Wuthering Heights meets Misery in Coronation Street

We have a few Austen-Brontë mentions today:

NorthJersey has an article (which might contain SPOILERS) on Michael Thomas Ford's book Jane Bites Back.

Jane has sent "Constance" to 116 different publishers and collected that many rejection slips. Living alone with her cat, Jane is still clever, sharp-tongued and self-possessed. She is also lonely. [...]
Life as a celebrity author is not all fun. A literary scholar named Violet Grey accuses Jane of plagiarism. She claims to have an original manuscript version of "Constance" and says it was the work of Charlotte Bronte! (Linda Esler)

The Northern Echo reviews the current Theatre Royal Bath production of Pride and Prejudice and the reviewer can't help but say that,

As someone who prefers the grittiness of Wuthering Heights, I confess to having a soft spot for Pride and Prejudice. It’s a story about class, prejudice, wealth and social position. (Ed Waugh)

Asian Age suggests a date with a romantic hero:

Sadly, I haven’t yet met a super suave Rhett Butler (Gone with the Wind) in real life, or the passionate and disturbed heroes created by the Bronte sisters. I’ve been searching in vain for the wonderful Mr Darcy from Pride & Prejudice. . . (Rupa Gulab)

And The Smith College Sophian's reviewer thinks Jane Austen ought to be thanked for giving her 'heart-shaped glasses'.

Perhaps it is Jane Austen who made me view the world through heart-shaped glasses, for I doubt very much that, had I read and adored the gothic novels of the Brontë sisters first, my glasses would be heart-shaped. (Lizzy Williams)

Queen's Journal has an article on 'the roots of the modern novel and the context from which it emerged' and Emily Brontë's bad choice of publisher seems to be a poignant case in point.

For Victorian novelists, getting their work published was a difficult process, [Catherine Harland, an English professor] said.
“Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights was first published by an incompetent and unscrupulous publisher, T.C. Newby, who delayed publishing the novel and then when it appeared it was full of errors,” she said. “She didn’t make any money from the publication.” (Madison Bettle)

We believe Anne Brontë's case would be even more poignant as she published two novels with him and never saw a penny. It wasn't until 1854 that George Smith managed to get him to pay to Charlotte some of the money he owed!

Pop culture and the Brontës these days wouldn't be the same without a reference to Shutter Island, so here goes courtesy of The Los Angeles Times:

The resulting novel was both a real departure for Lehane and a kitchen-sink of genres: anagrams that come from Poe, Brontës-style dark-and-stormy-night, B-movie psych-ward thriller, hard-boiled detective story, Golden Age "locked room" mystery, and a little Hitchcock to wash it all down. (Scott Timberg)

Another on-screen reference is expected to be featured in the British soap opera Coronation Street, according to The Mirror.

Norris (Malcolm Hebden) will be terrified by his own No1 follower Mary Taylor (Patti Clare) after he agrees to go on holiday with her to a remote cottage near Haworth where the Brontes wrote their novels.
She sabotages the car and phone and gets violent when the timid shopkeeper suggests going for help. A Corrie source said: “Mary convinces herself they are reincarnations of Heathcliffe and Cathy and keeps trying to share his bed.
“Norris escapes to a phone box. When Mary arrives he tries to run and hide but falls and sprains his ankle. Mary refuses to take him to hospital and returns him to the cottage telling him: “The more helpless you are the stronger I get.” (Brian Roberts)

It was a while ago since we had any Brontë fashion tips. Today's tip comes from NYC Magazine:

If you’re looking for something a bit more feminine, hone in on the Bronte lace blouse with high-waisted wool trousers, the balsam gilded numbers, or any of the ultra-girly A-line little black dresses. (Yelena Mandenberg)

A Times-Standard columnist shares his book report methods, which aren't really all that advisable.

Nothing in reality compared to the netherworld and my grades reflected it. No time to read “Wuthering Heights” for a book report? No problem. Breeze through the Classic Comic version (Cliff's Notes for Dummies) and fake the rest: “The book had 20 chapters and no pictures.” (Dave Silverbrand)

And the Keighley News reminds readers that this Saturday people living in BD20, 21 and 22 postcode areas have FREE access to the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Quite a treat!

Finally, on the blogosphere today: The Rumpus reviews The Brontës Went to Woolworths and I Read... posts about Jane Eyre.

Categories: Books, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, References, Victorian Era, Weirdo, Wuthering Heights