Now, the last of the more than two dozen created by Charlotte to remain in private hands has surfaced, and will be coming up for sale next month.
“A Book of Rhymes,” a 15-page volume smaller than a playing card, was last seen at auction in 1916 in New York, where it sold for $520 before disappearing, its whereabouts — and even its survival — unknown. It will be unveiled on April 21, the opening night of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair and, as it happens, Brontë’s birthday. The asking price? A cool $1.25 million.
The titles of the 10 poems (including “The Beauty of Nature” and “On Seeing the Ruins of the Tower of Babel”) have long been known, thanks to the 1857 biography of Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Gaskell, which transcribed Brontë’s own handwritten catalog of her juvenilia. But the poems themselves have never been published, photographed, transcribed or even summarized.
And they’ll stay that way at least a little bit longer. One recent morning, Henry Wessells, a bookseller at the Manhattan firm James Cummins Bookseller (which is selling the book in partnership with the London-based firm Maggs Bros.) was eager to show off the tiny volume — on the condition its contents not be quoted or described.
“The eventual purchaser will be able to steward them into publication, which will be a red-letter day for Brontë scholarship,” he said.
Wessells, a 25-year veteran of the book trade, has handled many remarkable things over the years, including the archives of the New York Review of Books and a flag flown by T.E. Lawrence and the victorious Arab rebels at the Battle of Aqaba in 1917. But the unassuming hand-stitched bundle of Brontë paper is “a once-in-a-career item.”
“It’s thrilling to be part of the history of English literature, one link in the chain,” he said. “And there’s also just the joy of actually having it on my desk. The more you look at it, the more interesting it becomes.” [...]
“The Book of Rhymes” (or “ryhmes,” as Charlotte spelled it on the title page), Wessells said, had survived tucked in a letter size envelope stashed inside a 19th-century schoolbook in what he described as “an American private collection.” (He declined to say more about the owner, citing a confidentiality agreement.)
In his office, he opened the envelope, which was labeled “Brontë manuscript,” and in the upper left corner, “most valuable.” Then he pulled out the book, which was folded inside a copy of an old auction listing.
The book was made of cheap, drab brown paper, unevenly trimmed and sewn together with thread, “textured like a tiny rope,” as Wessels put it.
He turned to the back to show the table of contents, with Charlotte’s explanation that the poems are credited to two imaginary authors in the fictional world, “Marquis of Duro & Lord Charles Wellesley,” but actually “written by me.”
He then flipped to the title page, flipping it over to read a disclaimer on the reverse: “The following are attempts at rhyming of an inferior nature it must be acknowledged but they are nevertheless my best.”
And finally, he slowly turned the pages, to allow a tantalizing glimpse of the poems, reiterating that the contents were off the record.
No worries there. The microscopic handwriting, intended to mimic the printed fonts of a “real” book, was impossible to read at a quick glance without a magnifying glass.
The poems — some long, some short, sometimes with crossed-out words and corrections — were each dated and signed or initialed “C.B.” Wessells described them as “of different styles and meters” (including a sonnet, listed on the table of contents as “A Thing of fourteen lines”), but declined to offer any “literary evaluation.”
Claire Harman, a Brontë scholar who also viewed the manuscript in Wessells’ office, said she could decipher a few snippets of the poems, which she called “the last unread poems by Charlotte Brontë.” And depending on the desires of the buyer, she noted, “they may stay that way.” (Wessells said future plans for the manuscript may be “one factor” in identifying “an appropriate buyer.”)
The poems seemed “very charming” she said, despite Brontë’s disclaimer. As for the handwriting, she said, “it’s like a mouse has been writing this,” comparing the experience of reading the Brontë miniature books to Alice’s growing and shrinking in “Alice in Wonderland.”
“They’re like portals into a different world,” she said. “You go in, and you come out the other side.” (Jennifer Schuessler)
It's a brave, bold move to reinvent a classic, when lovers of a particular play or genre have a loyalty and affection for the traditional, "this is how it's always done," telling of a story. But the Citadel Theatre isn't shying away from the challenge, in fact it's in its mission statement, to offer innovative works, and it's been doing it to mostly positive response [...]
The Citadel's artistic director, Daryl Cloran is at the helm for the rework of this 19th century classic novel, adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Erin Shields. In describing this go-round, Cloran said, "We're thrilled to bring this story to life on stage in a beautiful, romantic and dynamic new production that I am sure will resonate with audience members who love the story, and those that are meeting Jane for the first time. It's a sharp, witty and modern feminist dive into Brontë's masterpiece."
As Jane, Hailey Gillis exhibits some of the main character's backbone--her feminist monologue upon discovering Rochester's 'secret' in the attic is her highlight. The most hypnotic elements of the show are actually the movement of the set and players, who deftly twirl beds, mirrors and chairs on and offstage in seamless scene changes. There's a haunting quality to the lighting and dance-like movement of the ensemble--it feels like a metronome is ticking silently throughout the production, which keeps the action moving but leaves little room for the emotional moments between Jane and Rochester.
Shields is no stranger to play adaptations and has transformed many classics: The Lady from the Sea, adapted from Henrik Ibsen’s play, was produced at the Shaw Festival in 2015. And her adaptation of Paradise Lost, commissioned by The Stratford Festival is perhaps her most successful venture, winning the QWF (Quebec Writer’s Federation) Award in 2018. Shields' version of Jane Eyre for The Citadel was postponed from its pre COVID-19 planned presentation.
This adaptation put me in mind of the similarly austere version of Jane Eyre streamed by London's National Theatre early during the pandemic, though that interpretation delivered the emotional punch this one doesn't quite offer. Still, those wanting an introduction to a well-loved literary heroine won't go far wrong with this production.
The Citadel's adaptation of Jane Eyre stars local favourite John Ullyatt as Rochester and Citadel newcomer Hailey Gillis as Jane. The cast includes Nadien Chu, Braydon Dowler-Coltman, Garett Ross, Maralyn Ryan and Gianna Vacirca. Special shout out to Ivy DeGagne who does a fine turn as young Jane, (and as Adele), with plenty of the requisite feistiness for both characters. Helen Belay is also well cast as Helen, Rosamund and others. (Lucy Haines)
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