Lord Byron in the #metoo era

Crosscut discusses 'Why we can't get enough of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë'.

Across the West Seattle Bridge at ArtsWest Theatre, a young woman sings of her new-found freedom working at the manor house of a mysterious employer in the Broadway musical, Jane Eyre.
Over in Greenwood at Taproot Theatre, the Bennet sisters are spending a jolly holiday at a country estate in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. They gather round a brightly decorated Yuletide tree (before that was a common British tradition). And romance is in the air.
But consider this, dear reader: Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre, about the transformation of a poor young governess, was first published in 1847. And Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is inspired by Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s portrait of Elizabeth Bennet and her several sisters in their quests for love and marriage that came into print in 1813. Both authors were daughters of clergymen, educated at home, and penned their manuscripts with quills dipped in wells of ink. Neither wrote under her own name, since “author” was not then deemed a proper or credible occupation for women. Austen’s works were initially attributed to “Anonymous,” and Brontë’s to the pen name Currer Bell.
Though each novelist enjoyed some literary success in her day, neither could possibly have imagined their popularity 200 years later — or the multitude of stage/screen/digital media spinoffs they’ve generated. Modern interpreters freely add to, subtract from, embellish and parody the tales — while retaining the central attributes of cultivated language, keen observation and a sharp-witted, strong-willed woman’s longing for, as Austen might put it, a suitable “attachment.” [...]
While Austen’s sparkling comedies of manners are beloved, she’s had some harsh critics — including Charlotte Brontë. In an 1884 [sic!] letter to a friend, Brontë wrote off Pride and Prejudice as a “carefully-fenced, high-cultivated garden with neat borders and delicate flowers; but no glance of a bright, vivid physiognomy, no open country, no fresh air, no blue hill, no bonny beck. I should hardly like to live with her ladies and gentlemen in their elegant but confined houses.”
Brontë’s Jane Eyre appeals on a more visceral, dramatic level. It’s no house party, but a tempestuous odyssey across the stormy moors. In the engrossing novel the impoverished, plain-Jane Yorkshire lass endures a brutal orphan school before finding a better life, and a complicated love interest, in the employment of a seductively enigmatic nobleman, the Byronic Mr. Rochester.
This passionate saga was a radical leap for fiction. By having Jane narrate her own story and emancipation, Brontë freed up the first-person, unaristocratic female voice in Western literature. And she blended a gothic mystery with a fiery romance and a critique of the great gulf between Britain’s moneyed gentry and abused poor.
With action-packed storyline and iconic characters, Jane Eyre was swiftly adapted for eight silent films, and later more than 30 “talkie” movies and TV series. The part of Jane is a plum for those who’ve played it, from Joan Fontaine to Ruth Wilson (The Affair). And screen stars from Orson Welles to Timothy Dalton to Michael Fassbender have taken on that moody hunk, Rochester.
There are many literary updates, sequels and also a brilliant prequel (Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys) too, along with half a dozen ballets, at least one opera, a symphony and a recent web series on YouTube (The Autobiography of Jane Eyre).
We’ve had two Seattle Jane Eyre stage productions this season: one in the fall from Book-It Repertory, featuring a mismatched pair of leads. But the love chemistry sizzles in the musical version running through Dec. 23 at ArtsWest. Written by John Caird, with a score by Paul Gordon, the show’s 2000 premiere on Broadway fared so-so, but it has been rewardingly revised into an intimate chamber work that fits well in ArtsWest’s snug environs.
While the music isn’t especially memorable, it expresses the intense emotions of Jane’s epic journey, and is beautifully sung by Chelsea LeValley as a compelling (if not at all plain!) Ms. Eyre, and 5th Avenue Theatre favorite Louis Hobson as a smoldering Rochester. Under Mathew Wright’s supple direction, a versatile cadre of eight singer-actors nimbly tackle all the supporting roles.
Offstage, you can tell Brontë’s heroine is a modern superstar with all the Jane Eyre-themed tea soaps, T-shirts, purses and coasters available for purchase online. And there’s even more Pride and Prejudice merchandise available — mugs, scarves, stockings, and for that special someone, Jane Austen toothpaste from Archie McPhee’s.
Or — what a concept! — you could just find and read the original novels by Austen and Brontë. They’ll always be in print. And free online.
This story has been corrected with Charlotte Brontë in the headline. The original version of this story misidentified Emily Brontë as the author of Jane Eyre. (Misha Berson)

Anglotopia also mentions Jane Austen and the Brontës together while recommending the book

The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, Tales from Ivy Hill #1, Julie Klassen
The first in a series, the books in this Regency-era tale read like episodes of Cranford or Lark Rise to Candleford and draw you into its idyllic, close-knit community filled with quirky characters, blossoming romances, and enthralling mysteries. With eleven books published, Klassen has become a trusted and beloved source for fans of Austen and the Brontë sisters. Publishers Weekly says of The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, “With her signature insight into the human heart, Klassen draws readers into the deceptively quiet English countryside of Austen’s day.” (Amy Green)

Belfast Telegraph comments on the fact that a radio station in Ohio has banned Baby, It's Cold Outside from the airwaves as 'it is not in tune with these #MeToo times'. The columnist rightly argues that it's certainly 'easier to ban Baby, It’s Cold Outside than tackle today’s toxic rape culture'.

Rather than see festive hit for what it is, we prefer to misread things and give ourselves a pat on the back [...]
What's next for the chop? Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer? After all, our eponymous hero is bullied and ostracised by his co-workers because of his 'difference'. His employer, Santa, turns a blind eye to these shenanigans, only to call on Rudolf one 'foggy Christmas eve' when old beardy is in a bit of a hole.
Or Hamlet? Where that crazy Dane blanks his girlfriend, Ophelia, until she eventually goes mad and drowns herself. Classic gaslighting. Jane Eyre? Where Mr Rochester locks Mrs Rochester up in the attic because she is … ahem … 'mad'. Who says, Eddie? You? And isn't madness a social construct anyway … (Gail Walker)

Slate discusses Lord Byron (totally unsuitable for the #metoo era, isn't he?) and rightly claims that,

Every moody singer-songwriter, every sardonic romantic hero from Heathcliff and Mr. Rochester to Rhett Butler and Christian Grey, has a little (or a lot) of Byron in him. (Laura Miller)

Mirror also comments on the Wuthering Heights-inspired photographs of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra taken by Annie Liebovitz for Vogue.

The Bollywood star and the pop idol are shown snuggling together in a bucolic idyll in images that perfectly balance – as you’d expect from the world’s leading photographer – just the right amount of cosy #CoupleGoals and steamy ‘Heathcliff and Cathy’ romance. (Michael Moran)

Washington Square News writes in defence of 'popular fiction'.

If people do not have the time to read in general, perhaps popular fiction can be a way in. “Twilight” and “Fifty Shades of Grey” may be lengthy, but they have the allure of the handsome, mysterious stranger from the very beginning; readers don’t have to wade through Jane Eyre’s tragic childhood to get to the exciting affair. It is like the draw of a TV show over a movie — the audience doesn’t have to wait for the scandalous affair because “Sex and the City” provides the same excitement in just 20 minutes. People want instant entertainment and popular fiction provides this. (Sonali Mathur)

Der Tagesspiegel (Germany) shares its readers' favourite comic books of 2018.

"Jane", die Adaption des Klassikers Jane Eyre von Charlotte Brontë, ist in ihrer Gesamtheit wohl mein Favorit dieses Jahr. Die Kombination aus Bildern und Geschichte, die Integration der Tatsache, das Jane hier eine angehende Kunststudentin ist und selbst zeichnet, und die emotionale Achterbahnfahrt sind extrem gelungen. (Stefan Immel) (Translation)

Brontë Babe shares the best Brontë books she has read this year.