Branwell’s creative impulses and inspirations

The Telegraph and Argus tells about the private viewing of Mansions in the Sky, which took place last Friday.

Over 200 Brontë Society members and special guests gathered in Haworth last Friday (Feb 3) for a private viewing of a new exhibition to mark Branwell Brontë’s bicentenary.
They came to see “Mansions in the Sky”, which is curated by poet, artist, playwright and novelist Simon Armitage.
Guests assembled for a drinks reception in the Old School Room, Church Street, where they were welcomed by the parsonage’s principal curator Ann Dinsdale.
Arts officer Jenna Holmes then talked briefly about the exhibition before introducing Mr Armitage, who is the parsonage museum’s 2017 Creative Partner.
He talked about how he approached the exhibition and read out “William It Was Really Nothing”, the poem he wrote in response to Branwell’s unanswered letter to William Wordsworth.
The original letter is on display at the museum, loaned especially for the bicentenary by the Wordsworth Trust.
Following the reading, guests were invited to enter the museum and view the varied exhibits.
Museum head of communications, Rebecca Yorke, said:”It was wonderful to welcome so many people to the parsonage to celebrate the opening of Mansions in the Sky.
“Some guests had travelled a considerable distance to join us, but the feedback we’ve received so far indicates that Simon’s exhibition and the new displays were very much worth the journey.
“It will be a challenge to surpass the successes of Charlotte’s bicentenary year, but 2017 has definitely got off to a promising start.” [...]
Mr Armitage said: “As a poet of this landscape and region I recognise Branwell’s creative impulses and inspirations.
“I also sympathise with his desire to have his voice heard by the wider world, a desire encapsulated in a letter sent to William Wordsworth in 1837, when Branwell was a precocious and determined 19-year-old, seeking the great man’s approval.” (Richard Parker)

Signature interviews author David Mark, who says he might not have fully got Wuthering Heights:

SIG: What book (fiction or nonfiction) helped you see the world in a different light?DM: A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich. Human history as told by a kindly, avuncular teacher. It really gives you a sense of our place in the grand scheme of things and both how far we have come, and how much we have stayed the same. I’d also admit that Wuthering Heights changed my view of everything. The lesson seems to be that as long as you have lovely hair and dark eyes and a big house on a hill, you can be as dreadful as you want and still be entitled to true love. I may have misunderstood.

Cohencentric interviews Tim Footman, author of a new biography of Leonard Cohen.

7. There is an ongoing debate about whether you are or are not a Leonard Cohen fan. Putting aside for now the inevitable question, i.e., Where have all the deconstructionists gone, do you account yourself a fan of Leonard Cohen and, if so, how ardent a fan are you? Have you attended any of Cohen’s concerts? I’d call myself an admirer rather than a fan. While I am in awe of the conviction and commitment of diehard Cohen fans, I don’t necessarily think they’d be the best people to write books of this kind about him – it’s possible to get too close to your subject. I remember watching a documentary about Cliff Richard, and they interviewed some of his hardcore fans; they said they didn’t like the fact that critics had dismissed Heathcliff (his awful Wuthering Heights musical), because it was the sort of show you need to see a dozen times to fully appreciate. Critics can’t – and shouldn’t – make that kind of commitment, because they will lose any vestige of objectivity. (DrHGuy)

The Huffington Post has some tips on how to bring 'Literature And Language In[to] Action' such as

numerous film adaptations of books that really bring to life some of the most brilliant books we have grown up with and study. The Harry Potter series and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo are great examples, as well as other more classical adaptations like Wuthering Heights, To Kill A Mockingbird and Gone With the Wind. (Farida Ahmed)

DC Theatre Scene reviews the play The River:

It looks like a love story — a Heathcliff-and-Catherine love story, where the passion is so profound and misshapen that it obliterates the boundaries of everyday reality. But it isn’t. (Tim Treanor)

El Correo de Extremadura (Spain) praises Jane Eyre.

Si la novela Jane Eyre de Charlote [sic] Brontë sigue teniendo tantos admiradores, a pesar de ser un melodrama, es porque además de estar muy bien escrita, presenta una figura femenina llena de integridad moral, prototipo de virtud según los cánones de la época, e incluso de los actuales. Es un personaje tan potente que atraviesa la novela y la mantiene. (Carmen Heras) (Translation)

Star Tribune features actress Rachel Keller, who recalls,

“One year for Hanukkah, my dad got us season tickets and I saw ‘Jane Eyre,’ ‘Peer Gynt’ and ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ ” she said. “I’d get all dressed up, we’d valet-park and I’d cry after every show. That was just a beautiful year.” (Neal Justin)

Bigodino (Italy) includes both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights among 10 other romantic novels to be read at least once in a lifetime.

Jane Eyre di Charlotte Brontë – 1847 [...]
Parlando di storie d’amore penate e sofferte, questa raccontata in uno dei romanzi più celebri della letteratura inglese è di certo tra le prime in classifica.
La protagonista del romanzo è Jane, che conosciamo sin dalle prime pagine come una bambina orfana che, ben presto, viene affidata a una scuola di carità, dove vigono regole molto rigide. Sin da subito Jane dimostra un carattere forte e deciso che, seppur tra molte fatiche e sofferenze, cresce e studia sino a diventare una stimata insegnante.
E’ proprio grazie a questa professione che trova un’occupazione a Thornfield Hall, dove fa l’istitutrice della figlia adottiva del padrone di casa, Mr. Rochester. Sarà proprio l’incontro con Mr. Rochester a cambiare la vita a Jane: tra i due nasce un sentimento di amore profondo, ma il passato dell’uomo non permette loro di concretizzare il loro amore. Dopo un lungo periodo in cui i due si trovano obbligati a sopprimere i loro sentimenti, avverrà un durissimo distacco, ma alla fine il destino tornerà a loro favore e gli permetterà di coronare il loro sogno d’amore.
Amore, introspezione, maturazione, una storia completa e sempre attuale.
Cime tempestose di Emily Brontë – 1847 [...]
Cime Tempestose è il nome della casa che su un’alta e ventosa collina dello Yorkshire possiede la famiglia Earnshaw. Essa rappresenta anche nel nome la natura e la forza indomabile delle passioni che sconvolgono gli uomini e, in questo caso specifico, i protagonisti il cui temperamento è forte e indomabile come il vento.
Qui viene accolto e allevato dal signor Earnshaw il trovatello Heathcliff. Tra Heathcliff e Catherine, figlia di Earnshaw, nasce un grande amore e una profonda intesa, ma col passare degli anni il rapporto s’incrina per l’insorgere di barriere di classe e Catherine decide di sposare Edgar Linton, ricco e gentile, la cui proprietà confina con quella degli Earnshaw ferendo Heathcliff a morte che, umiliato e offeso da Catherine, e maltrattato dal fratello di lei Hindley, si allontana.
Quando tre anni dopo Heath­cliff torna ricco, è troppo tardi, Catherine è già sposata. Heathcliff furioso giura vendetta. Sposa Isabella Lin­ton, sorella di Edgar, per assumere il controllo della proprietà e distruggere la famiglia. Catherine consapevole di essere la causa di tante sofferenze si ammala e muore dopo aver dato alla luce la piccola Cathy. Heathcliff disperato e inconsolabile cerca di impossessarsi di tutto ciò che apparteneva a Catherine. Quando è sul punto di riuscirvi, muore e su sua richiesta viene sepolto accanto a Catherine, in modo che nulla posa più separarli, ai bordi della brughiera, dove da bambini giocavano. Nella casa la vita riprende con il matrimonio tra Hareton, figlio di Hindley, e Cathy.
Un romanzo all’avanguardia che tratta temi e dinamiche sentimentali molto moderne per quell’epoca: un amore che vi appassionerà come pochi. (Carlotta Di Falco) (Translation)

One of the '10 Reasons To Value Romantic Fiction' romantic writer Virginia Heath gives Female First is the following:

Romantic fiction is as old as time
There is no arguing with the collective wisdom of the past. The Ancient Greeks loved a good romance. So did Shakespeare. How many of his plays have a love story within them? The popular romantic novelists of old are now seen as great writers and an intrinsic part of our literary heritage. Chaucer, Marlow, Austen, Brontë, Du Maurier, Tolstoy… who knows? Maybe one day the great Nora Roberts’ works will be a highly regarded by the students of tomorrow. I certainly hope so. If romance is good enough for Shakespeare…

More on romantic novels, as Harlequin Junkie reviews Royally Matched by Emma Chase.

Now Sarah was a character I could completely empathize with. I got a kick out of her book obsession and how she would picture someone as a classic book character like Mr. Darcy, Mr. Willoughby, Jane Eyre, etc. (Sara)

Las Vegas Review-Journal tells how '1998 restriction forced developers to get more creative with street names'.

More recently, Storybook Homes created a subdivision near Blue Diamond Road and South Durango Drive known as Novels (Unit 1) in 2013, with street names reflecting classic adult literature.
The names are Time Machine Avenue, Arabian Nights Street, Oliver Twist Lane, Tom Sawyer Street, Black Beauty Street, Vanity Fair Lane, Wuthering Heights Avenue and Wonderland Street.
StoryBook Homes sales manager Jason Dailey said the company’s motif approach is useful in marketing.
“Some people that read those books when they were younger — still reading today — (it) kind of endears them to the street name,” he said. “It’s kind of a personal connection that they have with their street name and their community.” (Kailyn Brown)

It's a Beautiful Dame posts about Jane Eyre. KirstWrites tells about a walk to Top Withens.