You've got the legs of a Brontë sister

The Telegraph remembers that next year, 2011, marks the 150th anniversary of Patrick Brontë's death:

7 June   Patrick Brontë, father of Charlotte, Emily, Ann (sic) and Branwell, all of whom died before him, died 1861 (born 1777) (Christopher Howse)

Eddie Briben, gag writer of Morecambe and Wise, talks in the Daily Mail about the comic duo and remembers one of the first jokes he wrote for them:

This was one of the first jokes I wrote for them:
Eric Morecambe: Ern, You could be another John Grisham.
Ernie Wise: I can’t play snooker.
Eric: You could be another Brontë sister.
Ernie: I can’t sing.
Eric: No, but you’ve got the legs for it.
Now he had the chance to be a straight man and a comic ­character in his own right. I had them alternating funny lines between them — something they hadn’t done before.

The Washington Post reviews Erin Blakemore's The Heroine's Bookshelf (which is also discussed on Books, the universe, and everything):

What to do when you're stuck in bed with a cold, facing a crisis of faith or dealing with a bad breakup? Erin Blakemore offers a few unorthodox prescriptions: Lucy Maud Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables," Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre." (Lisa Bonos)

The Sacramento Press presents a local exhibition of artists (the Second Annual Sacramento Writer’s Brush) combining art and literature this way:

What did Charlotte and Emily Brontë have in common with Kurt Vonnegut and Sylvia Plath, besides writing? Come find out at The Second Annual Sacramento Writer’s Brush event. Can’t wait for the answer? Here is a hint: They all used both sides of their brains, the right to create art and the left to write and intergrated the two halves. Some of our greatest writers were also artists. (Mary Dubois)

Flavorwire remembers the visit of Patti Smith, known Brontëite, to the NYPL as one of their favourite cultural moments of 2010. The visit included the Berg Collection:

Patti Smith’s evening at LIVE from the NYPL on April 29th began with a visit to The Berg Collection, where NYPL curator Isaac Gewirtz had pulled a selection of rare materials, including relief etched prints by William Blake, Virginia Woolf’s walking stick, and Charlotte Bronte’s portable writing desk.  (Meg Stemmler, LIVE from the NYPL)

You can also check BrontëBlog's visit to the Berg Collection some time ago here.

New Lenox Patch interviews the new director of the New Lenox Public Library District, Kate Hall:

"I also read Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre every year. Each time I read them I get more out of them. (Michael Sewall)

The Sayre Morning Times publishes some New Year resolutions:

The Sayre High senior sat behind a Sayre Public Library desk with fellow clerk Daye Moreno Thursday night, batting around ideas for New Year’s resolutions. (...)
Moreno’s resolution?
“I want to read one classic novel per month next year,” she said. The first book, Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” is not going so well. (Ed Medina)

The Western Mail lists the best Welsh theatre for 2011. A production of Wuthering Heights is quoted:

Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë’s gothic tale of tortured love is brought to the stage in all its turbulent, passionate glory. This exhilarating and vibrant adaptation of the literary classic brings to life the all-encompassing love between the silent, brooding Heathcliff and the emotionally unstable Catherine. Their destructive relationship is one of the most enduring love stories of English literature. This is an Aberystwyth Arts Centre Production in co-production with Creu Cymru, Theatr Mwldan, Theatr Brycheiniog, Taliesin Arts Centre and The Riverfront. (Karen Price)

More websites waiting for Jane Eyre 2011: I Am Rogue, North Bay Nugget, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, Tulare Advance-Register, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Toronto Star:

Jane Eyre
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender
Story: Though smitten with her handsome new employer, a governess realizes he’s got something hidden in the attic.
Best reason to brave the elements: You won’t want to miss out on the latest wave of Brontë-mania — there’s a new Wuthering Heights coming, too. (Jason Anderson)

And Andrea Arnolds's Wuthering Heights in the Daily Express or HitFix which says:

Yes, these stories have been told many times, but when you add filmmakers like Cary Fukunaga and Andrea Arnold to the mix, suddenly there's something fresh about the perspective, and suddenly, it makes a lot of sense to tell the stories again.  "Eyre" has Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, a powerhouse team-up to be sure, and "Heights" features an unknown cast, which could be exactly right with Arnold calling the shots. (Drew Mcweeney)

By the way, it has been known for some time now (Film Music Reporter) that Dario Marianelli (Oscar winner for Atonement) is the confirmed composer of Jane Eyre 2011.

A Jane Eyre reader ask for reading suggestions in the Wall Street Journal; The Imperial Republican talks about a local bookclub which recently read Charlotte Brontë's novel; Janet Mullany recommends Jude Morgan's The Taste of Sorrow on Risky Regencies; Chrisbookarama gives her annual awards to the best and worse of her reads and we have a couple of Brontës:

Best Quirky Book: I don't think they get any quirkier than The Brontës Went to Woolworths.
Dude Didn't Need a Biography: Though you got to give Daphne du Maurier props for trying, Branwell Brontë didn't need a biography (The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë).

 We agree on the first one, but we have to disagree on the second one.

Life in the Thumb selects Syrie James's The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë as one of the best books read in 2010. Some blogs review or post about Jane Eyre: Review by Aves..., Lauraime's Letters (in Dutch... and giving Jane's authorship to her sister Emily), Två träd i en bokskog (in Swedish), bits, pieces and crumbs, Discovering the Classics. Rosiepowell2000 reviews positively Jane Eyre 1997.

Categories: Biography, Fiction, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Patrick Brontë, References, Theatre, Wuthering Heights