Discarded copies and apps waiting to happen

We sincerely hope that someone takes John Sutherland at his word when he comments on a new Frankenstein app in The Independent.

John Sutherland, professor emeritus of modern English literature at University College London, described the edition as "a very clever bag of tricks". "It works well with Frankenstein because it's so visual," he said. He sees potential for some other classics, saying: "I'd love to see Wuthering Heights done that way, for instance." But he does not think that very literary, "extremely linguistic" novels would work. (Dalya Alberge)

In the meantime, HoweStreet reports that 'casually discarded' copies of Emily Brontë's masterpiece are to be found in Toronto houses.

Rooms are upsized with downsized groupings of white sofas and contrasting leather ottomans. Pictures of trout and babes on velvet are replaced with Cezanne knockoffs and Picassian horses. A virginal white cotton comforter cradles an Emily Brontë casually discarded. And there is not. A dog hair. Anywhere. (Garth Turner)

China's People's Daily Online takes a look at the power/strength of the English language.

The biggest influence of the United Kingdom on the world lies in the English language. The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom, but the country's deepest, widest, and possibly most enduring influence lies in its language through the classic works of literary giants such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and the Brontë sisters. As the most widely used language in the world, English highlights the soft power part of the legacy of the United Kingdom once as an economic powerhouse. English books, together with gunboats, have changed the world. (Li Wenyun)

The Guardian reviews a show by The Staves:

The sisters' two EPs (Mexico and the recent The Motherlode) suggest folk's answer to the Brontës, three demure, romantic women unlikely to pursue traditional rock antics. However, on stage they're three Watford sisters who bicker wonderfully, and talk mischievously about the venue's "fine whiskies". (Dave Simpson)

The Chronicle of Higher Education features Susan Gubar, her memoirs and her seminal The Madwoman in the Attic. Read This Not That is not too thrilled about Jane Eyre. ...il piacere della lettura writes in Italian about Juliet Gael's Romancing Miss Brontë.