Edith Wharton's Jane Eyre

The Berkshire Eagle reports a fascinating story with a happy Brontë ending. The return of Edith Wharton's own copy of Jane Eyre to The Mount:

Thanks to the generosity of a resident of Lincolnshire, England, and a friend with access to the internet, Edith Wharton's copy of "Jane Eyre" has come back safely to rest among the books in Wharton's library at The Mount.
Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece -- her story of suspense and madness and wild nights on the moors -- traveled on a still-unknown route from a trove of works Wharton had collected in The Mount, the home she built in 1902, to the far side of the Atlantic. Wharton lived in Lenox for 10 years before she left for France, where she died in 1937.
Susan Hiddleston of Lincoln shire has recovered "Jane Eyre" and given it to The Mount. Hid dleston told her story in a recent letter to the Eagle. (She does not have email.)
"An aunt gave me that a copy of Jane Eyre on my 14th birthday," Hiddleston wrote. "She had bought it for [about a dollar] in a wonderful, rambling second-hand bookshop in Guildford, Surrey. Sadly this shop is long gone. This would have been in 1952. Edith Wharton was unknown here. And my aunt, who was a great reader of English literature, never made anything of Edith's name plate. We just saw her as someone who had once owned the book.
"However, when I came upon EW years later, as did my aunt, we were both quite overawed to think she had once held it and read it and put it on her shelf. I often showed it to people who read. I felt proud to own it. I felt sure there must be an Edith Wharton society somewhere, and I thought ‘one day I'll try to find out.' But life went on and it remained a thing to do one day.
"I don't have the internet, but most of our friends do, so I asked one to seek it out for me. And we were all surprised and excited at the amount of information that came forth."
With the help of her friend, Priscilla Shead, Hiddleston learned that Wharton had willed her entire library to two young sons of wealthy friends. Half of the volumes were dedicated to art, architecture and gardening. The rest, mainly literary works, included "Jane Eyre."
The nonfiction treasures were destroyed by German bombs in World War II. That left 2,700 books that were stored in an English castle until they were bought by the Mount in 2005 for $1.6 million. Somewhere in the literary world, a number of Wharton's books vanished. One of them was "Jane Eyre."
Hiddleston made arrangements for the return of the book in an exchange of letters with Nynke Dorhout, the Mount's librarian. Hiddleston originally sought payment, but after she learned about Wharton and the Mount, she offered to the book to the museum; the Mount paid only the $14 cost of the postage.
Dorhout said the gift is a librarian's dream come true -- "to really have somebody approach you and say ‘I have a book for your collection and then be willing to donate it.'"
"We should put out a call for more Wharton books," she said. "Some people who have Wharton books might not realize or appreciate their importance."
"Jane Eyre" is the Mount's lone representative, so far, of a seven-volume set of "The Life and Work of the Brontë Sisters." The Mount believes Wharton may have owned the complete set, Dor hout said, and would love to find Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights," which is still among the missing. Hiddleston's "Jane Eyre," published in 1920, bears a Wharton book plate.

Philadelphia Weekly likes the concept of Wuthering Heights 2011 but not its final result:

There is much to admire in Arnold’s genre twist; I’ve neglected to mention the smudgy DV cinematography and the recasting of Heathcliff as a black immigrant, which is a maybe. (Brontë imagined him as a gypsy. Both would have faced persecution.) The story is still there, but there are few show-offy, tony set pieces: just a collection of brief scenes, with Arnold reimagining the novel as though she was rewriting it with her camera.
Despite all the visible mud and sweat, the pleasures remain mostly hypothetical. The grimy attack strategy has a way of diluting the source, making it elemental and, alas, thin. The first half, when Catherine and Heathcliff are kids (played by Shannon Beer and Solomon Glave) are its best moments, in part because Arnold’s instinctive style is a better fit with children. (And because the kids rather mop the floor with their adult analogues.) But also because at that point, Arnold’s shtick—and it is, ultimately, shtick—still seems fresh. (Matt Prigge)

Ronald Frame lists the best literary sequels and prequels for The Guardian:

 Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
The non-pareil. A (largely) first-person memoir by Mrs Rochester: the exotic Caribbean pre-existence of the pyromaniac locked in the attic of Thornfield Hall. A highly distinguished novel by any reckoning, 'homage' or not. Imaginative, incisive, innovative. Even Charlotte Brontë would have been hard-pressed to do better.

A man named Branwell in The Northampton Chronicle:

I attended the first 50th birthday party of my generation at the weekend.
By my generation I’m referring to the group of people I socialised with over 20 years ago when I was a trainee reporter on The Biggleswade Chronicle.
In those days a senior reporter was assigned to mentor the green recruits and my guardian angel was Branwell Johnson.
He was named after the Brontë brother and warned me solemnly he had
learned how to fight defending his name on the play-
grounds of his hometown Liverpool. (Steve Scoles)

The Times of India speaks of what you can learn from classic novels. This, taken from Jane Eyre, is a bit weird:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Situation: Mr Rochester hides the fact that he has an ex-wife locked away in his attic.
Lesson: When important details are kept from each other, it's bound to have an adverse effect on your relationship in the long run. When it comes to dealing with your partner's ex, learn to deal with your insecurities. It's okay if your partner is friends with his/her ex, but they should maintain a distance. (Melissa D'Costa)

Female First's Friday's Five for Travel lists Haddon Hall:

Haddon Hall is a firm favourite with film makers. This house dates back to the 12th Century and both the house and its grounds have appeared in three versions of Jane Eyre. As one TripAdvisor traveller commented, “It is a truly beautiful house set in gorgeous surroundings.”

 Entertainment Weekly talks about the latest short film by Kanye West, Cruel Winter:

What does it all mean? Is this Kanye’s attempt to one-up Wuthering Heights ? Beats me. All I know is that, at this point, we have literally no idea what to expect from the man who would be Mr. Kardashian. (Josh Stillman)

KSL mentions the Classical Comics's take on Jane Eyre:

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, adapted by Amy Corzine and illustrated by John M. Burns, Terry Wiley
Another classic that has been adapted over and over, this version of the beloved tale of heroine Jane Eyre and the man she loves, Mr. Rochester, is a brilliant way to experience the story. This adaptation contains the original text alongside unique, eye-catching illustrations. (Teri Harman)

Books'n'Kisses interviews the writer Morgan Kelly:

 How did you come with the idea for this story?
I’ve always loved stories that are tied to a great and eerie house in the wilds of England—books like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, and The Little Stranger are like oxygen to me! 

A Brontëite in Consultor Jurídico (Brazil); Sarah's Novel Blog and Forrest for the Trees post about Wuthering Heights; Lynn's and Lecture et cie... (both in French), Escolhendo Seu Livro (in Portuguese) and Book Worms review Jane Eyre; moviemandu and Welcome to My World talk about Wuthering Heights 2009; The Gotta Have It Girl posts about Jane Eyre 2011; The Eye of Arms reviews The Flight of Gemma Hardy; Paranormal Romance Author Kate McKeever compares Rochester and Mr Darcy.