Plain Jane has personality

Slate reviews Plain Jane, a particularly disgusting reality show. What interests us is the following:

Some sources trace the expression "plain jane" to early criticism of Jane Eyre, but Step 3 [Facing Her Biggest Fear] calls to mind a different Brontë sisters moment. So wonderfully subtle in employing a slimy snail tube as a metaphor for sexual experience, it led me to reflect on Wuthering Heights and the rock mass over the Fairy Cave, apprehended by Cathy with fear and desire: "The abrupt descent of Penistone Crags particularly attracted her notice." (Troy Patterson)

This other comment is so wrong that it's pointless to discuss it:

"Is that person sexy?" asks Roe. "Yes," squeals the young lady, not incorrectly. (To be certain, that sexy person has no personality, but Jane of course dressed herself with no personality to begin with.)

EDIT: The author of the piece has written to us clarifying his point. He was talking about the "Jane" of the show, not the original Jane Eyre.

The pleasures of reading in the Chronicle of Higher Education:

I don't leave home without my Kindle. If I have to wait in a doctor's office or for my car's oil to be changed, I can sample a Sherlock Holmes story, a book or two of Paradise Lost, a couple of pages of The Autobiography of Ben Franklin, the stories of Mark Twain, or any of the novels of the Brontë sisters. I've downloaded all of those and more, many more—for free—and read to suit my mood. I'll also download whatever new blockbuster mystery Amazon is offering up gratis. (Rachel Toor)

The Millions has an essay about Shakespeare's Iago:

But there is something far more understated, and sinister, about Iago as a villain. Like Zoe Heller’s Barbara Covett from Notes on a Scandal, Daphne Du Maurier’s Mrs. Danvers, or perhaps even Brontë’s Heathcliff, the real evil that Iago inflicts is upon the people to whom he is closest. He is the godfather of villains who rot from the inside out. (Ujala Sehgal)

IFC News has an article about Angelina Jolie. The reference to Wuthering Heights fortunately has nothing to do with that rumour of some years ago that placed Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in a Wuthering Heights production:

Then, it was her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton and the vials of each other's blood they wore around their necks. (If "Wuthering Heights" were published today, there'd be people worrying that Heathcliff and Cathy don't seem to be making healthy choices.) (Charles Taylor)

Iraan (TX) is not Wuthering Heights. Confirmation comes from Odessa American:

I didn’t relish trekking up there alone at night, thinking I might hear the faint tapping at the window and the little voice of Catherine begging to come in from the moors. I had to remind myself that this was Iraan, not Wuthering Heights. (Charlena Chandler)

The Hull Daily Mail announces the Hull Truck Theatre 2010/11 season which includes a production of Wuthering Heights (October 2010):

Hull Truck has also announced its autumn/winter season, with highlights including A Passionate Woman starring its writer Kay Mellor and Wuthering Heights featuring ex-Coronation Street stars Gaynor Faye and Rupert Hill.

Emily Maguire is interviewed on ABC (Australia) and described as follows:

Emily Maguire is a young feminist known for her essays on sex, culture and literature. Her feminist views have been influenced by writers from Charlotte Brontë to Naomi Wolf.

Steph Su Reads waits for the release of April Lindner's Jane, The Squeee reviews Shirley and Arizona Forever Joan Sowards's Chocolate Roses.

Categories: Books, Jane Eyre, References, Sequels, Shirley