Sexing up

The Times discusses the rise of the mummy-porn genre and the new Jane Eyre erotic retelling:

Jane Eyre, a classic love story that has enthralled readers for more than 150 years, is getting a radical adaptation. This summer the publisher Pan Macmillan will release an erotic reimagining of the novel by Charlotte Brontë, entitled Jane Eyre Laid Bare. The author, Eve Sinclair, says the book will describe in explicit detail the original’s “smouldering sexual chemistry” as the heroine Jane falls for the domineering Mr Rochester and finds herself “out ´_ of her depth in a sensual world she cannot control”. It will be published first as an ebook, but a paperback will follow to capture the lucrative beach-reading summer holiday market. Wayne Brookes, the publishing director at Pan Macmillan, calls it an “exciting and enticing erotic makeover”. Erotica is no longer a niche business but has been tightly embraced by the muscled arms of the mainstream publishing industry. The rise of electronic reading devices such as Amazon’s Kindle, left, may be a factor in the success of “mummy porn”, titles with an erotic yet sophisticated bent aimed at female readers. (...)
Rewriting Jane Eyre is fraught with danger, even though the book has inspired countless remakes since it appeared in 1847. Contributors to some literary websites have reacted badly to news of Sinclair’s impending contribution, accusing her of betrayal of a more innocent era. Should Jane Eyre Laid Bare prove a hit, booksellers will no doubt look around the classics section to see what other novels could be sexed up in the same way.  (Peter Newlands)

hawaiian pizza has nice animated cinemagraphs of Jane Eyre 2011 and Lo que quiera leer hoy has made some bookmarks (in Spanish); The Daily Prophet, Aline Negosseki Teixeira: Blog (both in Portuguese) and Life Unexpected post about the original novel; the Brontë Sisters posts about the Heaton family of Ponden Hall. Finally the Brontë Parsonage Blog has posts on the different walks and excursions that took place at the recent Brontë Society June Weekend: local graveyards with Ian Dewhirst, excursion to Guiseley and excursion to Haddon Hall.