The Millions talks about fairy tales and the presence of myths in literature:
There is a tradition in literature – not just fairy tales – of the pure, silent, virginal young girl on one side, and the powerful, sexual, wicked woman on the other. (...) Similarly, in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, powerful Bertha is locked in an attic, while good and patient Jane gets her man.
The madwoman in the attic is also one of the references of the theatre piece
Taking Steps by Alan Ayckbourn which is now on stage at the Orange Tree Theatre (Outer London).
What's on Stage reviews it:
The play is dedicated to the grand old man of British farce, Ben Travers, and sure enough the action takes place in a creaky old cavern of a house, as in Thark, where a desperate fiancée is locked in an attic, and a hapless solicitor called Tristram is unwittingly seduced by the desperate housewife of the man trying to seal a deal on the place. (...)
Anna Francolini is hilarious, too, as the hard-edged ex-dancer straining to be free while practicing her entre-chats, Stephen Beckett is her morose lump of a brother and Emily Pithon the poor mad woman in the attic (thank you, Charlotte Bronte). (Michael Coveney)
The Daily Michigan reviews the animation film
How to Train your Dragon:
Hiccup[the boy] and Toothless[the dragon] are more Jane Eyre than Luke Skywalker. They’re not handed the heads of their enemies on sticks at the end of the movie, and they’re not past all of the things that gave them trouble at the outset of the film. They don’t “defeat” the popular kids by eventually becoming even-more-popular kids. Instead they become more aware of themselves and their ability to accomplish good in the world. Why beat them when you can have them join you? (Ben Verdi)
On
Three Monkeys, Brian Moore's
Cold Heaven is reviewed:
The characters in Cold Heaven are unreliable, but unlike John Dowell, narrator of The Good Soldier (or any of the other typical examples used to demonstrate the style, like Emily Brontë.’s Lockwood in Wuthering Heights), they’re keenly aware of their own unreliability[.] (Andrew Lawless)
The recent Heritage Lottery Fund grant to South Pennines projects is presented like this on
grough:
The wild landscape that inspired the Bronte sisters, poet Ted Hughes and sculptor Henry Moore has received a £1.9m boost towards helping access, restoration and heritage projects. (John McHale)
More references, difficult words in Jane Eyre in the
Boston University Daily Free Press,
The Globe and Mail returns to the eternal debate about compulsory school reading and mentions Wuthering Heights, the
Yorkshire Post talks about the premiere of the newly-restored version of the 1970 film
The Railway Children at the Bradford International Film Festival which as you know was partly filmed at Haworth.
The Telegraph & Argus devotes an article to the current exhibition Thornton Memories in Thornton:
Thornton is best known as the birthplace of the Bronte sisters and for its landmark 20-arch railway viaduct.
People born and raised in the village have their own landmarks and places of importance.Bringing these to life is the purpose of Thornton Memories, a community exhibition at South Square Gallery – a location normally associated with unusual art installations and paintings. (...)
Thornton Memories at South Square gallery is on until April 25. Admission is free. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 3pm. (Jim Greenhalf)
Punnygirl reviews J.L. Neumann's
Rochester:
Would I recommend this book? Sure, if you can look at it as an alternative story from the original. It's definitely sexy, and I probably will read the next 2 books because even a slightly different Rochester is still pretty hot. (Bee)
The Sampler Girl announces that the
On the Moors with Emily Brontë pillow pattern will be retired on May 1, 2010 ,
Wissper and L (in Spanish) and
Tell Love and Chocolate review Jane Eyre in Spanish.Three reviews of Wuthering Heights: Two positives:
The Reading Life (for the
All About the Brontës challenge) and
Tout peut arriver (in French) and a negative one on
Lit Chit Chat. siriuslysnogged posts on
billy_the_muse a graphic representation of Heathcliff and
Cathy Cullis uploads to her blog some sketches inspired by Jane Eyre. Finally,
cha no ma-ri has joined the
Brontë-Along initiative.
Categories: Fiction, Haworth, Illustrations, Jane Eyre, References, Sequels, Wuthering Heights
I'm getting a bit tired of the "powerful Bertha" myth. What about homicidal maniac Bertha? Everyone seems to forget that side of "powerful Bertha's" personality.
ReplyDeleteJean Rhys has a lot to answer for, if you ask me.
The right thing to say would be no doubt powerful Charlotte who was able to create such a character that is appropriated, re-appropriated and re-examined all the time. Jean Rhys just sort of rode the wave.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte herself, though, later regretted not having put a little more humanity in Bertha.
Did she? I didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteHere's what she wrote to William Smith Williams on January 4, 1848:
ReplyDeleteIt is true that profound pity ought to be the only sentiment elicited by the view of such degradation, and equally true is it that I have not sufficiently dwelt on that feeling; I have erred in making horror too predominant. Mrs. Rochester indeed lived a sinful life before she was insane, but sin itself is a kind of insanity; the truly good behold and compassionate it as such.
Oh, interesting! But it seems she wouldn't have erred in the direction of making her out to be more appealing than Jane, as I think some of these modern critics would.
ReplyDelete