Candlelight and the ubiquity of power in interpersonal dynamics

First of all, let's not forget that today marks the anniversary of Branwell's death in 1848.

The Independent (Ireland) has an article on the painting Candlelight by Mark Swords and reflects on how

Electricity changed everything, and so suddenly, so recently. Caesar's wife never saw a light bulb, Shakespeare never watched television, neither Emily Brontë nor Charles Dickens used a word processor. Back then, when darkness fell, the dark came down and people lived their evenings by candlelight.

Rather more scholarly, The Brown Daily Herald interviews Amanda Anderson, professor of English:

As a literary scholar and theorist who has written on 19th-century literature and culture, how do you explain the intersection of literature and politics? How is that relationship played out? One of the things I’m most interested in exploring is the plurality of ways that writers engage the question of politics. … Some writers are interested, very broadly, in power dynamics and how power inheres in every social interaction, and they’re good at diagnosing that. One author who’s really good at that is Charlotte Brontë — she’s a very modern thinker when it comes to the ubiquity of power in interpersonal dynamics. (Phoebe Draper)

Now for some screen-related tidbits. The Telegraph reviews the second episode of the third season of Downton Abbey (BEWARE of SPOILERS!)

Some Downton fans might have felt cheated by the beginning of this second episode. Previously, Matthew (Dan Stevens) and Mary (Michelle Dockery) had been left precariously at the altar before vows had been exchanged. Could Matthew, who had been showing hints of socialist sympathies, suddenly have decided not to marry into the aristocracy? Could there have been a Jane Eyre-style intervention when the congregation were asked for any just cause why the union should not take place? (Ben Lawrence)

Página 12 (Argentina) mentions François Truffaut's film Les Deux anglaises et le continent, not overlooking its Brontë connections.

Como en tantos films de su realizador, aquí sus personajes caminan tras los pasos de las hermanas Brontë y hacen suyas las palabras de Arthur Rimbaud en su deseo de reinventar el amor. (Emilio A. Bellon) (Translation)

Hecklerspray gushes over Tom Hardy.

He’s also starred as Heathcliff in the Masterpiece Classic version of Wuthering Heights. As a Heathcliff (and all things Wuthering Heights) connoisseur, I can confidently state that he’s PERFECT, even with a heinous mop of hair on top of his head. Nothing is more macho macho man than a guy who knows how to relish in a bit of romance every now and then. (Hillary Scales)

And Malaya Business Inside wonders about the Philippine Wuthering Heights-inspired soap-opera Walang Hanggan.

“Walang Hanggan,” according to an insider, will have its final episode on October 26.
Will two of its lead stars, Coco Martin and Julia Montes, die, like the two protagonists in “Wuthering Heights”?
The novel, admitted the creative team headed by Rondel Lindayag, served as inspiration to the series. (Ethel Ramos)

Hathaways of Haworth is offering a tutorial on making Victorian clothes and accesories if only a suitable venue can be found in Haworth. Do spread the word or get in touch with them if you know of such a place. They are also working on 'undressing' the Brontës for Christmas and on a Brontë play. Coyote Canyon Press reviews Juliet Barker's revised edition of The Brontës. Peggy's Blog writes about Jane Eyre and Valhalla Gate posts about the 2011 adaptation in Spanish. Bibliopunkk gives 5 out of 5 stars to April Lindner's Jane. Ça sent le brûlé ! reviews Agnes Grey in French. Neverland writes in Italian about Wuthering Heights 2009. Bokboxen discusses in Swedish the eternal Austen vs the Brontës question. Unlimited Possibilities reviews Justine Picardie's Daphne.