“If they published Jane Eyre today, it would be published with a cute little cover in pink.”

Northern Soul reviews the three parts of The Unthanks' Lines. About Part Three:

And so, to Part Three, commissioned by the Brontë estate, based on a series of poems written by Emily Brontë and recorded in The Parsonage at Haworth, with McNally (somewhat nervously, I imagine) playing the actual Brontë family piano. It’s probably the headline act in terms of mainstream appeal and Rachel and Becky are in characteristically fine voice, but the arrangements, ironically enough, are a bit too polite to be completely convincing. At least no pianos were harmed in the course of this recording. (Kevin Bourke)

About Manchester announces that The Unthanks will take part in Manchester Folk Festival (16 – 20 October 2019).

The Unthanks join the line-up on Saturday for a rare performance of their new Emily Brontë project. Commissioned by the Brontë Society to mark Emily Brontë’s 200th Birthday, Yorkshire-born Unthanks pianist and composer Adrian McNally has turned a selection of her poems into song, performed with bandmates Rachel and Becky Unthank. (Nigel Barlow)

The National Student features a report on the gender gap for authors.

Rowan Coleman, who has been a bestselling female author for the past twenty years, and has yet to be reviewed in a broadsheet newspaper, says: "For a man, writing is a career. For a woman, so often her writing is treated like it's a hobby, it is a nice thing to do on the side. That attitude is deeply embedded in our culture.”
An additional issue according to Coleman is not only the review of work but also the initial marketing process of the book and how much of it is gender-based, adding: “If they published Jane Eyre today, it would be published with a cute little cover in pink.” (Daniella Theis)

So Charlotte Brontë's words on the subject are still valid enough.

To you I am neither man nor woman. I come before you as an author only. It is the sole standard by which you have a right to judge me--the sole ground on which I accept your judgment.

Coincidentally, Vogue wonders, '2000s or 1800s?', which is something we have pondered on a lot lately. Vogue, however, applies it only to fashion.

Victorian style has also appeared on the streets. During fashion month, we saw billowy coats out in London and high-necked dresses in Paris that unfolded in waves of shimmering lace. This spring, why not try a midi-length cream-colored crochet dress to create a moment worthy of a Brontë novel? Or perhaps a pair of two-toned leather boots, paired with black driving gloves for a chic update on steampunk? Ultimately, this trend is all about dreaminess and looking dramatically comfortable. Don’t forget the fainting couch. (Sophie Kemp)

More questions. A contributor to The Millions used to wonder,

Why was bitch a swear word when Bruce Willis said it in Die Hard and not when Brontë wrote it in Wuthering Heights? When were these words bad words, and when were they good? (Katie Prout)

The Chronicle of Higher Education claims that 'Advances in computing will benefit traditional scholarship — not compete with it.'

When social scientists offer general laws of human behavior, we will always be in a position to point to exceptions. It is also part of the humanities’ mission to appreciate exceptions: it would be tragic if literary scholars became so infatuated with charts and graphs that they forgot to mention that Wuthering Heights is rather unlike other novels of its time. (Ted Underwood)

Daily Record features artist Christine Dunlap:

“I’ve pulled inspiration from the literary works of the Brontë Sisters, Emily Dickinson, and Mary Shelley. Smaller intimate details are often derived from The Victorian Language of Flowers, as well as heavily researched historical cultural norms of the 19th century,” Dunlap said. “When composing my work, each blossom and/or jewelry are carefully selected for their meaning. I enjoy creating layers of hidden contexts for the viewer to discover.”

The Mercury News recommends San Francisco’s Lamplighters Music Theatre's take on Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury and their own original addition, Trial by Jury Duty.

This time it’s accompanied by an original work created as one the signature pop culture parodies the company cooks up for its annual galas. “Trial by Jury Duty” is a spoof sequel with bits of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë and Daphne du Maurier thrown into the mix, set to Sullivan’s sprightly music. (Sam Hurwitt)

London Review of Books comments on the work of Gerald Murnane.

If that were the case, however fine Tamarisk Row and its successor are (and they are), it’s unlikely you’d be reading this essay. Murnane’s international reputation, which has grown to speculations of a Nobel, rests on his novels and stories of the 1980s and 1990s, especially his 1982 masterpiece, The Plains. These are the works that have drawn comparisons to Borges and Calvino, two among the five authors (the others are Emily Brontë, Halldór Laxness and Proust) whose books Murnane said in a 2001 lecture were the only ones the then 62-year-old wanted to reread before he died. (Christian Lorentzen)

Rutland Herald recommends a few 'books that play with time', including

The Eyre Affair
Jasper Fforde
The first of what is now a series of light-hearted adventure books about intrepid literary sleuth Thursday Next. In her world, it’s possible to go back in time and change books — and reality. More fantasy than sci-fi, despite some very SF trappings (time travel, plasma rifles, alternate universes), mostly because there’s no science behind the sci-fi. It’s all as made-up as magic.
This is a fun read — adventure, romance, humor. You don’t have to have read Jane Eyre to read The Eyre Affair, but it helps. The more you know that book, the more you’ll get out of this one in terms of foreshadowing and inside jokes. It definitely helps to have some background in English literature.
My favorite moment: Richard III as a Rocky Horror-style audience response piece (ie, “When is the winter of our discontent? Now is the winter of our discontent ...”). (Randal Smathers)

Repubblica (Italy) interviews Speaker of the House John Bercow, who seems to be both a Brontëite and a Janeite.

Ma più invecchio, più rinuncio alle Jane Austen e alle Brontë per passare a romanzi più moderni, come quelli del sensazionale Philip Roth. (Antonello Guerrera) (Translation)

According to The Times of India, the Reeds of Jane Eyre are one of several 'Terribly toxic families in literature'.