Brontës at the Bradford Literature Festival (I)

The Bradford Literature Festival has several Brontë events today, May 23:

Susan Newby
Brontës for Beginners
Saturday 23 May, 10:30 am – 11:00 am
The Midland Hotel, Princes BallroomPrice

The Brontës are the world’s most famous literary family and authors of some of the best-loved books in the English language. Even though Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë’s novels are now more than 150 years old, their power still moves readers today.
This whistle-stop guide by Susan Newby, education officer at Brontë Parsonage Museum, offers a useful introduction to the life and work of this exceptional family.

Juliet Barker, John Bowen, Rebecca Fraser and Bonnie Greer, with Boyd Tonkin
Race and Gender in the Novels of the Brontës
Saturday 23 May, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
The Midland Hotel, Princes BallroomPrice

Women feel as men feel
So says Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, a novel which, given its honesty about female desire and views on independence, is viewed as a feminist manifesto. The Bronte’s views on race were equally free from the prevailing notions of their times and there is much critical debate about the origins of Heathcliff, the ‘dark-skinned gipsy’ found on the streets of Liverpool, in Wuthering Heights.
Join Bronte experts Juliet Barker, John Bowen, Rebecca Fraser and Bonnie Greer with Boyd Tonkin, for a critical exploration of the ground breaking views on race and gender within the novels of the Brontë sisters, not only in the context of the age in which they lived, but also in highlighting the relevance of their work today.

Afternoon Tea with Ann Dinsdale, hosted by Mary Dawson
Brontë Relics
Saturday 23 May, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
The Midland Hotel, French Ballroom

The Brontës are the world’s most famous literary family. Their Haworth home has become a destination for pilgrimage and the family’s letters, manuscripts and personal possessions – many of which have now returned to the Brontë Parsonage Museum – are revered and sought after as relics.
Join Ann Dinsdale from the Brontë Parsonage Museum for a delicious traditional afternoon tea at the historic Midland Hotel, as she discusses key objects and tells the fascinating story of the development of the Brontë Society’s collection.