Fanfic-writing Brontës

The Telegraph has a couple of articles on the British Library exhibition Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it. The first article is more general whereas the second article focuses on the young Brontës' writings:

Although several hundred poems and prose exist, most of the works were lost. The three remaining works were donated to the British Library in the 1930s but this is the first time they’ve been identified as science fiction and exhibited in this manner. The Foundling, written by Charlotte, comes with illustrations by Branwell while poems of Gondal, were written by Emily.
Guest curator Andy Sawyer, Director of Science Fiction Studies MA at the University of Liverpool, said: “The Brontës are well known authors with no apparent association with science fiction but their tiny manuscript books, held at the British Library, are one of the first examples of fan fiction, using favourite characters and settings in the same way as science fiction and fantasy fans now play in the detailed imaginary ‘universes’ of Star Trek or Harry Potter". [...]
Emily, Charlotte, Anne and Branwell, all successful in their own right, are widely associated with bold romantic realism. The intricacy of their work precedes the minutae detail of JRR Tolkein and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series and provides further, invaluable insight into their imaginations. (Morwenna Ferrier)

The Telegraph and Argus reports the news about the recent generous donation of several Brontëana items to the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Together with a picture of Charlotte's writing desk back home, the newspaper reports the reactions of Collections' Manager Ann Dinsdale and Brontë Parsonage Museum director:

“It’s extraordinary the way things have turned out. When we got the message that those items were to be donated to the museum, I was speechless,” said Ann Dinsdale, the museum’s collections manager.
“We would have been thrilled to have them on loan, but to actually be given them is wonderfully generous. I am not able to say who has donated them, but in future we hope they will let us release details.” [...]
Museum director Andrew McCarthy said: “A donation on this scale, with an item as significant as the writing desk used by Charlotte Brontë, is very rare. We’re delighted that these items are now where they belong, here in Haworth.” (Clive White)

The items will be on display as soon as next Tuesday May 31st.

Another Brontë-related event taking place in Yorkshire, Leeds in particular, these days is Shared Experience's revival of Polly Teale's Brontë (until May 28th at West Yorkshire Playhouse). The Yorkshire Post mentions it and includes a promotional picture of the actress who plays Charlotte dressed as Charlotte Brontë at Leeds Library.

An English teacher makes a confession in the Centre Daily Times:

Although I often read the teenage equivalent of “trashy” romance novels (no matter my adult opinions, I definitely would have been a “Twilight” fan), I could not love any assigned novel written by the Brontë sisters. (Katie Anderson)

The Daily examines the origins and uses of the word 'palaver' and quotes from Wuthering Heights:

Over time, the word seems to have shed some of its sadder heritage, and taken on, ironically, a lighter cast. In Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” we find this example of its less-serious meaning, “There they were, like two babies, kissing and talking nonsense by the hour — foolish palaver that we should be ashamed of.” (Will Mari)

BlogCritics reviews Stella Gibbons's wonderful Cold Comfort Farm and mentions Wuthering Heights too:

First published in 1932 as a wonderful satire of its times, the humour and points made by the author are timeless, so even if some specifics might be lost on a contemporary audience, its overall impact is still strong and the subject matter still relevant. You see, Gibbons' targets are universal as she pokes fun at the artistic pretensions of the idle British rich, rural melodramas along the lines of Wuthering Heights, and other tales of steamy passion set amidst the wilds of Sussex farmlands. (Richard Marcus)

Meanwhile Variety shows that being made to read the Brontës while at school may have its uses, if only to indulge in this kind of metaphor:

The major networks just hosted another upfront week, and once again there was an uninvited guest.
That would be reality TV, arguably primetime's dominant genre, ratings-wise, conspicuous by its absence.
More than a decade after "Survivor" and "Big Brother" ushered in the modern unscripted era, such programming still remains an outcast -- treated at the upfronts a bit like the wife in "Jane Eyre." Everyone knows it's vital to the story, but during most presentations, it's kept safely locked out of view. (Brian Lowry)

The Brontë Parsonage Blog has a post on Blake Morrison's recent talk about his play We Are Three Sisters.

Miss Cavendish and Silver Screen Angels review Jane Eyre 2011 while The Reader 1991 posts about the actual novel. La Novice writes in French about Wuthering Heights 1992 and YouTube user Phantom Spooner has uploaded a mock trailer for 'Wuther My Heights'. Finally, Lifeonthecutoff's Blog reviews Ann Dinsdale's wonderful The Brontës at Haworth.

Categories: Art-Exhibitions, Books, Brontë Parsonage Museum, Brontëana, Jane Eyre, Juvenilia, Theatre, Wuthering Heights