Revering Charlotte

Screenwriter and actor Will Smith (The Thick of It) writes in The Guardian:

As a teenager, I worshipped John Cleese and Stephen Fry and dreamed of being part of a writing or performing troupe. But I also revered Charlotte Brontë and George Eliot, so in tandem with forging a career as a standup, occasional actor and comedy writer, I’ve also been trying to write novels.

Also in The Guardian, a review of These Are the Names by Tommy Wiering:

The opening chapter’s title “The Thing Itself” introduces a sense of timeless, elemental human battles, conjuring King Lear’s unaccommodated man in the pitiless storm. The steppe is a symbolic presence, like Hardy’s Egdon Heath or Emily Brontë’s moors, but without their sense of physical place. This landscape, like Lear’s, is often metaphorical; the migrants pass through “the thicket of horrors”, recalling Dante’s midlife “dark wood”. (Phoebe Taplin)

A reader from the Ilkley Gazette defends the maintenance of the Ilkley Literature Festival (The District Council is proposing to cut completely its annual grant):

Finally, let me point out that the Brontë sisters of Haworth, but a stone’s throw away from Bradford, and J B Priestley, the acclaimed author and playwright of Bradford, bear witness to the literary heritage of the district. (Sylvia Mann)

Lisa A. Phillips writes in Cosmopolitan about a dark phase of her life:

Another thing I wish I'd realized was that my pursuit of him wasn't really about him. It was all about me and my needs. Stalking is narcissistic.
That sounds awful. At times, I was awful. But one of the best things about writing Unrequited was that I discovered women who used the self-centeredness of unrequited love not to stalk but to change their lives for the better. Romantic obsession inspired dancer Isadora Duncan, writer Charlotte Brontë, and Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the founding mothers of feminism, to create their greatest works.

The Independent's Bonus Track features the infamous 1978 Top of the Pops cover of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights:

Thirty years ago next month, the last of those Top of the Pops compilation albums was released. For those lucky enough to be too young to remember them, the albums had nothing to do with the BBC programme of the same name and could not feature the original versions of hit singles. Anyway, in researching whether this might make an interesting article, I listened to some of the songs covered and was disappointed to find most were reasonably well done. And then I came across the Top of the Pops version of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”. Is this the worst cover version ever? Decide for yourself…. (Simmy Richman)

The Boston Herald films listing includes Fifty Shades of Grey:

Part “Cinderella,” part “Beauty and the Beast,” part “Jane Eyre” meets “Story of O,” the film is based on the 2011 fangirl fiction best-selling sensation by pseudonymous Brit E.L. James, and it is a giggle-inducing letdown after all the heavy-breathing build-up in a media desperate for something people want to hear about.

 The South China Morning Post reviews the audiobook release of Kate Atkinson's Human Croquet:

First published in 1997, but new to audiobook download, Kate Atkinson's second novel confirmed what her prize-winning debut, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, boldly announced: she's a major literary talent. Our narrator is Isobel Fairfax, who sounds like a Bronte heroine and speaks like one too: "Francis Fairfax, lately ennobled by the Queen, was in receipt, from the Queen's own hand, of a great swathe of land north of the village, on the edge of what remained of the forest." (James Kidd)

The Independent (Ireland) writes about how movies based on novels dominate the Oscars:

Classic fiction has provided the springboard to Oscar victory for many an adaptation, from Emma Thompson's screenplay for Ang Lee's version of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility to the 1940 Best Picture win for Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. (Edel Coffey)

Scroll.in lists several graphic adaptations of classic novels:

Emily Brontë's only novel has been adapted into a comic book by John M. Burns and edited by Sean Michael Wilson. This work, like other adaptations by publishers Classical Comics, comes in two versions - abridged 'original text' and paraphrased 'quick text'. The latter is aimed at children, and fans of the novel will most enjoy the former. (Shreya Ila Anasuya)

The St George and Southern Utah Independent reminds us the latest performances of Jane Eyre. The Musical at the Brigham's Playhouse:

Our production of the musical drama Jane Eyre is heading into the final two weeks of its run—that means you only have a few more performances left to see this superb cast in such a heartfelt show. The Brigham’s Playhouse experience is complete with mouth-watering confections, Brigham’s Brew Root Beer, and our famous fudge and fresh baked cookies, not to mention a fabulous live orchestra and Broadway-caliber talent in the best seats Southern Utah has to offer. Don’t miss your chance to see the endearing tale all ages will love.

The Mary Sue vindicates the educational potential of videogames:

From pop art to poetry, most art forms have found a foothold on school curriculums. But even as tech advancements allow video games to grow ever more expansive in theme and visuals, it’s unlikely that Child of Light will be knocking the Brontës off the reading list anytime soon. You can study Skyrim in Texas, but while Rice University remains in the minority, it does prove that the tides are turning in gamers’ favour. Trouble is, outsiders looking in rarely get past the gore and misogyny of some of the more infamous exponents. Regardless of media hyperbole surrounding sex and violence in video games, there are plenty of titles willing and able to teach you a thing or two. (Elisabeth O'Neill)

Vozpópuli (Spain) interviews the writer Antonio Aparicio (Buenaventura):

Aunque sus editores le emparentan literariamente con la Jane Eyreo (sic) de Charlotte Brontë, lo cierto es que se trata de una historia que pretende y procura envolver a quien se adentra en ella, para ello, Aparicio se vale de algunos mecanismos, unos más efectivos que otros. “Quería dotarla de esa especie de realismo mágico. Ese halo que tiene de misterio, romántico, pienso que una historia de este tipo en esa época en Asturias tiene una carga emocional muy fuerte”. (Karina Sainz Borgo) (Translation)

El País (Spain) mentions the use of pseudonyms by the Brontës:

La autora de Cumbres Borrascosas, Emily Brontë, publicó la novela, considerada hoy día como un clásico de la literatura inglesa, con el varonil nombre de Ellis Bell (apellido que también utilizaron sus dos hermanas para ocultar su verdadero sexo). (Clara Ferrero) (Translation)

Il Fatto Quotidiano and Firenze Post review Faust Marlowe Burlesque  mentioning Wuthering Heights. Just Another Day in Paradise reviews Wuthering Heights.