Uninteresting ways

Tanya Gold discusses in The Guardian the 'airbrushing' of Jane Austen on the forthcoming £10 bank notes (the Cassandra Austen portrait has been replaced by the William Home Lizars 'prettier' engravement):

I thought both of Ann Widdecombe's 108th TV makeover (she went blonde) and the latest incarnation of My Little Pony, which is pornographic with its Disney princess eyes, even if it is a toy. This is misery on a level with the 2012 erotic novel Jane Eyre Laid Bare (in the most uninteresting way) and also with the 2007 film Becoming Jane, in which Jane Austen is played by Anne Hathaway, of the Princess Diaries, more competent actors being unavailable, or perhaps too ugly to hold a pen when a camera is present. The byline of Jane Eyre Laid Bare is particularly gruesome. It credits Eve Sinclair and Charlotte Brontë, who I suspect would have preferred to be left in the famous attic of her psyche, gnawing at her own face, and not on the cover at all.

CNN's Amanpour talks about Yorkshire:

Not to mention Heathcliff and Jane Eyre, who wandered through the imagination of the Brontë sisters.
But Yorkshire is more than gloom; more even than a puffy pudding that goes with roast beef at Sunday lunch; more than the name of a cute little terrier that you can fit in a purse. (Lucky Gold)

The New York Times carries an interesting article where various writers are asked how modern and daily used technologies have changed the way we write a story:

Marisha Pessl: The trouble with technology is that it eradicates a character’s ability to be lost, and it’s the state of being in the dark and the journey toward understanding that has given rise to the greatest stories ever written. Marlow’s voyage up the uncharted Congo in “Heart of Darkness,” the shocking truth of Rochester’s past in “Jane Eyre,” the mysterious gentleman caller in “The Glass Menagerie” — none of these tales could take place today because access to a smartphone would reveal mysterious whereabouts, mad first wives and marital status in seconds without the hero ever needing to leave his living room couch. And without a character forced to seek answers in the real world there can be no journey, no transformation.

Daily Mail reviews Orwell's Cough by John Ross, now in paperback:

Were all the Brontë sisters victims of TB, which kills off various characters in their books? (Sally Morris)

The Lion's Roar talks about some lectures at Southeastern Louisiana University:

Last Wednesday, English instructor Natasha Whitton gave a lecture as part of the Fanfare series comparing the “Twilight” series to works of great authors such as Jane Austen, theBrontë sisters and even Shakespeare. I confess that this piece was originally conceived with the intention of arguing why “Twilight” should not be mentioned in the same breath as such classic literature. I have disliked “Twilight” for years, long before it became cool to do so. A friend pressed the first two books upon me, certain I would love them as much as she did, but I found myself unimpressed with the characters, story and even the quality of the prose.
When I hear “Twilight” compared to “Pride and Prejudice,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” or my all-time favorite novel “Wuthering Heights,” I cringe. When someone says the bland Bella Swan is anything like the fiercely independent Jane Eyre, I’m the first to draw upcounterarguments. However, after listening to the lecture, I came to realize two things: firstly, it’s not controversial to hate “Twilight.” (Emily Stephan)

The American Conservative talks about the faults of the Lexile Program:

The Lexile system is, similarly, a tool: like any tool, it is insufficient. Perhaps its creators will find ways to incorporate qualitative measurements into their scoring system—but do we want them to? I don’t mind utilizing a little common sense alongside the Lexile “thermometer.” Any good teacher should know better than to believe Sports Illustrated for Kids’ Awesome Athletes is more complex than Jane Eyre. (Gracy Olmstead)

Third Week Jitters at Oxford University in The Huffington Post:

Understandably, some students struggle to make a connection between an analysis of Jane Eyre through Foucault's theory in Discipline and Punish and the 'carceral network' (don't ask) and how they can obtain a job at Citibank or even in the government sector. (Stefan Lancy)

Erie Times-News presents the DVD release of Byzantium:

Screenwriter Moira Buffini brings a worldly authenticity to the characters in a way that those most famous of movie vampires, "Twilight's" charmed Bella and Edward, never did. In tone, "Byzantium" is closer to "Jane Eyre."

CMJ talks about the new video of Dum Dum Girls:

Dum Dum Girls have just announced their follow-up to 2011′s subtle dark-pop effort Only In Dreams. It’s called Too True, and is scheduled for release January 28 via Sub Pop. And not only that, but the band also released their new single, Lost Boys And Girls Club, as well as a video for the track.
Directed by Cody Critcheloe of SSION, the clip is a surreal kind of leather-bound Heaven/Hell dream montage. It’s George Michael’s Faith meets Beauty School Drop Out meets moody Degrassi meets Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights on LSD. (Lizzie Plaugic)

Yale Daily News reviews the Yale Repertory Theatre production of  Owners by Caryl Churchill:

Marion never fell out of love with the now broken down, uncaring Alec. The choices she now makes in her own are all in the shadow of the life she could have had with him. Marion manipulates Lisa into letting her adopt Lisa’s baby. And, when Alec still refuses to commit to her, she and Worsley plot revenge. He suggests burning the house down, and Marion likes the idea. Toward the climax of the play, her sanity seems to deteriorate as Alec’s revives. She clings to Alec’s baby, her piece of him, and declares a fit of passion: “I can be as terrible as anyone!” This assertion of emotional equality almost recalls Jane Eyre — perhaps Marion’s unique tragedy lies in her combination of both Brontë’s learned heroine and the madwoman in the attic (flat?) all at once. Overload! (Madeline Duff)

The Star (Kenya) interviews the musical producer Tedd Josiah:

The last book l enjoyed was... ... ... .. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (Isaiah Langat)

KDrama Stars gives some details of the KBS 2TV soap opera Secret (Korea):

Min Hyuk (played by Ji Sung) who gives Se Yeon (played by Lee Da Hee) Wuthering Heights in episode 7.

The Hindu is concerned about heroes in literature:

I talked to some friends about what kind of fictional man they had serious feelings about. Apart from one who had impure thoughts about Othello, and younger women who sighed over Heathcliff, most of them seemed to look for intelligence, an infinite capacity for love, and the ability to put up shelves in a pinch. (Latha Anantharaman)

Manga Maniac Cafe interviews the author Debbie Herbert:

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Debbie Herbert] Jane Eyre, with Little Women as a close second. Does anyone read Little Women anymore? And can I give Harriet the Spy an Honorable Mention?

The recent award obtained by Jane, le Renard et Moi is also mentioned in L'Express d'Outremont & Mont-Royal:

«Jane, le renard et moi», de Fanny Britt (texte) et Isabelle Arsenault (illustrations), publié aux éditions de la Pastèque, remporte le Prix du livre jeunesse 2013 !
Jane, le renard et moi raconte l'histoire de la jeune Hélène, victime de harcèlement et d'intimidation à son école. Elle trouve alors refuge dans le monde de Jane Eyre, le premier roman de Charlotte Brontë. Journal intime "rétrospectif" de l'auteure Fanny Britt, mis en image par Isabelle Arsenault, Jane, le renard et moi explore la méchanceté de certains enfants et le regard cruel que l'on porte parfois sur soi.
Il traite aussi du refuge et des possibilités infinies qu'offre la lecture d'un roman dans lequel on peut oublier le monde qui nous entoure. Une vie en noir et blanc, une vie parsemée de touches de couleurs. Ce roman graphique saura faire chavirer ses lecteurs par ses mots, ses images et, surtout, son regard universel. (M.J.-F.) (Translation) 

Estrella Digital (Spain) talks about TV literary adaptations:

Incluso el cine y la TV han ido de la mano a la hora de adaptar textos para sus respectivos fines. Sobre todo a través de escritores de otros siglos. Así, lo mismo echaban mano de obras de Shakespeare (en la pequeña pantalla servían principalmente para obras teatrales), que de Emily Brontë, que vio cómo se hacían distintas versiones para ambos de libros como "Jane Eyre" o "Cumbres borrascosas". (M. Arroyo) (Translation)

El Cultural (Spain) asks several writers for horror literary recommendations. Benjamín Prado says:

En nuestra casa de Las Rozas había una habitación cerrada, porque tenía balcón y tenía miedo mi madre de que me cayera. Me daba pánico. También leí Jane Eyre y recuerdo que pensaba que en esa habitación estaba encerrada la loca. (Translation)

Sveriges Radio presents a new opera rock written for the radio, Ola Salo's Kult:

Och det passar den här Jane Eyre-inspirerade historien väldigt bra. "Kult" handlar om två gymnasietjejer, Elin och Märta, som låtsas att de upptäckt en lokal, romantisk poet som ingen känt till. Och när lögnerna snärjer in sig i varandra friläggs också småstadens dolda patriarkala strukturer som ingen ville låtsas om. (Hanna Höglund) (Translation)

A Glen Rose High School freshman writes about Jane Eyre on YourGlenRoseTX; Petals and Pages reviews the collective book Red Room; Belper Book Chat briefly posts about Villette and The Never Dusty Bookshelf reviews The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef; Booklover's Bench shares a fragment from Death of a Dowager, the second installment of the Jane Eyre Chronicles by Joanna Campbell Slan; the Brontë Parsonage Facebook shares some pictures of the Half Term activities.