Where it all began

The Huffington Post discusses 'Hollywood's Obsession With Remakes' and points out:

There's nothing wrong with a fresh vision of a timeless text. [...] And since the 27th adaptation of 'Jane Eyre' features Michael Fassbender in breeches, I shan't complain. (Emma Jones)

The National Business Review nods in agreement:

Jane Eyre brings a fresh look and faces to the durable Charlotte Brontë classic, which at last count has been filmed 18 times and had nine TV versions. [...] Both [Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender] are brilliant, up to a point, and are restricted by the film’s relatively short duration for such a complicated story (a BBC TV version runs five and a half hours). While viewers will compare them with others in the parts, the fastiduous look and physical settings are unmatched. The decision to start the film with Jane fleeing Thornfield Hall after her aborted marriage to Rochester places much of their relationship in a flashback. This work well in moving the story along but leaves much of the emotion between them undeveloped. Fukunaga and screenwriter Moira (Tamara Drewe) Buffini’s effort will be remembered as a crisp and unfussy adaptation that is closest to Jane’s complex character without overstating modernist feminist sensibilities. Brontë fans can now look forward to a new version of Wuthering Heights, in which director Andrea Arnold has taken far more liberties. (Nevil Gibson)

Buffalo News Discount Diva suggests reading the original novel as it's free, either online or easily found at the local library. However, we must raise an eyebrow at the 'spoilery' recommendation:

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë. A complicated madwoman in the attic that will haunt you for days. (Samantha Maziarz Christmann)

Flavorwire recommends the novel as a 'twisted fairy tale for the modern reader'. Wide Sargasso Sea is recommended as well.

And there's an alert for today in the Cranford area of New Jersey concerning the novel. As listed by NJ.com:

The Readers’ Forum, the book discussion group of the Cranford Public Library, will begin its 19th year with a discussion of “Jane Eyre” (1847) by Charlotte Brontë on Monday, Sept. 26.

TNT Magazine has been inspired by Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre to travel to Brontë country.

The town’s main street may appear relatively unchanged, but closer inspection reveals an impressive array of vintage, retro and antique shops, all tempting avid Brontë fans off their yellow brick road. But most notable are the streams of people braving the steep hill on a literary pilgrimage that is today attracting more and more visitors. [...]
Walking past only son Branwell Brontë’s favoured tavern, the haunted Black Bull, I climb the remaining steps towards the churchyard that leads on to the lifelong home of England’s most celebrated literary family. Entering a small gate, I queue inside a modest square garden. When finally inside, I talk with Andrew McCarthy, the director of the Brontë Parsonage, who has noticed a sizeable buzz in the area as the film's release date draws nearer. “Any kind of new TV or film adaptation of a Brontë work is always of interest, but with this particular adaptation there seems to have been a lot more media attention,” he reveals.[...]
All over the house there are sad reminders of how the lives of this brilliant family were shrouded in death. I even see the very sofa on which Emily passed away at the age of 30 from tuberculosis, shortly before Anne died of the same cause the following year.
Much of the downstairs illustrates 19th-century living with two studies and a compact kitchen; upstairs offers more insight into the family’s personal lives. Charlotte’s bedroom, full of glass cabinets displaying preserved belongings, includes her wedding bonnet. Next to me, a lady inadvertently pantomimes Little Red Riding Hood, loudly exclaiming, “What small hands and feet she had!” as she stares in amazement at a pair of tiny black evening shoes and white gloves, surely designed for a doll, not a person.
Finishing up in a room dedicated to the usually overlooked but equally fascinating Patrick Brontë, I decide to visit another Brontë hotspot. Stopping in the infamous Black Bull for a drink, I’m told by the managing couple, Valerie and Mark Paterson, the majority of visiting tourists come from Japan and America. [...]
Chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, Gary Verity, explains: “Brontë Country is the only place on the planet where visitors can get this close to where it all began and the family that created literary history. The stunning scenery is matched only by the stories written by the Brontës.” (Leo Owen)

The Yorkshire Post lists what's good about the Bradford district, which obviously includes 'the Brontë heritage around Haworth'.

Denver Westword's Backbeat reviews the recent concert by Low at the Bluebird Theater:

Although Sparhawk and his wife, percussionist and vocalist Mimi Parker, looked directly at each other only once during the show -- and then to confirm a song choice -- their creative chemistry is cemented in the almost Heathcliff-and-Catherine vibes with which they propel both the songs and their set. (Kelsey Whipple)

Nick Hern Books blog has a post on Blake Morrison's We Are Three Sisters. Don't forget there's a special offer for BrontëBlog readers wishing to read the play!

Another ongoing play, After Mrs Rochester, is reviewed by Mooney on Theatre.

Literary Candy posts briefly about Jane Eyre, the novel. Flickr user petitmargeaux♡ has created a Jane Eyre Blythe doll.

Categories: Alert, Haworth, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Theatre