What does Newt Gingrich have in common with Emily and Charlotte Brontë?

The extraordinary finding of an unpublished devoir by Charlotte Brontë, L'Ingratitude, is discussed in the Christian Science Monitor:

The first of 30 writing assignments composed for a French teacher, “L’Ingratitude” reads almost like a telescoped reimagining of Samuel Johnson’s "Rasselas"; it is a parable about a young rat who, out of ennui, deserts his wise and caring father to explore the unknown world, realizes his folly too late, and is punished for his ingratitude.
Brian Bracken, an archivist, stumbled upon the short story, written in March 1842, while doing research on Constantin Heger, who taught French to both Emily and Charlotte Brontë during their stay in Brussels. Recognizing the sisters’ gift with words, Heger developed courses specifically designed to nurture their talents and encouraged them to read extensively and to imitate the style of great French writers. Bracken speculates in the LRB that "L'Ingratitude" was largely inspired by the writings of La Fontaine and J.P. Florian: “La Fontaine’s ‘Le Rat qui s’est retiré du monde’ is somewhere behind ‘L’Ingratitude’ – Charlotte even borrows some of its vocabulary. Florian’s fable ‘La Carpe et les carpillons’, about disobedient and thoughtless children, may also have come into it.”
In the Introduction to the Oxford edition of Charlotte Brontë’s "Villette," Tim Dolin writes of Constantin Heger: “His brilliance as a teacher was legendary, and he had a profound influence on Bronte’s development as a writer. His system of intensive reading, translation, and rewriting of the classics, and the enforced discipline of completing his devoirs (writing assignments, many of which still exist), laid the foundations for her later fiction by encouraging her to experiment with new forms of language and test out her own ideas and creative approaches within the constraints of set exercises.” In the LRB, Bracken notes Heger’s exacting standards as well as his dedication to helping the Brontës improve their craft: “He often returned their essays drastically revised – sadly, there are no comments on this copy of ‘L’Ingratitude.’” (Rhoda Feng)

The Wall Street Journal echoes the news with some disturbing coincidences:

What does Newt Gingrich have in common with Emily and Charlotte Brontë? They all came to Brussels to complete their education.
As we reported in January, Mr. Gingrich lived here in down-at-heel Anderlecht in 1969-70. You can’t now see where Charlotte and Emily stayed in 1842: the street on which they lived was the now-demolished rue Isabelle–or rue d’Isabelle–near the Place Royale. Charlotte became infatuated with her teacher and returned in 1843 to stay for a year. Her experiences there inform her novels, particularly Villette. (Stephen Fidler)

And The Guardian includes it in its Friday quiz:

A short story by which Brontë sibling is to be published for the first time since it was written in 1842?

The Spenborough Guardian and The Halifax Courier give voice to the the opponents to the Kirklees Council Local housing and business plan:

Campaigners fighting to save more than 100 acres of green belt land with 1,000 years of historical significance have made a last-ditch attempt to get councillors to change their minds.
Kirklees Council will formally approve its Local Development Framework, a 15-year housing and business plan, at a meeting on Tuesday.
It includes releasing 42 hectares – 103 acres – of green belt land between Hartshead, Cooper Bridge and Roberttown for industry.
Members of the Keep Roberttown and Hartshead Rural campaign group have appealed to decision-making councillors to join a walk on Sunday to see the threatened land and hear why it should be preserved.
Campaigner Barbara Lumb said: “The land divides north and south Kirklees and the development would lead to urban sprawl of the worst kind. There would be no distinction between the two areas. It is important for aesthetics as well as history.”
The land contains four historic woods as well as buildings with links to the Luddite movement, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.
It also borders the ancient burial place of legendary outlaw Robin Hood, whose grave is within the Armytage estate.
Barbara said: “The woods are incredibly beautiful with wildlife and wild flowers. The former Kirklees Priory which was built in 1153 borders the site and there are 11 listed buildings within the Armytage estate. The land earmarked for development is in very close proximity to areas of huge significance.
“The Luddites met at the Dumb Steeple at Cooper Bridge and set off across these fields on their attack at Cartwright Mills. The Luddite Way is a heritage path.
“In addition, Roe Head, an iconic building to Brontë enthusiasts, is very close and is where the three sisters went to school. Their teacher would talk about local gossip which appeared in their books. All these stories came out of the Spen Valley and Charlotte’s novel Shirley was the biggest one.”
If plans are agreed on Tuesday the LDF will be referred to the secretary of state – and Mrs Lumb said the group would fight on.
She said: “We went with great hopes to the last meeting but the decision was a slap in the face. We felt we hadn’t been listened to.
“We have to fight – we couldn’t rest if we allowed this to happen.”
The walk takes place on Sunday, meeting at 11am at the Three Nuns pub. Campaigners from across Kirklees are also planning a protest march tomorrow at 11am from Huddersfield Railway Station to Huddersfield Town Hall.
Objectors are invited to go along on either march.

The Globe and Mail reviews The Flight of Gemma Hardy:

The parallels with Jane Eyre are numerous. (...)
The similarities continue in the presentation of the material, which is Gothic, even melodramatic. Livesey does a wonderful job of bringing alive the landscape of a small Orkney Island where Gemma teaches and befriends Nell, Mr. Sinclair’s dead sister’s daughter. Like Charlotte Brontë’s Thornfield Manor, Livesey’s Blackbird Hall is large and remote. And both novels use birds as motifs, Livesey’s more consistently than Brontë’s.
The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a tad more subdued than Jane Eyre, but it would be hard to be more over the top than Brontë’s famous novel. I suppose Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights outperforms her sister’s novel in terms of dramatics, but it is also much more innovative in terms of structure. Jane Eyre, like Livesey’s version, is quite conventional in form. Both Jane and Gemma are plucky little heroines, and it’s noteworthy that while neither is saved in the ordinary sense by the masters of the mansions, their independence and vibrancy are compromised somewhat by their ultimate choices. Love does conquer all, it seems, especially when young women who have been disregarded by others for much of their lives meet attractive, older, wealthy men who pay attention to them. Sigh.
But no matter how close The Flight of Gemma Hardy is to Jane Eyre, it must be considered on its own merits; these days, it’s impossible to think that everyone who reads Livesey’s novel will have read its inspiration. It’s also impossible to forget about Jane Eyre if you have read it (or studied it or even taught it).
So what’s my conclusion? It’s clear that I am not a huge fan of Jane Eyre, even though it has much to offer. (Give me Wuthering Heights any day.) So as I am quite familiar with Jane Eyre, I felt as if I were reading two novels as I motored through Livesey’s novel, and motor through it I did as I was compelled to find out how Livesey would change Gemma’s circumstances from Jane’s. And she does it well, linking the pivotal secret to Sinclair’s behaviour, a past he cannot change. Imagery of flight and captivity infuse both novels, and Livesey’s treatment of the binary reflects the core of Brontë’s concern while updating the critical details. (Candace Fertile)

Louise Mensch lists her favourite cads in The Times:

Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights
This gypsy foundling grows up to torment Catherine Earnshaw, his true love, and also her daughter. Consumed by revenge he is the archetype of bad, obsessive love.

SugarScape presents the new book by Louise Rennison, author of Withering Tights:

Yaroooo! Tallulah's triumphant Heathcliff in 'Wuthering Heights' the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall performing arts college for another term.
She can't wait to see her pals again, dishy Charlie and the boys from Woolfe Academy, Matilda the marvelous dancing bulldog and perhaps even the darkly glamorous Cain Hinchcliff. (Ifoley)

The Huffington Post includes Emily Brontë on a list of non prolific writers:

And Ellison (Invisible Man), Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird), and Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) are among the famous writers who published only one novel. (Emily Bronte, too, but the Wuthering Heights author only lived to age 30.)  (Dave Astor)

Robin Lane Fox imagines an arboreal tribute for great writers in the Financial Times:

Unlike the recent “period” film of the novel Jane Eyre, I would not have a pink flowering cherry in honour of Rochester’s garden because this flowering cherry only reached Britain from the Far East long after the novel’s date.

DVD Verdict reviews The Brontës of Haworth:

Because it avoids the typical biopic ideals that would come to sink the genre sometime in the mid-'80s, and thanks to a level of acting and period authenticity unmatched by similar-minded productions, The Brontës of Haworth makes for an intriguing viewing experience. While liberties are taken with the material (things are just too pretty and prosaic to be wholly authentic), the script by noted poet and playwright Christopher Fry never hits a wrong note. Instead, we become lost in this forgotten era, wondering what will happen even as our college literature classes remind us of the facts. Even better, Bramwell (sic) ends up taking center stage, his inability to cope becoming a legacy that ends up staining the entire Brontë family. Indeed, one of the things we learn during the course of this engaging effort is the high cost of social awkwardness. Because they are sheltered, because they are totally unprepared to face the real world, their interactions with same doom the Brontes toward an end both tragic and telling. While one wonders about the effect such isolation really did have on the family, the miniseries that resulted offers a highly entertaining explanation.
Since it is so old and little has been done to remaster it, it's shocking how good The Brontës of Haworth looks on DVD. (...)
While it may sound like your worst graduate student exam question come true, The Brontës of Haworth is actually a very well mounted and quite moving production. Those who desire a more comprehensive overview on the famous writers and their relatives may have to rely on known history. This narrative focus more on the people, not their product, resulting in a far richer and more resonate experience. (Bill Gibron)

For Books' Sale interviews the illustrator Jennie Maizels:

I also think that by law everyone must read Wuthering Heights and as young as possible, it opens the heart to how strong the force of love can be, it is ‘that’ book that never leaves you, ever.

Libération (France) talks about Sheila Kohler's Becoming Jane Eyre, recently published in France:

Une forme de concurrence a dû planer sur la fratrie laborieuse et solidaire, estime Sheila Kohler. Piquée, Charlotte se remet à fond dans Jane Eyre. «C’étaient des sœurs aimantes, je suis sûre qu’il n’y a jamais eu de compétition entre elles», s’est exclamée une participante à la lecture chez WHSmith à Paris. Elle n’est pas écrivain, a songé l’auteur, la compétition existe toujours, même dans le cœur le plus pur. Quand Emily est morte, on a trouvé dans son pupitre des coupures plus critiques des Hauts de Hurlevent que de Jane Eyre. Sheila Kohler n’a pas pu s’empêcher de se mettre à sa place et de se dire : comme elle a dû souffrir. (Frédérique Roussel) (Translation)

Helagotland, Sydsvenskan and other Swedish websites report the premiere this weekend of Wuthering Heights 2011 in Russia.

HeyYouGuys.co.uk! gives away three DVDs of Jane Eyre 2011 (which will be released in the UK next March 12); Devouring Texts posts about Jane Eyre; Ellinky (in Czech) reviews April Lindner's Jane.