Fit for the Brontës

We have several bookish conversations today. Judith Barrow interviews writer Juliet Greenwood:

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on? My most memorable pilgrimage was going to Howarth [sic] to the Brontë Museum. I went first as a teenager, when I’d first discovered ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’. It was fascinating to see where the sisters lived and worked, and I was amazed at the smallness of their dresses. The things I loved best were the tiny little books they’d written as children. I was creating books myself at the time, not nearly as tiny, and it was great to see that that was how my idols had begun their literary career!
The thing I remember most, though, is the graveyard, and the sounds and the atmosphere. When I was older, I walked the Pennine Way with friends. We reached Top Withens in the morning, swathed in mist, and sat and had breakfast in the ruins. That was definitely one of the most atmospheric mornings I’ve ever experienced.

The Daily Mail asks writer Paula Hawkins about a book that left her cold.

The Mill On The Floss, but I think that has nothing to do with George Eliot. It was last on a list of lengthy Victorian novels I read — Wuthering Heights, Far From The Madding Crowd, Jane Eyre — and I couldn’t face another. I should give it another go.

Hypable describes writer Juliette Cross:

From the moment she read Jane Eyre as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own. (Kristen Kranz)

This columnist from La Croix (France) recalls how she came to read Jane Eyre for the first time:

Je suis certaine du grand pouvoir de la fiction et des livres. Il faut imaginer la petite fille que j’étais dans une maison foutraque au sol rouge, découvrant dans le coin de la chambre de son oncle, parti faire ses études en France, un carton rempli de livres. Les livres sont usés, les tranches se décollent, les feuilles se détachent. Il y a, entre autres, Jane Eyre (C. Brontë), Une maison pour Monsieur Biswas (V. S. Naipaul), Les Raisins de la colère (J. Steinbeck), Les Hauts de Hurlevent (E. Brontë), les œuvres complètes de Shakespeare réunies dans un ouvrage vert sapin assez laid, aux pages déjà teintées de cette couleur crème du temps qui passe.
Je décide de commencer par Jane Eyre, le titre me plaît. C’est en anglais et je lis lentement parce que c’est un peu difficile. Mon père me dit : « Oh, Jane Eyre, c’est vieux ça. » Mais moi, je trouve que c’est tellement dramatique (et donc passionnant et donc moderne pour moi), cette fille maltraitée puis placée dans un orphelinat (oh, quand meurt son amie Helen !). Et cet amour que je ne comprends pas tout à fait mais, au fond, je sais que c’est d’une beauté implacable qui me touche. Dehors, par-delà ma fenêtre, il y a un manguier, il y a des rouges-gorges, il fait chaud à griller les feuilles de bananier, mais ce que j’aime, c’est la lande, je suis persuadée que c’est là-bas que se déroule la vraie vie. Ce pouvoir d’incarnation entière, complète, de « téléportation » presque dans un monde autre que le sien, oui, la fiction a ce pouvoir. Mais il faut, je crois, avoir le temps et le luxe de se laisser porter par ce pouvoir. (Nathacha Appanah) (Translation)

While this columnist from La Orquesta (Mexico) blames books for her concept of love:

Al crecer, los géneros literarios que leía fueron cambiando junto conmigo. Uno en especial fue el que llegó para quedarse; el romántico. Autoras como Jane Austen y las hermanas Brönte (sic) , me hicieron creer en las relaciones que todo lo pueden. Cómo a pesar de la adversidad, el amor entre un héroe y una heroína siempre triunfa.
Idealicé decenas de parejas perfectas y el amor incondicional y perfecto que se podían profesar dos personas. Que, aunque al principio un chico pudiese ser complicado, una chica podría cambiarlo para bien con todo su cariño. (Diana Martell) (Translation)

This columnist from GoUpstate describes herself:

Miss “likes to cozy up in bed with a cup of tea and a worn copy of Jane Eyre, after watching an episode of ‘The Crown,’ ’′ (Pam Stone)

Tes gives 'Four reasons why we should be teaching about the Bible – and not just in RE lessons' such as

1. To contextualise discussion about good and evil
The conflict between good and evil is a key idea in the Bible. Understanding this as the basis for how artists and writers represent these concepts provides a starting point to broaden discussions around characters and their actions. For example, the depiction of Satan as a beautiful angel, thrown out of heaven for rebellion, is a motif repeated throughout literature. Rochester, in Brontë's Jane Eyre, laments his own status as a fallen angel figure, but without knowing the reference, pupils won’t understand why. (Fran Hill)

Lancashire Post wonders whether 'commercial operators could be brought in' to help run Wycoller park.

Pendle councillor Whipp said: “Clearly we have two jewels in the crown. The one I’m particularly interested in is Wycoller - the setting for Brontë books and a destination for international visitors and for local people alike.” He said he knew that it had been suggested that talks should be held “in a very open way to see if there’s any interest from commercial operators to look at helping to cover the cost of running the (Wycoller) country park.” He argued both Wycoller and Beacon Fell would provide an opportunity for commercial operators to contribute to service costs. The council’s deputy leader Coun Albert Atkinson replied: “We will need people who will look to take over a lease to keep them going not just the two, but others. Officers are looking at it. We’ll keep cabinet and yourself informed of any future developments.”

The Huffington Post reviews a show by Aldous Harding in which

the artist stood, riveted to the stage, hands empty and busy, smashing the perfect hell out of ‘Wuthering Heights’. (Michael Dobson)

Golf Digest recalls the time when Lebron James

bid farewell to Cleveland: Jerseys were burned in the streets, billboards were torn from their scaffolding, and a Fortune 500 CEO penned a scorned lover’s letter fit for the Brontës. (Coleman Bentley)

According to Vogue India, Wuthering Heights is one of '10 evergreen classic novels you’ll never tire of revisiting'.