Restyling the Brontës

Inspired by The Brontës: An Irish Tale, Evoke (Ireland) features Arthur Bell Nicholls's home after his return from Haworth, now an Airbnb.

Would you ever have guessed that one of the most inspiring literary icons of all time had very close ties with Banagher, Co. Offaly? [...]

Charlotte, who was the eldest writer sister, married an Offaly man called Arthur Bell Nicholls after a long courtship and they spent most of their honeymoon here.

Now, the programme will take a look at how the Irish landscape influences aspects of her renowned novel, Jane Eyre.

A number of locations around Banagher will be the focus of the show including Charlotte's Way, which was Arthur's home, and is now available on Airbnb.

The house has a real countryside charm with red flowers covering the outside. Inside, there's several nods to the abode's literary past (of course) including a copy of a Brontë on a bed. (Sarah-Jane Tobin)

The Yorkshire Post features the play Jane Hair: The Brontës Restyled set to tour Yorkshire in March.

In Jane Hair: The Brontes Restyled, Emily is a slam poet, Anne a political blogger, while oldest sister Charlotte has just sold a script to Netflix.

The action unfolds late at night in the salon as the sisters clash over media interest in their work.

The tour, which takes place in March, includes a matinee performance in the original workplace of the three sisters; Haworth Old School Hall, just across the cobbles from the Parsonage.

Dates in Bradford, Sheffield, Halifax, York, Hull, Leeds, Doncaster, and Barnsley are also on the tour schedule.

The lively interpretation of three local, literary superstars aims by Buglight Theatre aims to introduce new audiences to the sisters and their work.

Co-writer Kat Rose Martin from Bierley explains ‘Jane Hair is a chance to get to know the sisters as individuals, even if you’ve never read their books you can still be inspired by their story.’

Co-writer Kirsty Smith grew up in Brontë country, and was inspired by the sisters’ work ethos.

“[I was] surrounded by the sisters' faces on tea towels and postcards, but it’s easy to forget how much determination, hard work and energy was required to earn their place in the literary world,’” she said.

The creative team behind the production is Yorkshire through-and-through with producer and Charlotte actor Keeley Lane from Doncaster, and Director Chantell Walker from Sheffield.

‘We are really excited to have assembled a majority female creative team on Jane Hair and feel that it is very fitting with the piece. It was important to us that we were able to represent brilliant Yorkshire women with a brilliant team from Yorkshire,’ the team stated. (Caroline Howley)

The Telegraph and Argus has an obituary for local activist Audrey Brook Jancovich, who

loved discussing new northern films and novels, including Brontë adaptations. (Dr Jo Stanley)

A columnist from Indiana Daily Student claims that anyone who reads anything is a reader.

Book snobs and social media discourse would lead us to believe otherwise, but anyone can categorize themselves as a reader. 

Though there is no set definition, one English blogger defines a book snob as someone who ridicules popular books or only prizes the “classics.” In my first weeks at IU, I ran into one who laughed in my face when they heard I was an English major who hadn’t read “Wuthering Heights.”

There is definitely room for me to increase my literary knowledge, but there’s no need to promote such an elitist attitude or to create haves and have nots of literary merit in something as simple as reading. (Elizabeth Valadez)

While a contributor to 25 Years Later states that,

 I love words, and sometimes fall in love with the way they look together; ‘Wuthering Heights’ are probably my two favourite words together. (Alix Turner)

Diario Siglo XXI (Spain) interviews writer Valeria Iglesias.

Rolando Revagliatti: ¿Te detectás identificada con personajes de algún narrador?

V.I.: En general, resueno con aquellos narradores personajes (historias narradas en primera persona) que exponen su vulnerabilidad y que se construyen como un personaje fuerte a partir de asumir sus debilidades. Incluso, en ocasiones, se regodean con esa debilidad que es, la más de las veces, la imposibilidad de encajar en el mundo de los “normales”. Tal es el caso de la narradora de “El ancho mar de los Sargazos”, una novela de Jean Rhys que se trata, nada menos, que de la precuela a la novela “Jane Eyre” de Charlotte Brontë.  (Translation)

Both Charlotte and Emily Brontë make it onto the list of 35 Romantic authors compiled by Cinco Noticias (Spain).