Charlotte's Bonnet

Her (Ireland) interviews the writer Emma Jane Unsworth:

Keeley Ryan: What made you want to become a writer? Was it something that you always wanted to do?
(...) Luckily my parents were very supportive and didn't tell me I had to become a lawyer or a doctor or something altogether more sensible. I definitely wasn't very cool about wanting to be a writer, though. I used to wear a bonnet (yes, an actual bonnet that tied in a ribbon under my chin) on Sundays for family walks, because I suppose I wanted to be Charlotte Brontë or Jane Austen and I thought a bonnet was as good a start as any. My younger sister was mortified. She refused to walk next to me. I'm glad to say I don't wear a bonnet any more.

Art Daily presents the new Anne Brontë exhibition at the Brontë Parsonage Museum:

2020 is the bicentenary year of Anne Brontë, author of ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’ and ‘Agnes Grey’, and youngest sibling in the iconic literary family. To mark this, and the 200th anniversary of the family’s arrival in Haworth, the Brontë Parsonage Museum is hosting an exhibition dedicated to exploring Anne’s life as well as a strand of events co-curated with their creative partner for 2020, writer, journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed.
Anne’s life and work have had much less exploration than those of her sisters. This new exhibition, ‘Amid the brave and the strong’, will delve into key elements of Anne’s life, from her childhood at the Parsonage, to how her legacy has been shaped by others since her death.
Throughout her life, ‘dear gentle Anne’ was considered the baby of the Brontë family, but she went on to write one of the first sustained feminist novels in English literature – ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall’. Although her work bears the familiar stamps of a classic Brontë novel, Anne’s strong moral beliefs led her to write for purpose as well as pleasure, something which shocked and excited her readers at the time. Anne was not to be deterred by criticism however, and right up to her death she had plans and schemes for the future. The exhibition tracks the course of her life and gives an insight into Anne’s personality and motivations, which reveal a strong, outspoken and complex genius.

The Telegraph & Argus highlights the refurbishing of the Great Victoria Hotel in Bradford:

An ‘Escape to Yorkshire’ deal offers guests a two-night stay with a meal. “There are so many cultural attractions in Bradford - the Alhambra, National Science and Media Museum and, further out, the Brontë Parsonage and Salts Mill. We’re a central location for people visiting the city and beyond, to places like Harrogate and the Dales” said Asma. “Bradford has changed so much; we get a lot of guests from across the world and they’re pleasantly surprised by what’s here. (Emma Clayton)

The Telegraph (India) interviews the writer Joanne Harris:

She brings up V.S. Naipaul’s infamous interview when he had said that he didn’t find any female writer, not even Jane Austen, to be his equal, and she is very vocal about the difficulties of being a woman in the business of writing. “It’s never been easy for women authors and when you look at the reaction of some critics to even classic authors like the Brontës — the same things are being said now about the classics of tomorrow,” said Harris, who recently became the chair of the Society of Authors’ (the UK trade union for 11,000 writers) elected board of directors and charity trustees. (Anannya Sarkar)

The Buxton Advertiser lists Peak District locations that have appeared in films:

 Dovedale
The river bank used in BBC's 2006 version of Jane Eyre, and Dovedale was used in The Other Boleyn Girl 2008 and Robin Hood 2010. (Jessica Dallison)

The Nerd Daily recommends audiobooks:

My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton
A satirical retelling of Jane Eyre featuring Charlotte Brontë and a group of slightly inept ghost hunters, My Plain Jane is a hilarious tale of friends, ghosts, and love. While the story is rife with biting satire and hilariously ridiculous moments, much of the humour falls flat on the page. However, when narrated by Fiona Hardingham, the jokes land spectacularly and you will find yourself laughing through your read. (Kibby Robinson)

The Daily Telegraph (Australia) quotes Anya Taylor-Joy saying about her role on Emma 2020:

“It's going to be hard to top Emma,” she says, adding she would consider Cathy from Wuthering Heights. (...)
Perhaps Johnny Flynn could be her Heathcliff – the English folk singer, who is also playing David Bowie in the upcoming Stardust, is a revelation in the movie.

Comics The Gathering reviews the first issue of Adler:

Having Jane Eyre be our introduction into this world was a brilliant choice. Given that the book is going to be filled with larger than life personalities, she gets to be the reader’s rock. And as she makes her way back into society the environment is just as new to her as it is to the reader. When she meets up with her prospective flatmate, Irene Adler, another piece of the narrative’s brilliance became apparent. The classic pairing of Dr. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes is nicely channeled by the pairing of nurse Jane Eyre and Irene Adler. The two have skills and personalities exclusive to them similar to Holmes and Watson. And, along the way, more characters will join with even more dynamics to add and explore. This gives the story a flair akin to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, especially with the focus on literary characters. (Jay Hill)

Andrea Busfield in The Article reminisces about her passion for Timothy Dalton's Heathcliff:

It was the actor Timothy Dalton who ruined me for other men.
I was eight or nine years old, lying on the sofa, battling a fever and watching the afternoon matinee when it happened. The film was Wuthering Heights. Dalton was Heathcliff. And the die was cast.
Love was no longer heart-shaped sweets and posters of David Soul; it was a dirty-faced gypsy boy consumed by a girl called Catherine. Heathcliff’s love was bitter, greedy and eternal, and I had no sympathy for Catherine when she died. She betrayed Heathcliff and she betrayed love. She settled for less and she got what she deserved. I would never have married Edgar Linton. I’d have waited for Heathcliff.
I’ve spent a lifetime waiting for him.
Four decades on, and while recognising that Heathcliff is possibly not the greatest ambassador for love, I can’t shake the “all or nothing” ideal he represents. This probably explains why, at the age of 49, I’m alone and childless and possibly destined to remain that way, certainly as far as children are concerned.

El Independiente (Spain) has an article about the Brontës and their pseudonyms:

Los hermanos Bell, la tapadera que permitió "existir" a las Brontë.
En diciembre de 1847 tres hermanos imprevistos irrumpieron en la literatura desconcertando a críticos y lectores. Eran Currer, Ellis y Acton Bell. En el mismo mes habían publicado cada uno. Lo que más éxito tuvo, la que más reconocimiento consiguió fue la que les descubrió como una farsa. (Translation) (Loreto Sánchez Seoane)

 Večer (Slovenia) quotes the anthropologist Dr Svetlana Slapšak:

Pisateljica je lani v Srbiji dobila nagrado za najboljše literarno delo za roman Ravnoteža (v slovenski izdaji Istomesečniki), ki je nastal že v devetdesetih letih, a ni mogel iziti prej zaradi parodije na pisatelja, politika in nacionalista Dobrico Ćosića. "Parodiram ga z velikim veseljem in sem na to ponosna," je povedala Slapšakova. Piše o razmerah v Beogradu v letih 1993 in 1994, času mobilizacij v vojsko, ko so se Beograjčanke povezale in skrivale moške ter se angažirale na demonstracijah. Glavna junakinja knjige tipka pisateljev roman, kot protiutež tej slabi literaturi pa si izmišlja svoj roman po vzoru pisanja sester Brontë, v romanu se torej prepletajo fiktivne in realne usode žensk. Sporočilo avtorice je, da ženske lahko ustvarijo svet, v katerem je mogoče tudi velike udarce preseči z ljubeznijo, drobnimi gestami, kot sta skupno pitje kave, druženje ob cigareti ... (Andreja Čibron Kodrin) (Translation)

MundoPlusTV (Spain) announces that Les Soeurs Brontë 1979 is now available on the Filmin platform. Any resemblance to the actual summary of the film is purely coincidental:

Isabelle Adjani y Isabelle Huppert son dos de las tres hermanas Brontë en este suntuoso biopic que descubre la singular relación de las populares escritoras de Cumbres borrascosas.
A principios del siglo XIX, en Haworth, en las landas de Yorkshire, las tres hijas de la familia Brontë: Charlotte, Emily y Anne tienen grandes dotes para la escritura. Charlotte, la mayor, y Anne, la segunda, se convierten en tutoras de las familias de los alrededores mientras que Emily, con comportamientos masculinos, prefiere seguir en las landas. Sus obras, rebosantes de vida y pasión, contrastan con la realidad que las envuelve, llena de discusiones con su padre y obligadas a cuidar de su demente hermano, Branwell. (Translation)

Noticias de TV (Brazil) also confirms that Jane Eyre 1996 is now available on Amazon Prime Video.

El Día (Spain) gives reasons to love the British in spite of Brexit:

Charlotte (Jane Eyre), Emily (Cumbres borrascosas) y Anne (La inquilina de Wildfell Hall) conforman el tridente más impetuoso de la novela victoriana, huérfana sin sus heroínas y el paisaje de los páramos. La tuberculosis hizo estragos en la familia más literaria que en el mundo hubo. Haworth, la localidad del West Yorkshire donde vivieron, es hoy un santuario turístico en su memoria. (Ramón Vendrell) (Translation)

Granma (Cuba) publishes the schedule of the 29th Feria Internacional del Libro de La Habana. Including the event:

1:00 p.m. Apócrifos, Drácula, El Tábano, Frankenstein, El sabueso de los Baskerville, Jane Eyre, La tía Tula, Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis, Policíacos involuntarios, Teresa Raquin (ebooks, editorial Arte y Literatura). Presentador: Rafael Grillo. (Ricardo Alonso Venereo) (Translation)

Página 12 (Argentina) discusses one of the first stories by Sylvia Plath, Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom:

Así, ya es imposible leer cualquier texto de Plath dejando de lado su mito. Sin embargo, hay que pensar que este cuento se escribió antes de que ella fuese redactora invitada de Mademoiselle, experiencia que recrea en La campana de cristal y, por supuesto, antes de conocer a Ted Hughes en Inglaterra, su Heathcliff, su sueño y su pesadilla. Esta es otra Sylvia: una alumna brillante, una joven triste y desbordada, una escritora en busca de su voz. (Mariana Enríquez) (Translation)

ILB Live (Italy) contrasts a new Italian translation of Wuthering Heights by Monica Pareschi with a classical one by Enrico Piceni (1926):

Chiaro: quel che ha scritto la Brontë quello è, ma è notevole come la traduzione possa rendere l’esperienza della lettura affatto diversa. Per il pubblico di oggi l’edizione recente è più godibile, più “vicina”, e se questo lo si nota in un passo dai tratti anche piuttosto astratti (sono riflessioni teoriche o, in ogni caso, “emozioni”), l’impressione è a maggior ragione confermata nei dialoghi e nelle scene più agite.
Le domande che vengono alla mente sono quindi molteplici: se leggendo in traduzione si può avere, a volte, l’impressione di perdere qualcosa (la voce non mediata dell’autore), è vero anche che la traduzione di un classico si offre al lettore anche come una grandiosa opportunità. I Promessi Sposi, insomma, per noi italiani, avranno sempre la voce di un (immenso) scrittore dell’Ottocento. Cime tempestose, invece, lo possiamo (ri)leggere parzialmente “avvicinato” alla contemporaneità.
Di questo e di molte altre curiosità sul tema della traduzione (e anche nello specifico del romanzo) abbiamo chiacchierato con la traduttrice Monica Pareschi. (Valentina Berengo) (Translation)

Il Reformista (Italy) finds echoes of Wuthering Heights in William Faulkner's Light in August:

La ragazza al centro dell’opera di Faulkner era stata messa incinta da uno sconosciuto di passaggio e, con tutta l’ingenua disinvoltura della sua gioventù, aveva deciso di ritrovarlo. A questo filo tematico, sempre tragicamente attuale, se ne intrecciano molti altri. Il nodo irrisolto delle origini oscure viene incarnato da Christmas, mulatto allevato in un orfanotrofio e poi adottato dal severo contadino McEachern, il quale, inoculandogli disprezzo e rancore, lo ha trasformato di fatto in un assassino. Si sente, in quest’anima nera, la presenza di Heathcliff, protagonista di Cime tempestose, un altro classico appena ristampato da Einaudi, anch’egli abbandonato da piccolo. Ma Faulkner, rispetto a Emily Brontë, è ancora più spietato, come se la solitudine umana non potesse essere lenita nemmeno dai languori paesaggistici del North Yorkshire, le cui brughiere stemperavano la tensione rivendicativa delle generazioni incapaci di scrollarsi di dosso il male ereditato. (Eraldo Affinati) (Translation)

Le Devoir (in French) quotes film director Céline Sciamma:

Rencontrée au Festival de Toronto, la cinéaste se montrait fière de son beau film : « Le cinéma, c’est l’invention d’un monde », disait-elle. Céline Sciamma se frottait pour la première fois à la production d’époque. « Mais c’est le même métier avec ou sans la lourdeur des décors d’hier. J’essaie de faire des films les plus contemporains possible de toute façon. Tourner à Quiberon dans le Morbihan, côte sauvage de la Bretagne française, conférait un côté romantique au film comme dans Les hauts de Hurlevent d’Emily Brontë. La nature y est à la fois hostile et désirable, en appel de liberté. Et on n’avait pas besoin d’effacer numériquement des lampadaires… C’est une sorte de huis clos sous l’air du large. » (Odile Tremblay) (Translation)

Power of Positivity includes a Charlotte Brontë's quote in an inspirational quotes list.