Winter Brontës

The Epoch Times travels around Brontë country:

Haworth, a former wool manufacturing village, and the Parsonage are the starting points to explore the world of the Brontë sisters. A fascinating journey and experience awaits in the neighbouring county of Lancashire that includes the chance to stay in part of the former school house that the four sisters attended.
Nestled within the verdant setting of the Lune Valley at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire is the “Brontë Cottage”. Dating back to the 1750s, the grade II listed former school house is both unassuming and cosy in appearance, belying its place and significance in the history of the Brontë family.
An inscribed plaque at the gable end of the building details the provenance of the place and reads “Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte & Emily Brontë lived here as pupils of the clergy daughter’s school 1824-25”. It was the inspiration for “Lowood School” in the literary classic Jane Eyre.
The cottage has been sympathetically restored, using traditional techniques and materials, by a local couple, who now gives visitors a chance to stay and self-cater in this unique landmark.
The smell of the log burner and creaking floorboards set the rustic scene for new arrivals, while items found during the restoration are on display along with bookshelves of novels waiting for visitors to absorb the character of the period.
The eco-garden facing the cottage backs onto the fast flowing River Leck beside which a towpath provides an exhilarating walk. In fact, walk in any direction and you are surrounded by rolling countryside. One of the nicest, we were to discover, was to retrace the walk the Brontë sisters made to Tunstall Church for Sunday services. The sisters had to make the weekly two-mile pilgrimage across open fields come rain or shine. There remains a small raised annex sitting above the stone entrance to the church that is reached by a ladder, in which the sisters used to eat their lunch while they stayed for the services of the day.
The Brontë family could never have foreseen the immense impact their lives would have on millions of people or indeed the countless adaptations of their writings. It is heartening to think that Patrick Brontë would have at least had an inkling of how his children’s talents were fostering great interest in the world outside. (Ramy Salameh)

Still locally, Inside Halton reports that Haworth will be lighting its Christmas tree tomorrow.

The Guardian Books Blog wonders, 'What makes good winter reading?'

Jacqueline Wilson chooses the classic Jane Eyre ("Jane Eyre starts on a cold, bleak winter day, but Jane hides indoors on the window seat and reads a book – and so do I") (Alison Flood)

However, the Digital Journal argues that the Classics are not always viewed so cosily:

Books like Wuthering Heights and How to Kill a Mocking Bird being pushed aside for less difficult reads such as The Harry Potter series and The Twilight series. (Jesse Rutigliano)

Coincidentally, The Jewish Chronicle discusses Twilight:

I recently made the bold move of going public about my love for Twilight. I argued that it was a classic tale of love and loss, much like my favourite book Wuthering Heights, but I'm starting to think that my attraction to the franchise is rooted in something deeper. (Lauren Davidson)

The Times discusses book adaptations:

For every original screenplay idea that makes it to the screen, such as Tree of Life or even Inception, there is a plethora of adapted titles, from contemporary to classic fiction — see Twilight, One Day, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. “These days it’s financially riskier to invest in original material,” [...]
And yet, says Robert Bernstein, the producer of the recent Wuthering Heights adaptation, being truthful to the book differentiated his film from the previous slew of Wuthering adaptations. “It had been done many times before, but never correctly,” he says. “With the correct age of the protagonists and the dark-skinned element referred to in the book. We were interpreting it as Emily Brontë imagined it: an intense and cruel story set on these wild and desolate moors.” (Kevin Maher)

This is how the Daily Herald describes Kate Bush:

On the phone from home, she’s funny and solicitous and sweet, more like the British equivalent of a soccer mom than a Brontë character come to life. (Allison Stewart)

The Brontë Weather Project has a post on getting to see and handle Charlotte's original letters.

Flickr user Lullaby Blue has uploaded an image inspired by Wuthering Heights. The G Says writes briefly about Wuthering Heights 2011 and The Bookworm Chronicles reviews the 1992 adaptation of the novel. La Casa sull'albero di Casmi & Rosbì writes in Italian about Emily Brontë. It's All About Happiness posts about Jane Eyre 2011. Marginalia discusses water imagery in Jane Eyre. The Wisdom of Gavroche posts about reading the Brontë poetry for the first time.