Withdrawn from auction

We are quite intrigued by this new development concerning this portrait said to be of the Brontë sisters. As reported by the BBC (and quite a few others):

The portrait of three women was due to be auctioned in Northamptonshire this week.
But it was withdrawn from sale after a collector came forward about a similar Brontë portrait by the same artist.
The auctioneer said this could prove there was a link between the sisters and the artist, Sir Edwin Landseer.
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said: "In light of the new information and its potential significance, we have postponed the sale and will evaluate the strength and implications of what has now come to light.
"This could help prove beyond doubt, the important link between Landseer, one of the 19th century's greatest artists, and the Brontë sisters, English literature's most perennial siblings."
He added: "We can only do our best to prove beyond doubt, and obviously the more information we have the better our conclusion can be."

Now, Mr Humbert has revealed that a collector has come forward with information about a related pastel portrait of the same era – a copy of which is held on file at the National Portrait Gallery, thought to be the same subjects by the same artist.
“In light of the new information and its potential significance, we have postponed the sale of this picture until May 24 and will evaluate the strength and implications of what has now come to light,” he said.
“Any additional information supporting the historic story of this picture will help ensure the portrait goes to an appreciative home.”
"We are appealing to the purchaser of a pastel sketch of 3 Females With Guitar purchased at the NEC in the 2009 Antiques for Everyone to contact us. This could help prove beyond doubt, the important link between Landseer, one of the 19th century's greatest artists - and the Bronte sisters - English literature's most perennial siblings."

The wind farm plans for Brontë country are still in the news. The Telegraph shows that Prime Minister David Cameron is 'committed to wind farms':

He backed plans for 70 turbines off the North East coast and gave his support to an onshore wind farm being built by the same company that wants to put up turbines in Bronte country. (Louise Gray)

The Telegraph and Argus has a letter from a reader discussing the subject.

Margaret Atwood is interviewed about her book Payback on Salon.

You make no claim to prescience about the financial crisis that hit just as the book version of “Payback” came out. What inspired it instead? In a former life I was a student of Victorian literature, which you can’t be without coming smack up against money to an even greater extent than if you are, for instance, an Elizabethan scholar. The 19th century is the one where money becomes the big determinant. The big story is the industrialists, who are making kajillions of dollars some of the time, and at other times are undergoing big busts in which they close factories and everyone’s thrown out of work.
That’s when investment in the stock market became a thing. People didn’t really understand it. (And they still don’t!) Little old ladies would put their money in and they’d get an income, but then something would happen, as in “Cranford,” and they’d lose all their money.
“Wuthering Heights,” when you’re 20, is about the mad passion of Cathy and Heathcliff. When you’re 50, it’s about, “Where did Heathcliff make his money? How did he get so rich?” (Laura Miller)

This is My Joystick argues the case for game character Kaidan Alenko being a 22nd century Jane Eyre.

Having now completed Mass Effects 1 through 3 and found Alenko to be the character with whom I could empathise the most, I decided to take an in-depth look at him, how he fits with the Mass Effect world, and what makes him a Jane Eyre for the 22nd Century. [...]
The development arcs of Jane Eyre and Kaidan Alenko are remarkably similar. Kaidan is shy, reserved, and excessively self-controlling, and like Charlotte Brontë’s heroine, he built his persona on a traumatic event from his youth. Jane Eyre snapped early in life, and suffered the consequences of her aunt’s rage for much of the rest of her life. Kaidan’s suffering, or at least his inability to relax and release his emotions, came as a result of his own turmoil.
He also snapped and suffered the consequences for many years to come. Jane Eyre’s story and Kaidan’s mirror each other further, as they both felt betrayed and let down by those to which they had respectively opened up. However, they did not let Shepard nor Mr Rochester get the better of them, and they both found the means and strength of character to pull themselves together, learn from their experiences and return as the equal of their former mentors. [...]
That I am able to draw a meaningful comparison between Jane Eyre and Kaidan Alenko serves to highlight the current quality and depth of game writing. Yes, I am slightly tongue in cheek, but the analogy is valid. Kaidan Alenko is a complex enough character with a story arc developed sufficiently well for him to be compared to a classic character from English Literature. Surely now you can see how important, misunderstood and well written he is. (Bryony Stewart-Seume)

The Huffington Post's Artwork of the week is a 1960s photograph of Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton, described as follows:

This particular photograph was Beaton's last sitting with the Queen and, with its kind of Wuthering Heights, wild and windy vibe, very much presents the Queen as a lone individual, deep in contemplation. (Jen Bayne)

Broadway World Florida features a local production of The Mystery of Irma Vep, mentioning its Jane Eyre influences. Rambles of a Writer posts about Edward Chitham's Life of Emily Brontë.