Wuthering Heights: a novel that reinvented the novel several times over

In The Guardian, Ioan Marc Jones pretty much writes a love letter to reading in the time of screens based on The Guardian's recent list of 100 best novels.

Or perhaps read old books that continue to define our world, old books that feel profoundly new. Frankenstein resonates with those of us concerned by the inflated egos of any given tech bro. Critics tend to focus on the philosophy of the novel, the vitalism, the social contract of it all, but Mary Shelley writes with prose that feels sharp enough to perform surgery. Or turn to Wuthering Heights, a novel that reinvented the novel several times over, a book that speaks to contemporary narratives of class and race. [...]

Good reading begets better reading. In The Novel: a Biography, Michael Schmidt writes: “Reading is a cumulative act, adding skills, increasingly creative as it goes. To become a ‘good reader’ one must give oneself over to a regime of concentrated pleasure.” The more you read, the richer the reading. You’ll start to appreciate how novels speak to each other. Connections will often appear obvious, as Wide Sargasso Sea responds to Jane Eyre. 

Coincidentally, BBC Radio 2 mentions the following as one of '66 reasons why 1966 was a great year for Britain'.

15. Jean Rhys published her acclaimed novel Wide Sargasso Sea, a postcolonial response to Jane Eyre.

The New Yorker interviews writer Annie Ernaux.

It seemed to me that the origins of writing could be found in episodes from childhood. It also seemed that recounting this episode, which caused me lasting shame and guilt, might provide a key. That last sentence shows that this attempt failed. In truth, I spent my entire childhood making up stories—of which I was the heroine—inspired by the ones I read in books. But those weren’t frightening. I transported myself to distant lands, into aristocratic circles, or into the past, to the time of horse-drawn carriages, or even to the first humans. I imagined that I was Scarlett O’Hara or Jane Eyre, wandering in the desert, on the streets of Calcutta, living in a cabin in Alaska. . . . When I actually started writing, it wasn’t to invent stories, or to project myself into fiction—which I’d always wanted to do. On the contrary, it was to interrogate reality. I wasn’t trying to move or horrify readers, only to uncover a hidden truth. In this story, I shed light on a form of cruelty in which I was involved. (Deborah Treisman)

Banbury Guardian reviews the Banbury Cross Players' production of Underdog : The Other Other Brontë.

From the minute the spirited and energetic cast clatter onto the stage in their proper Yorkshire boots, we are transported to the wild moors of West Yorkshire.  The cold, austere atmosphere of the parsonage in Haworth is filled with the edgy, excitable spirit of the Brontë family.

The play follows the efforts of the sisters to become published authors and is an intriguing recreation of their journey to success focussing on the part Anne played.  It is humorous and poignant and has a remarkable gift to make these incredible writers come to life in front of our eyes.  The modern interpretation - first produced at The National Theatre in 2024 - goes behind closed doors to reveal the dreams, fears and aspirations of this most talented of families. (Linda Shaw)

In The Times, writer Naomi Ishiguro mentions Jane Eyre as one of her favourite books. According to Artículo 14 (Spain), Jane Eyre is also one of Spanish writer Teresa Cardona's favourite books. Express recommends the BBC's wonderful To Walk Invisible.