 13, 2010
The Green Valley Library is at 2797 North Green Valley Parkway in Henderson. They have lots of programs and events for children scheduled. (Nevada Public Radio)

And The Telegraph does a roundup of the 'latest deals, discounts and last-minute offers on cottages, hotels, guest houses and attractions in Britain'. One of them happens to be in Haworth.

Brontë escape
The Old Registry (01535 646503, http://www.theoldregistryhaworth.co.uk/) in Haworth has a deal for fans of the Brontë sisters’ novels. Based in the village they grew up in (and found inspiration for classic works such as Jane Eyre, Shirley and Wuthering Heights), the hotel has tariffs starting from £60 (saving up to £60) per night per room, including breakfast. Based on two adults sharing a room. Valid throughout January. (Jolyon Attwooll)

As for blogs, Jane Eyre is discussed by This Pilgrim's Progress, C3AuthorSpot and In the Hands of God. Auroraevenstar has created a few icons inspired by Jane Eyre 2006. Laura's Reviews - the blog that created the All About the Brontës Challenge - posts about music inspired by the Brontës - a nice companion for those taking part in the challenge, no doubt. Factoidz writes about Charlotte Brontë.

Categories: Books, Dance, Haworth, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, Weirdo, Wuthering Heights