White Lawn Collars

Justine Picardie talks about the return of the collar on her Telegraph column:

That said, I have developed a crush on the notion of a white Peter Pan collar atop a black woollen sweater (as seen at Jaeger, but surely a DIY version is possible?). Some will attribute this to the prevailing influence of Alexa Chung, who has a good way with a boyish collar, but there might just be a touch of the resurgent Jane Eyre, as well. Certainly, the white lawn collars are among my favourite exhibits in the Brontë Parsonage Museum - hand-sewn and worn by the Beloved Sisters, and as dear to worshippers at the literary shrine as holy relics in a Catholic cathedral.
A white cotton collar also evokes Coco Chanel, of course (and she made her own during her childhood in a convent orphanage; white against black, like the habits of the nuns who raised her); she was herself a fan of the Brontës, in particular Wuthering Heights , a novel in which a woman in white is as likely to signify death as innocent beginnings.

MyCentralJersey presents the book A Legacy Of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations Of Mental Illness by Tom Davis:

Davis also has compassion for his mother, who, in a twist worthy of a Bronte novel, grew up on the grounds of Greystone, a psychiatric hospital in Morris Plains, where her father was personnel director before succumbing to his own psychological demons. (Kelly-Jane Cotter)

The Observer comments on the recent study about bought but left unread books that was in the news a few days ago:

A study reveals that the average British household has up to 80 unread books. The most popular bought but not read titles are Pride and Prejudice, Lord of the Flies and Jane Eyre, with many more "classics" behind them. (Barbara Ellen)

The Ledger talks about the annual Florida Council of Teachers of English (FCTE) Writing Competition:

Also from Division II competition, Camille Rousseliere, a ninth grade student from International Baccalaureate/Bartow High School, won her award for a critical response titled "The Effect of Setting in Wuthering Heights." Her teacher is Ola Harb of IB World School and Summerlin Academy at Bartow High School.

 The problems of an English major are discussed in this post on The Express Tribune (Pakistan):

All I have are good reviews from an internship, the well wishes and recommendations of my professors, and the ability to tell you the symbolic meaning behind the flowers in Jean Rhys’ ‘Wide Sargasso Sea‘. I will allow you to be the judge of how useful that ability is gaining employment. (Abdul Siddiqui)

Gadling publishes a list of landmarks of Western literature:

The Brontë Parsonage Museum
Haworth, England
Come to England and you can visit the home of three of the most famous 19th century British authors, Charlotte, Emily, and Ann Brontë (although their pen names were Currier, Ellis, and Acton Bell). These three were responsible for works such as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. At the museum, you will see the dining table where these authors brought their ideas to life, as well as old photographs, original furniture, letters, and manuscipts. (Jessica Festa)

The author Steven Amsterdam talks about writers and academia in The Age:

Writers write to entertain and occasionally enlighten, not to be pored over in the academy. This doesn't mean they shouldn't be, but it makes me wonder how Bronte would have handled a year 12 class asking her why Rochester chose to dress like a gypsy fortune-teller.
Her answer most likely would come from some demand of storytelling, some random input or inspiration that she decided would make for an interesting scene, or satisfy a desperate need for levity in such a grim household.
It's unlikely she would have offered an enlightened statement about gender relations or class status. The scene just happens to work that way too. The task of the student then, is to make the connection between the story and the theme.

An alert for tomorrow, October 10, in Duluth, MN:

Classics for Christians , 7-8:30 p.m. Mondays beginning Monday through Oct. 31, New Life Lutheran Church, 4424 Venture Ave. Book: “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte. Call (218) 740-3597 or go to newlifelc.org for details. (Duluth News Tribune)

Kate Walker's The Return of the Stranger continues its blog tour:  Harlequin Presents Blog, Tote Bags'n'Blogs, Bird's-Eye View, Minxes of romance, I (Heart) Presents. There are also a few reviews: Everyday is the same..., The Good, the Bad and the Unread, Romantic Times.

 Bokgläntan (in Swedish), Contrappunto, A qualcuno piace il cinema (both in Italian), A Day in the Life (for a second time) and My Voyage Through Time review Jane Eyre 2011; the Brontë Parsonage Blog posts about the recent Moira Buffini talk at the Parsonage;  Chittenango Creek Chapter of Ducks Unlimited has a tutorial of how to make out a hollowed out book e-reader cover or safe, done with a copy of Wuthering Heights. Finally, Traxy attended the Haddon Hall Jane Eyre Behind the Scenes tour and has upload a whole set of pictures to Flickr.