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Showing posts with label Art-Exhibitions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art-Exhibitions. Show all posts

Saturday, September 26, 2026

Saturday, September 26, 2026 1:02 am by M. in ,    No comments
The exhibition Paula Rego: Visions of Literature (containing the Jane Eyre suite of lithographs) comes to Rugby:
26 September - 21 November
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ

Explore the extraordinary imagination of one of the great artists, printmakers and storytellers of our time. Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature will present three of the artist’s most ambitious series of graphic works; Jane Eyre, Nursery Rhymes and Peter Pan. Each series will be accompanied by a variety of personal items from the artist, many of which have never been publicly displayed before. Unseen preparatory sketches, etching plates and Rego’s very own childhood copy of Peter Pan will offer audiences an intimate portrayal of the artist’s lifelong fascination with literature and an insight into how the artist transformed this material into startlingly original, rebellious and unexpected images.

Monday, September 14, 2026

Monday, September 14, 2026 12:30 am by M. in , , ,    No comments
JoCa is a Mexican-Spanish artist who has released a series of paintings with the name, Echoes of Haworth. According to artist_container:
JoCa — a Mexican-Spanish artist born in 1984, whose practice explores identity, technology, and contemporary digital environments — has created Echoes of Haworth, a collection of 22 works spanning oil paintings and resin cameo sculptures, built around the figures of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë.
Curated by Rafael Pérez y Pérez, with management by Paulina Villarreal, the series is the most extensive project JoCa has undertaken to date: ten months of production, 25 original pieces of which only 22 are on display, and a monumental sculpture that will remain unseen until 2027.
It all began with an intimate gesture — rereading Wuthering Heights at 40, having first read it as a teenager — which led to research into Charlotte and Anne, and eventually became an exploration of gender, anonymity, and identity: themes already present in his earlier work, alongside classical portraiture pushed into abstract, hyperreal territory tied to mental health.
The works will be exhibited from September 17 to September 19 at the Galería Errante in México D.F.:
En Echoes of Haworth, JoCa establece un diálogo entre la tradición clásica del retrato y una visión contemporánea de la pintura. Sus figuras parten de lo reconocible para ser sometidas a un proceso de transformación: pinceladas vigorosas, capas superpuestas, desplazamientos y alteraciones de la imagen fracturan los rostros y generan una sensación simultánea de inquietud, movimiento y vulnerabilidad.
La serie encuentra su punto de partida en Charlotte, Emily y Anne Brontë, tres figuras fundamentales de la literatura del siglo XIX, y en el universo que construyeron desde Haworth, en West Yorkshire. En medio de los solitarios páramos ingleses y de las restricciones sociales de la época victoriana surgieron obras que trascenderían su tiempo, entre ellas Jane Eyre, Cumbres borrascosas y Agnes Grey.
Más allá de una representación literal de las escritoras o de sus personajes, JoCa recupera su historia para reflexionar sobre la construcción de la identidad y las estructuras que históricamente han determinado quién puede ser visto y quién puede ser escuchado.
Charlotte, Emily y Anne Brontë publicaron inicialmente bajo los seudónimos masculinos Currer, Ellis y Acton Bell, respectivamente. Este gesto, nacido de las convenciones de su época, se convierte dentro de la exposición en un punto de partida para abordar la tensión entre identidad y representación, entre aquello que una persona es y aquello que el entorno le permite mostrar.
En las obras, esta tensión se manifiesta mediante la fragmentación de los rostros. La imagen permanece reconocible, pero sus rasgos aparecen desplazados y parcialmente clausurados. JoCa no busca únicamente reproducir una apariencia física, sino capturar la sensación de una presencia: aquello que permanece detrás del rostro aun cuando la imagen comienza a desvanecerse.
Los marcos dorados forman parte fundamental de esta construcción simbólica. Más que delimitar las pinturas, actúan como una especie de jaula: una representación de las rígidas estructuras sociales de la Inglaterra del siglo XIX. Frente a ellas, las distorsiones y alteraciones de las figuras sugieren un espíritu que se resiste a permanecer contenido dentro del lienzo, del género o de su propia época.
La referencia a las Brontë se extiende también a la atmósfera emocional de la serie. Los ecos de Cumbres borrascosas, Jane Eyre y Agnes Grey aparecen en una pintura atravesada por conceptos como aislamiento, pérdida, opresión, deseo, crecimiento y resistencia. JoCa traslada esa intensidad literaria al lenguaje pictórico y convierte el retrato en un territorio donde conviven belleza y turbulencia.
La exposición invita así a reconsiderar los límites de la representación naturalista. Cada obra oscila entre presencia y desaparición, entre reconocimiento y distorsión, proponiendo una reflexión sobre la fragilidad de la memoria y sobre nuestra manera de percibir a los demás.
En Echoes of Haworth, el retrato deja de funcionar únicamente como registro de una apariencia para convertirse en una exploración de la identidad. La figura es reconocible y, simultáneamente, parece escapar de sí misma.
De esta manera, JoCa construye un homenaje contemporáneo al espíritu indomable de las hermanas Brontë y a la capacidad de una voz para trascender las estructuras que buscan contenerla. (Rafael Pérez y Pérez)

Via El Economista. 

Thursday, September 10, 2026

Thursday, September 10, 2026 12:49 am by M. in , ,    No comments
A few of the upcoming events at the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton:
10th of September 2026, 6.30 pm

A quiet, simple session of guided meditation, somatic therapy, and the gentle practice of letting go.
Do you feel like your nervous system is constantly on high alert? Have you been carrying a quiet heaviness, rushing from task to task without a moment to simply stop and breathe? Is there something holding you back, and do you feel that now is the right time to let it go?
Join me at the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton for a beautifully held, intentional one-hour experience in a small, private group of just six people. This evening is specifically designed to help you step out of the restraints and give your body the safety it needs to rest, reset, and clear away the heavy weight that no longer serves you.
Sunday 13 September: 1100-1600

The historic house on Market Street in Thornton is well known as the birthplace of the Brontës, but what happened to it after they moved? Uncover the house's long history of being the local family-run butcher's shop in our exclusive exhibition.
Discover the remarkable story of one of Thornton's most important historic buildings and explore its many different lives.
From Brontë family home to village butcher's shop, visitor attraction and café, community-owned heritage site and restored Brontë Birthplace, this special drop-in exhibition explores the history of the building and the people who have helped shape its story.
Through photographs, plans, memories and material from the restoration project, discover what happened to the building after the Brontë family left Thornton.
Explore its later life as a working butcher's shop, followed by its time as a visitor attraction under Barbara Whitehead in the 1990s and early 2000s, and its later life as Emily's Café from 2014 to 2022.
The exhibition then follows the building into community ownership and the ambitious restoration project that transformed an empty and neglected building into the Brontë Birthplace visitors' experience today.
Discover the challenges, discoveries and community effort behind the restoration and learn how this remarkable building continues to evolve and serve a new generation of visitors.
The exhibition is available to explore at your own leisure throughout the day, with Thomas Haigh, Vice Chair and Marketing & Audience Development Lead, available to answer questions and share stories from the restoration project.
26/09/2026  6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Join us for our September’s Supper Club with a French ​Themed Supper Evening at the Brontë Birthplace with a special guest chef.
Dine where the Brontë family once dined before and why not spend a summer evening at the Brontë Birthplace with our special Brontë Birthplace Supper. Enjoy delicious seasonal food in the unique surroundings of the historic house, accompanied by warm hospitality and the chance to experience the Birthplace after hours.
Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply looking for a memorable evening with friends and family, our Brontë Birthplace Supper promises great food, wonderful company and a truly distinctive setting. Advance booking is essential.
Price: £35, £10 deposit required for booking and the outstanding cost taken on the night.

Wednesday, September 09, 2026

Wednesday, September 09, 2026 1:57 pm by M. in , , , , , ,    No comments
Several news outlets (Huddersfield Hub, Horticulture Week, Welcome to Yorkshire, The Dirt...) share the winner of the Belvoir Castle Flower & Garden Show in Leicestershire. 
Garden designer Brian Roberts has won an award for an amazing garden inspired by Wuthering Heights and the moorland landscapes of Brontë country.
Brian, who runs Patterned Earth in Netherton, took a little piece of Yorkshire to the prestigious Belvoir Castle Flower & Garden Show in Leicestershire.
His show garden called Weathering Heights won the Duchess of Rutland Cup after being named winner of the show’s Border Competition.
The garden took its inspiration from the exposed landscapes of the Yorkshire uplands: dry-stone walls, moorland planting and the way plants and wildlife respond to sometimes unforgiving conditions.
At its heart is a dry-stone wall that creates contrasting microclimates, with cooler, shaded and more sheltered conditions on one side and warmer, nectar-rich planting on the other. Gaps within the wall allow insects and other wildlife to move through the garden.
Brian said: “I wanted to take a little piece of the landscape I know and love in Yorkshire to Belvoir.
“The moors, dry-stone walls and plants that somehow thrive in quite unforgiving conditions have always fascinated me.
“Weathering Heights was a playful nod to Wuthering Heights, of course, but the ‘weathering’ was important too. (Martin Shaw)
Voice of the Emirates includes Jane Eyre among novels that explore "the complexities of love and jealousy between siblings", which is rather odd.
Although the relationship between siblings is not the sole focus of the novel, the work presents multiple models of family relationships. It highlights the impact of cruelty and deprivation on human character, contrasted with the need for love and belonging. (Medhat Elsheikh)
The Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature exhibition is coming to Rugby in late September, and Warwickshire World has an article about it:  
Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature explores three of the acclaimed Portuguese-British artist's most ambitious and profound series of prints, inspired by nursery rhymes, JM Barrie's Peter Pan and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. (...)
From menacing creatures etched into life from children's nursery rhymes to near hallucinatory depictions of Neverland from Peter Pan and the power-based, tumultuous relationships Brontë described in Jane Eyre, Rego's prints tell stories which combine fantasy and imagination, innocence and cruelty, to explore the complexities of life in all its strangeness and mystery.
A visit to the Peak District in The Independent:
 No visit to the Peaks would be complete without a stop at the village of Hathersage, home to a heated open-air pool. It’s an idyllic spot with a literary legacy; its rugged landscapes inspired Jane Eyre (there’s even a Jane Eyre walking trail), and you can visit the alleged grave of Little John, Robin Hood’s second-in-command, whose “little” moniker is actually an old-school dad joke in reference to his colossal height. (Jake Hall)
Broadway World presents the cast of the upcoming production of Sarah Gordon's Underdog. The Other Other Brontë Sister in Carlsbad, CA, by the Carlsbad Playreaders. The New York Times includes a Jane Eyre 2011 question in a book quiz. The Behind the Glass podcast has a new episode:
Sam and Mia chat to award-winning historian, broadcaster and author Dr Anthony Delaney! Anthony holds a PhD in 18th-century social and cultural history and co-hosts History Hit's podcast After Dark. His debut book Queer Georgians was published in September 2025.
This episode takes us to Patrick's roots in Ireland; we discuss the country he left behind, the Brontës' relationship with their Irish heritage and the catastrophic events of The Great Famine in the late 1840s...

Tuesday, September 08, 2026

The Telegraph and Argus reports that the Brontë Parsonage Museum is celebrating the 10th anniversary of To Walk Invisible.
The Brontë Parsonage Museum has launched an exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of the BBC drama 'To Walk Invisible', which told the story of the Brontë sisters.
Located at the Parsonage in Haworth the exhibition will run until December 31, 2026. It explores the making of the 2016 BBC drama, featuring costumes, props, set designs, and production notes.
Mia Ferullo, digital engagement officer at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, said: "Over the past ten years To Walk Invisible has become a film cherished by many Brontë fans.
"It offers an authentic, well-researched interpretation of the sisters and their lives.
"We wanted to celebrate this anniversary by showcasing the creative team's process including a behind the scenes look at the screenplay, set design and costume design."
The drama starred Finn Atkins as Charlotte Brontë, Charlie Murphy as Anne, Chloe Pirrie as Emily. 
Four original costumes designed by Tom Pye are on display in the museum’s period rooms, including a dress for each sister placed around the dining room table where they famously wrote their novels.
An additional costume for Emily is exhibited in the kitchen.
Ms Ferullo said: "In the dining room, we have Emily's lightning print dress, worn in the film by Chloe Pirrie.
"There is a story that while shopping in Bradford, Emily had selected a material with a lightning print on it, sadly the original dress no longer exists.
"The costume designer Tom Pye liked this anecdote and decided to recreate it for the film."
She believes the costumes help visitors imagine the sisters as they once were.
Ms Ferullo said: "I think displaying the costumes can help visitors visualise the family within the space, you can imagine the sisters walking around the dining room table discussing their writings.
"The cast were all similar heights to the original Brontë family, so you also get an idea of the height difference between them."
Other artefacts from the drama on display include bonnets, Branwell’s top hat, and his nightshirt.
Visitors can also see a recreation of the "Gun Group Portrait" of the siblings, concept art by set designer Grant Montgomery, and a prototype model of the Parsonage set.
Ms Ferullo talked about director Sally Wainwrights aim to present the Brontë family in a way they hadn't been portrayed previously.
"She wanted to portray them as a real family, challenging some of the myths around them."
She praised the production team’s dedication to authenticity, noting that Mr Montgomery measured every flagstone in the original Parsonage to ensure the replica set was as accurate as possible.
It also sits alongside the museum’s ongoing exploration of Brontë screen adaptations.
Props from Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming version of Wuthering Heights are already on display, and the museum has previously hosted exhibitions on cinematic interpretations of the Brontë family’s work from around the world. (Amelia Short)
Still in Yorkshire, Harrogate Informer features the work of designer jeweller Joanne Gowan.
Based in her studio in Pateley Bridge, the local artisan has already spent several years developing a single, monumental piece. She intends for it to eventually earn that prized status of a family heirloom through what she describes as the slow process of thinking. 
Joanne Gowan:
I had the idea to produce a Wuthering Heights piece about two years ago when I moved to North Yorkshire, celebrating the first connection I had with the area from reading the Brontë novels from the age of 10.
This Emily Brontë piece sort of ate into my subconscious on so many levels: spiritual ideas, eternal love, passion, the wild of the landscape, and the contrast of good and evil, all wrapped into one.
When Gowan joins a curated group of the UK’s top contemporary jewellers and silversmiths for the three-day Acquire selling show at Ampleforth Abbey, visitors will have a rare, exclusive opportunity to view her work-in-progress. The creative journey behind the piece spans from the rugged Yorkshire moors to the historic gemstone cutting centers of Germany.
Joanne Gowan:
Initially, I took some images from illustrations of Cathy in early book editions and contacted my gem dealer in York, R.M. Weare. They sourced a highly talented gemstone carver in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
The rock crystal carving then took over six months to develop, with lots of input back and forth during the cutting process.
Meanwhile, I re-read the novel several more times to narrow down the exact elements I wanted to include. After that, a lot of the designing happens in my head. Over the months I get a clear mental vision, and then on the right day, I sit down and work it all out on paper.
The final design is a complex vignette, or picture piece, engineered to be worn as a high-end brooch or pendant, or displayed standalone as a miniature work of art. It captures the haunting, pivotal moment when Cathy appears at the window—a scene that defines the emotional landscape of the entire novel.
Framed within a window meticulously carved from soapstone, the structure mimics the box bed window of Ponden Hall near Haworth, widely believed to be Emily Brontë’s real-world inspiration for the scene.
Joanne Gowan:
Cathy, rendered in rock crystal, will appear to be coming through the leaded glass. The Ash tree leaves knock against the window, representing the moment when Nelly speaks to Heathcliff on the morning of Cathy’s death and he leans against the tree. In the foreground sill is a sprig of Yew with its toxic red berries, representing the bridge between mortal death, endurance, and the supernatural spirit. Alongside it sits a bunch of yellow crocuses—the earliest spring flowers brought to Cathy’s bedside by Edgar Linton, representing renewal and hope. This beautifully ties to the end of the novel, when the children of Cathy and Heathcliff reach an eventual mutual connection.
The breath-taking final piece will be constructed from a rich palette of premium materials: rock crystal, soapstone, sterling silver, 18ct yellow and red gold, black rhodium plating, platinum, vivid rubies, and yellow sapphires. [...]
The original design sketch and the German-carved rock crystal component will be publicly displayed for the first time at the Acquire event, where the finished masterpiece will be open for official commission.
Event Details
The design sketch and rock crystal carving will be on display at the annual Acquire exhibition, curated by Joanne Gowan.
Venue: Alban House, Ampleforth Abbey estate, North York Moors, YO62 4EN
Dates: Friday 18th to Sunday 20th September 2026
Opening Times: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily
Admission: Free entry to the exhibition. The daily specialist guest talks curated by Susan Rumfitt are ticketed.
Also in The York Press, The Telegraph & Argus, and others.

And now for an exclusive from Deadline:
EXCLUSIVE: Literary classics such as Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are getting the microdrama treatment.
This is through the latest entrant into the microdrama field, LoveHit, an L.A.-based studio and app focused on originals based on classic literary adaptations.
LoveHit, which launches this month, has a vertical video slate built entirely from classic novels in the public domain. At launch, this will comprise Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby and Beauty and the Beast. More are in post-production, including Dangerous Liaisons, The Scarlett Letter and Les Misérables.
Each has been written, shot and edited as both a vertical series and a horizontial features, with the latter being readied for TV and streaming buyers worldwide attending MIPCOM on October 12-15 in Cannes. Series will last roughly 50 episodes running between one and three minutes, with the films at 90 minutes.
Actors appearing in the titles include microdrama regulars Meg Bush, Tyler Harlow and Sophie Swiszcz, along film, television and stage stars. These include Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, who appears in Jane Eyre, which stars Raina Silver and Tyler Harlow. Ethan Vaughan and Jean Evans will star in Wuthering Heights, which is relocated to a present day American ranch. A vertical cut of the show launched on the LoveHit app on August 27 ahead of the full launch. [...]
“There isn’t a market in the world where these titles need much of an introduction,” said Lenny Levi, CEO of LoveHit. “Every generation has adapted them, and every generation finds its own reason to connect with them. That’s what makes them evergreen.” (Jesse Whittock)
Entretanto Magazine (in Spanish) has a review of Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights. Le Nouvel Observateur (France) features Lilia Hassaine's Jane Eyre retelling JE.

Friday, August 28, 2026

According to The Telegraph & Argus, the Brontë Birthplace will take part in Heritage Open Days 2026:
An exhibition at the birthplace will delve into the building’s past, tracing its journey through a butcher’s shop, visitor attraction, café, and a community-owned heritage site.
Thomas Haigh, vice chair and marketing and audience development lead at the Brontë Birthplace, said: "While the Brontë Birthplace will always be significant for being the first home of Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell, we know it enjoyed a rich history after their departure.
"We want to share this 200-year story with our visitors as well as showcase the challenges, discoveries, and community effort behind the restoration and how this remarkable building continues to evolve and serve a new generation of visitors."
The exhibition will feature photographs, plans, memories, and other artefacts that reveal the many lives of the building since the Brontë family lived there.
A free walking tour of Thornton will also be offered as part of the Heritage Open Days programme.
Led by local historian and Brontë family expert Paul Crossley, the two-hour tour will begin at the birthplace and take visitors to key sites including the Brontë Bell Chapel ruins, Kipping House, South Square Centre, and the village’s historic snickets and ginnels.
The tour concludes at the Brontë Birthplace, where visitors can enjoy the café, browse the gift shop, or book a house tour. (...)
The Brontë Birthplace exhibition will be open from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, September 13, with Mr Haigh available to answer questions from visitors.
The walking tour will take place on Saturday, September 19, starting at 11am.
Both events are free to attend. (Harry Williams)
FanCarpet gives the last details before the new production of Jane Eyre opens at Southwark Playhouse Elephant tonight:
Perhaps the production's most distinctive feature is its ensemble-led approach.
Rather than relying solely on Jane to narrate her own story, the entire company shares responsibility for carrying her voice throughout the performance.
It is an imaginative theatrical device that preserves the novel's first-person perspective while embracing the collaborative nature of live theatre.
BookClub reviews Jennifer Vandever's The Brontë Project:
However, having returned to it again, it has been a really good read and one that was unexpectedly so, delivering with its dialogue and its quirkiness as well as educating me a lot more about Charlotte Brontë.
Sara is a research student whose specialism is Charlotte Brontë and in life, she is pretty certain that she knows where it's heading: she's going to get married to Paul and honeymoon in Paris and then, she's going to continue her research study and find undiscovered letters written by Charlotte which will propel her into the academic stratosphere. (Rachel Deeming)
Clarín (Argentina) highlights some romantasy books like The Knight and the Moth: 
El caballero y la polilla de la superventas Rachel Gillig. Un libro de fantasía oscura y romance que toma referencias de Jane Eyre y Juego de tronos. Una joven clarividente atrapada en una catedral y un caballero grosero, atractivo y sin respeto por las profecías. (Translation)
The Sun's mini crossword contains a Brontë-related question today:
Yorkshire town where the Brontë family lived.
Islands explores Wycoller Hall and mentions its connection to the Brontës. The Brontë Society's next year's conference already has a topic and a call for papers:
CALL FOR PAPERS! 📝
We're inviting proposals for papers on The Brontës and the Supernatural for a one day, in-person symposium in Haworth. 👻
This symposium seeks to broaden the parameters of Gothic scholarship on the Brontës by exploring the diverse supernatural traditions, beliefs and cultural narratives that informed the family’s imaginative and everyday worlds. We welcome new and original symposium paper proposals from academics, postgraduates and enthusiasts on topics that have perhaps received less attention.
Proposals (of no more than 300 words) for 20-minute papers should be submitted to bronte@bronte.org.uk with the subject 'Symposium' by 31 December 2026.

Friday, August 07, 2026

In Twin City Theatre Company’s Stars of Tomorrow production, a rambunctious cast and crew of young theatre-makers barrels full-speed through an exuberantly irreverent reimagining of Emily Brontë’s time at the Roe Head Girls’ School, with a dash of Scooby Doo sprinkled on top for good measure. The play envisions the Brontë sisters’ deceased mother as a skilled necromancer. While Charlotte and Anne are reticent to continue their mother’s legacy, Emily eagerly follows in her mother’s footsteps when a phantom begins terrorizing Roe Head, where Emily and Anne are students and Charlotte is a teacher. Together, they must solve the mystery of the phantom, navigate the onerous expectations placed on young women in the 1800s (or any era, for that matter), and save the school from shutting down once and for all.
Emily Ritter makes her directorial debut after performing in the last four Twin City student productions, and most recently Songs for a New World. Ritter marshals a sizeable cast, which ranges in age from elementary school children to recent college graduates. As Emily and Charlotte Brontë, Taylor Curtis and Winnie Blanchfield drive much of the action. Charlotte’s role as a teacher brings her priorities into conflict, forcing her to choose between her job responsibilities and her desire to support the obstinate and irrepressible Emily. That conflict serves as the play’s emotional backbone, as the characters explore the timeless themes of intergenerational misunderstanding. Curtis’s performance as Emily is appropriately single-minded and acerbic. Blanchfield captures the plight of a character stuck between two worlds; Charlotte is no longer one of the girls, but she is also not resigned to settling for an adulthood consumed by a loveless marriage, career advancement, or both. (Douglas Malcolm)
The Fan Carpet interviews Megan McGinnis, co-director of the upcoming London production of Jane Eyre. The Musical: 
Megan McGinnis: I’m Megan McGinnis, and I’m co-directing this production of Jane Eyre.
I actually started my journey with Jane Eyre in 1998. I auditioned to be in the show and wasn’t cast, but I completely fell in love with the musical after seeing it on Broadway many times.
Then, in 2009, I began working with John Caird and Paul Gordon on Daddy Long Legs. That production really cemented our creative relationship, and when I directed a new American production of Jane Eyre a couple of years ago, they came into rehearsals and continued developing the piece. I suddenly realised I wasn’t directing a finished musical anymore—I was directing something that was still evolving.
When this UK premiere came along, John and Paul invited me to join them as co-director, and I couldn’t be happier that I said yes.
Jane Eyre is one of the great literary masterpieces. What was it about Charlotte Brontë’s story that first spoke to you?
Megan McGinnis: I first read the novel while I was at college, and it came at exactly the right time in my life.
Reading about a woman who was honest about her flaws but still believed she deserved happiness, love and equality was incredibly powerful. Jane never lets society define her worth, even though obstacles are constantly put in her way.
Sadly, it’s also a reminder that many of the issues women faced in the 1840s are still relevant today, which is one of the reasons the story continues to resonate with audiences.
One of the production’s most interesting creative decisions is that the ensemble all become Jane’s voice at different points throughout the story. How does that work in practice?
Megan McGinnis: That’s really the beauty of this adaptation.
Everyone on stage becomes part of Jane’s journey, and because the novel is written from her perspective, the ensemble helps carry that narration in a really theatrical way.
It also means every member of the company has ownership of the storytelling, and that’s something that has made rehearsals incredibly exciting.
Manchester Wire reports the upcoming exhibition at The Portico Library, Witches & Healers:
Historic books, which have been chosen for display by Rosemary Wood, Becca Smith, Alice Measom McMahon, and Polly Anna Rosa Steiner, address environmental connections and the use of plants in healing by witches and healers, as well as local representation of witches in the Northwest of England and colonial stereotyping. Books on display include J. G. Frazer’s The Golden Bough, William Harrison Ainsworth’s The Lancashire Witches, and Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea. (Bradley Lengden)
The Journal (Ireland) and The Telegraph review the TV series Possession: 
But while this story is a newish angle on the slavery story (perhaps taking some cues from Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, or Jean Rhys’s novel Wide Sargasso Sea), it isn’t always successful at executing what it sets out to achieve. (Aoife Barry)

But from the moment Claudia arrives and approaches the creepy-looking plantation house on the hill, she is plunged into a Gothic horror. Think hauntings, centuries-old curses and possession by evil entities, all rooted in the West African tradition of obeah. There are echoes here of Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, plus every horror film that has tried to spook us with unidentifiable noises, doors that suddenly won’t open and disturbing things hidden beneath the floorboards. (Anita Singh)
The Sydney Morning Herald explores Georges Sand:
Indiana was a smash hit and an enduring one, and it’s fair to suggest, as Sampson does, that this “creole romance” had a direct influence on both Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Sand quickly became known in Paris for a literary facility every bit the match for her subversive social persona and lifestyle. (Gregory Day)

Mujer Hoy (Spain) explores the success of the romantic novels for young audiences:
«Sea lo que sea de lo que estén hechas nuestras almas, la tuya y la mía son las mismas». Emily Brontë definió a la perfección uno de los amores más tóxicos de la historia de la literatura, que daría pie a las novelas románticas juveniles de nuestros días; aunque parece que hubo un tiempo en que habían desaparecido, simplemente cambiaron de generación. (Diego Rueda) (Translation)
An alert from Villa de Pozos (Spain): 
Con el objetivo de fortalecer el hábito de la lectura y generar espacios de convivencia entre la ciudadanía, el Gobierno Municipal de Villa de Pozos, a través de la Biblioteca Municipal "Dr. Francisco de Asís Castro", retomará este martes 4 de agosto las sesiones del Café Literario, un espacio dedicado al análisis de obras literarias y al intercambio de ideas entre las y los participantes.
La directora de Bibliotecas, Sofía Narváez, informó que las reuniones se llevan a cabo todos los martes del mes a las 10:00 de la mañana en las instalaciones de la biblioteca. En esta nueva etapa, el libro seleccionado será Cumbres Borrascosas, de la escritora inglesa Emily Brontë, obra que servirá como punto de partida para las actividades de lectura, análisis y diálogo entre los asistentes. (Plano Informativo) (Translation)

Startefacts lists five Wuthering Heights adaptations: Wuthering Heights 1978, Wuthering Heights 2009,  Arashi ga oka 1988, Abismos de Pasión 1954 and Hihintayin kita sa langit 1991.

BookClub's AI includes Jane Eyre in a list of feminist fiction books and in another of books slowly become your favourites. Still, some Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever events in Torbay Weekly. Blush tailoring is back on Vogue (and Wuthering Heights's Margot Robbie with it). Also in Vogue, the latest trend, Gothic Bride:
In Emerald Fennell’s 2026 take on Wuthering Heights, costume designer Jacqueline Durran created a theatrical hoop-skirted gown with a sweeping train for Cathy’s ill-fated marriage to Edgar Linton. (Meg Walters)
The Brontë Parsonage Museum is looking for a new Museum Marketing and Development Officer:
Are you motivated, creative and looking for a new challenge? We’re looking for a dynamic individual to work as the Museum's Marketing and Development Officer! 🌟
The postholder will be responsible for driving visitor numbers and maximising revenue from ticket sales, retail, donations, membership subscriptions and fundraising initiatives.
Status: Maternity Cover, Full-time (Oct 2026-Nov 2027)
Salary: £29,816
Deadline: Mon 31 Aug 2026

Friday, July 24, 2026

Friday, July 24, 2026 4:16 am by M. in , ,    No comments
A couple of alerts for tomorrow, July 25:
Sat 25 Jul, 10:00am
Meet at the Brontë Parsonage Museum Shop

Emily and Lucy, founders of Soft Girls Who Hike, coined the term “soft hiking” - a more accessible, gentle approach to the outdoors that prioritises enjoyment over endurance.
They have since built the Soft Hiking Club, an online community connecting soft hikers around the world. The movement has clearly resonated, generating over 11 billion views on TikTok and growing a combined audience of 100,000+ followers across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Their work has been featured in Insider, Forbes, Time Out, and CNBC, among others.
This walk will take you from the Brontë Parsonage Museum, up across Penistone Hill, to the Brontë Bridge situated at the ‘meeting of the waters’. The walk will include various stops along the way where museum volunteer, Paul will be shedding light on the Brontë story and its connection with the landscape. 
Ticketholders for this event are entitled to discounted entry to the Museum at £9 (General concession ticket), as well as a choice of a ‘Team’ badge (Team Anne, Team Emily, Branwell and Charlotte badges).
Sat 25 Jul, 1:00pm
Oakwell Hall & Country Park, Birstall, WF17 9LF

Discover the National Gallery through Brontë eyes.
Oakwell Hall and Country Park is one of the hosts of the National Gallery's nationwide exhibition, ‘The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep.’ Fourteen life-size reproductions of National Gallery paintings are to be displayed throughout the Country Park. 
Join us at Oakwell Hall for a fascinating curator-led tour exploring when the Brontë sisters visited the National Gallery—twice!—and what the Gallery looked like during their time. Learn about their visits, the artworks they encountered, and how these experiences may have influenced their writing. Each selected painting on the tour is paired with a hand‑picked literary quote from one of the novels, offering a rich and atmospheric connection between the art and the world of the Brontës.
Perfect for adults with an interest in literature, history, or art, this unique experience brings together storytelling, heritage, and visual culture.

Monday, July 20, 2026

The Clare Champion talks about the Charlotte Brontë mural in Kilkee by Marcus Vallboehmer. As the newspaper explicitly forbids quoting directly, here is an AI summary. Pity:
A new mural of Charlotte Brontë has gone up on the strand-line walls of Kilkee beach in Co. Clare, marking the town's real historical link to the novelist: Charlotte and her husband Arthur Bell Nicholls spent a week of their honeymoon there in 1854. The mural was commissioned by Kilkee Civic Trust, the group behind the town's four-year-old Brontë Festival, with sponsorship from Creative Ireland Clare. It occupies one of four wall spaces on the strand that were once used for alley or racquet ball — a game associated with actor Richard Harris, who was known for playing it there decades ago, though the tradition has since faded.
The artist behind the piece is Marcus Vallböhmer, a German-born muralist based in Farrihy, between Kilkee and Doonbeg, who moved to West Clare in 2023 with his Swiss wife after buying a farmhouse there. He described the Kilkee commission as an unusually demanding one, given the exposed conditions — weather, tides, and constant public visibility on a working beach — though he said passersby frequently stopped to admire the work and offer encouragement as he painted. (AI summary from the original by Sharon Dolan D'Arcy)
Los Angeles Times interviews Ewan Mitchell (Joseph in Wuthering Heights 2026... and Aemond in House of Dragons):
Between Seasons 2 and 3 [of House of Dragons], Mitchell filmed Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights.” He had previously worked with the filmmaker on 2023’s “Saltburn,” for which he auditioned using a Harold Pinter monologue. For “Wuthering Heights,” Fennell simply texted Mitchell asking him to play Joseph, a servant in the Earnshaw house, whose sexual depravity electrifies Cathy.
“I was like, ‘If you asked me to shine your shoes, Emerald, I would do that,’” Mitchell says. “All of her characters are so vibrant and so nuanced, and there is such a vision you see in her films. She’s a one-of-a-kind, singular visionary. I’ve learned so much working with Emerald that I’ve taken forward in my career.” (Emily Zemler)
La Tribuna de Salamanca (Spain) lists several 2026 records you should revisit this summer:
"Wuthering Heights' (Warner), de Charlie XCX
Mientras muchos esperaban este viernes su nuevo disco de estudio, son otros muchos los que consideran que el mejor trabajo de la revolucionaria y joven compositora británica que aceleró el pop es la banda sonora que este mismo año publicó para la revisión cinematográfica de 'Cumbres borrascosas'. (Javier Herrero) (Translation) 
Olbia Punto (Italy) describes the new novel by Maria Laura Berlinguer, La Cena delle Anime, like this:
Si è svolto di recente, il primo appuntamento della XV edizione della rassegna letteraria "Liberamente Sopra le Righe" nell'accogliente Piazza Duomo di Telti. Protagonista della serata Maria Laura Berlinguer con il suo nuovo romanzo "La cena delle anime" - una saga familiare che narra di una tormentata storia d'amore in pieno stile "Cime Tempestose" ma dall'ambientazione tipicamente sarda. Un viaggio tra memoria, tradizioni e segreti nella Sardegna del Meilogu. (Ilaria Del Giudice) (Translation)

AnneBrontë.org publishes a post for the anniversary of Ellen Nussey's 1833 first visit to Haworth, built around her own vivid, decades-later recollections of the Brontë family, the parsonage, and a memorable moorland ramble with Emily and Anne.

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Sunday, July 19, 2026 12:30 am by M. in    No comments
Twenty years ago, Cornelia Parker presented at the Brontë Parsonage Museum the exhibition Brontëan Abstracts. Now, some parts of the exhibition can be seen this summer in London:
3 Jul - 7 Aug 2026
Frith Street Gallery
17–18 Golden Square, London, W1F 9JJ

Multiple Narratives brings together works by eight gallery artists. The pieces are linked through their use of repetition, series and classification; some are narrative-driven, while others focus on visual exploration. Spanning drawing, sculpture, photography and found objects, the exhibition ranges from the minimal and abstract to the richly figurative.
The show includes Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press, Anna Barriball, Tacita Dean, Shilpa Gupta, Cornelia Parker, Raqs Media Collective, Thomas Schütte, and Dayanita Singh.

Adjacent is Parker’s Brontëan Abstracts (2006) – photographs of Charlotte Brontë’s original manuscripts for Jane Eyre which are held in the British Library. These images give us a direct insight into the immediacy of the progress of the celebrated novel. Here Parker invites the viewer to be present at the author’s elbow, we enter Brontë’s consciousness as she edits her masterpiece and become privy to her ideas as they emerge and recede. 

Saturday, July 18, 2026

The Clare Champion is excited about the visit of Ann Disndale to the Kilkee Brontë Festival:
One of the world's leading Brontë experts is to attend the 2026 Kilkee Bronte Festival, which will take place this coming weekend. 
Ann Dinsdale, principal curator at the Brontë Society and Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, England will be joining the festival in Kilkee, the place where Charlotte Bronte honeymooned, and where the Atlantic coast made such an impression on the famous author. 
Ms Dinsdale who has 36 years' experience caring for the museum's collection, organising exhibitions and working on important acquisitions will be making her first visit to the festival in Kilkee. 
Speaking to The Clare Champion this week, Ann said she is really excited to visit the West Clare seaside town, "I have been reading biographies about the Brontës for years - since I was a child really - so all these names of places in Ireland are really familiar to me.  (...) (Sharon Dolan D'Arcy)
ArtsHub recommends a visit to the Summer Show of the Frith Street Gallery - Golden Square in London:
Multiple Narratives brings together works by eight gallery artists. The pieces are linked through their use of repetition, series and classification, some are narrative-driven, while others focus on visual exploration. Spanning drawing, sculpture, photography and found objects, the exhibition ranges from the minimal and abstract to the richly figurative.
The show includes Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press, Anna Barriball, Tacita Dean, Shilpa Gupta, Cornelia Parker, Raqs Media Collective, Thomas Schütte, and Dayanita Singh. (...)
Progressing further into the gallery, the corner features two works by Cornelia Parker. White Cliff Crossings (2024) (...) [and]  [a]djacent is Parker’s Brontëan Abstracts (2006) – photographs of Charlotte Brontë’s original manuscripts for Jane Eyre which are held in the British Library. These images give us a direct insight into the immediacy of the progress of the celebrated novel. Here Parker invites the viewer to be present at the author’s elbow, we enter Brontë’s consciousness as she edits her masterpiece and become privy to her ideas as they emerge and recede.
A new installment of the Behind the Glass podcast is online:
Sam and Mia are joined by their colleague Murray, who is one of the Museum's curators! Before taking on the role, Murray worked at other Museums and historic houses and undertook a PhD specialising in architectural history.
In this episode, we ride the highs and lows of Britain's railways during the 1840s, looking at Branwell's time as a Railway Clerk and the investments the family made into this booming industry..
Collider is a bit extreme when listing Wuthering Heights 2026 among pointless movie remakes that have no reason to exist: 
Wuthering Heights is a novel that has never been perfectly adapted, as even the Best Picture-nominated 1939 classic was only based on half of Emily Brontë’s novel. Instead of taking the opportunity to make a more thorough adaption, Emerald Fennell reduced the material even further by cutting out major characters and inserting more raunchiness; this is a complete misreading of the source material, as it is the unfulfilled longing between Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) that is supposed to heighten the sexual tension. 
Fennell’s film casts actors who are far too old to realistically be playing their characters and uses shock value to visualize Catherine’s sexual awakening; the result is a film that feels made by someone who had only skimmed the novel and didn’t understand what it was actually trying to say about loss and love. (Liam Gaughan)
The Bromsgrove Standard reports a variation on the Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever: 
The Synchro StingRays will be performing to three Kate Bush tracks in the water at Lakeside Adventures in Hartlebury tomorrow (Saturday, July 18).
That will be ahead of Kate Bush Day next Sunday, July 26.
StingRay choreographer and swim coach Ray Farr will then lead the official Wuthering Heights dance on land before inviting wannabe Kates into the lake to perform the dance there. (Tristan Harris)
Frank Miller describes Rebecca, his favourite Hitchcock, like this in New York Magazine's The Strategist:
 It’s classic Hitchcock, but not as a twist but as a pivotal, shocking revelation. When it first came out, I believe it was considered almost a poor man’s Wuthering Heights, but I think Rebecca actually was the more truly gothic one. It’s a masterpiece.
The Hollywood Reporter interviews Samantha Morton, who remembers her Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre 1997: 
David Canfield: How would you describe that interpretation? I’m curious how you conceive of this character, this scene, when he first presents you with the role, and how it then evolves once you start digging in.
Samantha Morton: I did a bit of research into the source material and I bought the Madeline Miller book [Circe]. But I opened that book and then something just stopped me from reading it. The thing about me and my work is, my relationship to a movie script or a play or a TV episode or whatever I’m doing — that’s my special thing. Research is incredibly important for me, but it also depends on who I’m playing. Years ago, I was about 19 years old and I was playing Jane Eyre. It was a big ITV production. It was a TV movie, but they’d spent a lot of money on it. I remember literally carrying the book around with me like the Bible, with passages highlighted and all my notes, and talking to the person who adapted it and going, “Why isn’t this there? This doesn’t make sense.” I was almost in conflict with the script, which was very good, because I had issues with the choices. I vowed to myself moving forward that, while you have to do your research, you have to know what you’re doing, I didn’t want to be bogged down by everybody else’s interpretation, view, opinion, anything. 
The Irish Independent interviews Maggie O'Farrell:
Aoife Rooney: Who would you most like to go for a pint with?
Maggie O'Farrell: I’d like to go for a pint with Charlotte Brontë. I think she’d be very interesting, and it’s probable that she died of extreme morning sickness, so I’d like to talk to her about that. I feel like we lost so many books because she died so young. I’ve also read that she had an Irish accent, and I would love to know if that was true. Her father was Irish and her mother died when she was young.

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Thursday, July 16, 2026 1:00 am by M. in ,    No comments
An exhibition at the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton:
Friday 17 July – Monday 7 September

This summer, the Brontë Birthplace is delighted to welcome Annie Lancaster and Kevin Jones as our shared Artists in Residence. Across eight inspiring weeks, Annie and Kevin will bring their creative practices into dialogue with the house, its history, and the imaginative legacy of the Brontës.
Their work will be displayed throughout the Birthplace, transforming familiar rooms into intimate gallery spaces. Visitors can explore pieces in the Posh Parlour, the Scullery, and other corners of the house, each offering a different glimpse into their artistic worlds.

Over the summer Annie & Kevin will be joining us for a series of special events:

Friday 17th July, 6pm Private View
Join us for the opening night of the exhibition, meet the artists and mingle at the Birthplace. Refreshments included!

Saturday 8th August  & Saturday August 15th 11am – 4pm Meet the Artist 
Drop into the Birthplace to meet Annie & Kevin, learn more about their practice and see demontstrations of their work. Entrance included with a standard entry ticket.

Wednesday 26th August 10 – 12:30pm – Slow Stitch Embroidery Workshop 
Join Annie for a Bronte inspired embroidery workshop inside the Birthplace – ticket details to come.

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

The Guardian talks about the community free-enter scheme in Chatsworth House:
When Kate, a 47-year-old contract worker came face to face with Charlotte Brontë’s handwriting while visiting Chatsworth House, the avid reader, who counts Jane Eyre as her favourite book, struggled to contain her excitement.
“I had a little bit of a moment,” she said. “I just thought: ‘Wow, that was actually Charlotte Brontë’s writing there on that page.’ That was pretty special.” (Aamna Mohdin)
She refers to the exhibition House of Stories: Tales from the Chatsworth Library (21 March 2026 –4 October 2026), where a letter from Charlotte Brontë to Elizabeth Gaskell (August 27th, 1850) is displayed. The letter is preserved at Chatsworth Library and has a curious history:
That sense of personal connection appears again in a letter from Elizabeth Gaskell to the 6th Duke of Devonshire, written after her visit to Chatsworth in 1857.
In it, she thanks the Duke for his hospitality and encloses as a gift a letter she had received from Charlotte Brontë, which she described as the most interesting she had ever received from her. It was not something she would have parted with lightly.
More on that visit and why the Duke of Devonshire could be interested in a letter by Charlotte Brontë:
We can only speculate on what they discussed, but the Duke had strong literary interests and only the previous month had made a visit to see Patrick Brontë in Haworth. Gaskell’s famous biography of her friend Charlotte Brontë had appeared earlier in 1857. It was received with much praise, but Gaskell also faced a barrage of complaints from people who felt they had been misrepresented in the book – and in two cases legal action was threatened. She had therefore spent a stressful summer revising it for a new, third edition.
From the outset, her biography provoked fascination with the lives of Charlotte Brontë and her sisters, and in subsequent years more and more literary tourists made the journey to Haworth to see where they had lived and written their novels. It seems the Duke of Devonshire was amongst the earliest of these literary pilgrims – probably prompted by Gaskell’s book.
The morning after their dinner, Gaskell sat down in her room to write the letter in which she so vividly described her visit, using ‘a delicious pen’. She confessed that she had no idea where she was supposed to go for breakfast ‘in this wilderness of a palace of a house’.
However, she and Meta successfully made their way home in the end, and Gaskell wrote a thank-you letter to the Duke for his hospitality; she also thanked him for his ‘sympathizing words’, suggesting she confided in him some of the troubles she had experienced over her biography of Charlotte Brontë. Enclosed with the letter was a precious gift for the Duke: ‘I have the greatest pleasure in the world in sending you the enclosed letter from Charlotte Brontë to me [which] I have chosen out as being, in my opinion, the most interesting I ever received from her, and consequently the one I like best to offer to your Grace.’
The first novel of Marian Yee, 4 Janes, is discussed in The Brookline News:
“4 Janes” is a reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel “Jane Eyre.” In this version there are four different parallel lives that the titular character might have had if she had taken another path. These alternate possibilities span space and time taking Jane to India, Burma (now Myanmar) and Vietnam. Over the wider geography, each thread remains rooted in the original character’s maternal love and grief. 
While the literary classic takes place on the weather-torn moors of Northern England, the inspiration for “4 Janes” was born on a trip to Vietnam. In Huế, a city in the center of the country, Yee and her husband came across a bookstall where the shopkeeper was intently focused on a novel. 
“What was so interesting was that she was reading an abridged copy of ‘Jane Eyre’ to teach herself English,” says Yee. “I was so interested in that very unexpected juxtaposition, because Jane Eyre is this iconic Western classic and I didn’t expect to see it in central Vietnam in this context.” 
From there, the possibilities seemed endless. By resetting the novel within a global framework, Yee is able to examine the complex history between East and West as well as the internal turmoil experienced by Jane. (...)
 The early feminist angle of “Jane Eyre” also makes it primed for reinterpretation. 
“People often think of her as a kind of a proto-feminist before feminism as a term came up,” says Yee. “She’s this very resilient, very strong, very courageous person and she’s had a difficult life but she manages to overcome her difficulties through her own intelligence and her wits.”  (...)
Yee hopes her novel inspires readers to pick up the original “Jane Eyre” and to explore the themes of empowerment that extend through both books. They serve as a reminder that classical literature, including Brontë’s novel, still have much to teach modern audiences. 
Yee says, “I hope readers take away the inspiration of a heroine who learns to rely on herself, regains independence, learns resilience, respects herself and her decisions and takes life on her own terms, including her love life.” (Celina Colby)
New Humanist meets novelists exploring "sexual fantasies of midlife women":
Even Cathy, the teenage heroine of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights has been recast as mid-30s Margot Robbie in a lust-fest fever dream directed by 40-year-old Emerald Fennell. (Nicola Cutcher)
Expansión (Spain) recaps the Brontë story with particular focus on talent recognition:
Durante años hemos repetido casi automáticamente que falta talento. Sin embargo, el informe Hidden Workers elaborado por Joseph Fuller y su equipo en Harvard Business School plantea preguntas incómodas: ¿y si el problema no fuera la ausencia de talento, sino nuestra incapacidad para reconocerlo? ¿Y si nuestros propios procesos de selección, promoción y desarrollo estuvieran dejando fuera a personas perfectamente capaces de aportar valor simplemente porque no responden al perfil esperado? Las hermanas Brontë nos recuerdan que el talento necesita disciplina, curiosidad y trabajo. Pero también ecosistemas donde crecer, personas que crean en él y líderes capaces de mirar más allá de los prejuicios. (Adela Balderas) (Translation)
La Razón (Spain) centers on Charlotte Brontë's biography and how her work, particularly Jane Eyre, reflects it. Pity, the umlaut is in the wrong place.
Releyendo estos días «Jane Eyre», uno de esos novelones a los que el tiempo no consigue envejecer, no puedo evitar evocar la figura de su autora, Charlotte Brontë. Saber quién fue, asomarse a su vida y conocer las heridas que la acompañaron permite regresar a sus páginas con otros ojos. Charlotte Brontë medía poco más de metro cuarenta; sus vestidos, guantes y zapatos conservados hoy en Haworth parecen casi los de una niña. Pero dentro de aquel cuerpo diminuto había una voz que la Inglaterra victoriana no estaba preparada para escuchar. (...) (José María Zavala) (Translation)

The Economic Times (India) announces the OTT release of Wuthering Heights 2026 in India. BookClub publishes an AI article about novels everyone knows, and few people read; the LLM model includes Jane Eyre in the list.

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Saturday, July 11, 2026 10:45 am by Cristina in , , , , , ,    No comments
This is quite surreal. The Telegraph and Argus reports that the Bradford City football team have a new
mascot called Brontë Bantam who has been to the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
Bradford City have announced their new mascot, Brontë Bantam, in an announcement video that links to world-renowned authors Charlotte and Emily Brontë. 
The club have now created a sibling duo of mascots that truly represent the community and family atmosphere that surrounds the club.
But they have also done it by bringing in the local area, specifically highlighting Haworth and the Brontë sisters, a beloved part of the West Yorkshire area and its history. (Sophie Bates)
You can see a video of the visit here (beware: it's VERY weird).

The Globe and Mail has arts editor Judith Pereira and book critic Emily Donaldson answer readers' questions about summer reads.
How do you approach reading classics? I find it hard to get past the older language.
Donaldson: I think the main challenge is attuning your ear to the unfamiliar language and pacing. But what feels awkward on page five often starts to feel natural by page fifty.
Start with classics that are genuine page-turners: Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Grey, The Count of Monte Cristo and virtually anything by Austen or Dickens all have strong narrative momentum, making the language easier to settle into than, say, behemoths like Moby-Dick, Middlemarch or The Brothers Karamazov.
And do not feel obligated to slog through every book you try. Some became classics because they changed literature, not because they’re rollicking yarns. I also don’t think the goal shouldn’t be to check titles off a list – it’s to find the books that have earned their reputation because they still have the power to move/grab us.
The Yorkshire Post features photographer Carolyn Mendelsohn.
Hardy and Free has been created by award-winning Yorkshire photographer Carolyn Mendelsohn and takes its name from a line in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights: “I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hardy, and free...”
It was originally commissioned by the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth in 2023 as part of its contemporary arts programme and then a new series of large-scale portraits with audio from the women involved, was created for Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture and adorned Kirkgate Shopping Centre.
The photographs, which are three metres by two metres each are hung in a huge barn where they used to show the pigeons on the Yorkshire Show Ground.
Hardy and Free explores the relationship between 12 contemporary women and the natural world, all sharing a profound emotional link with the landscapes that shape them. (Catherine Scott)
Los Alamos Reporter has resources for local people to get ready for The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever on August 1st. The Brontë Sisters UK posts a video about Nancy Garrs.

Friday, July 10, 2026

Friday, July 10, 2026 12:30 am by M. in , ,    No comments
Some Bradford Literature Festival events for tomorrow, July 11:
CANCELLED
Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 10:00 – 15:00
The Old Bell Chapel, Thornton Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire

Join Brontë Stones project creator Michael Stewart for a guided walking tour tracing the footsteps of the Brontë sisters from their birthplace in Thornton village to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth.  
Crossing the stunning Yorkshire landscape, the walk explores specially commissioned responses to the Brontës by celebrated writers like Carol Ann Duffy, Kate Bush, Jackie Kay and Jeanette Winterson.  
This nine-mile linear trek takes around five hours and includes narrow styles, uneven ground and slippery surfaces.  
Appropriate footwear and weatherproof clothing are essential. Participants should also bring a packed lunch and plenty of water for a picnic stop along the route.
Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 16:00 – 19:30
Cambridge House, BD5 0H

Step into the shadows of a cinematic mystery with Wuthering Heights Rediscovered, an exhibition celebrating the lost 1920 silent film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s timeless classic.  
Drawing on the only surviving script and a remarkable collection of previously unseen photographs, the exhibition reconstructs and reimagines a film thought lost forever.  
Curated by Professor Rob Shail and Irfan Shah of Leeds Beckett University’s Early Cinema Research Group, and supported by the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth, it offers a fascinating journey into early filmmaking, literary heritage and Yorkshire’s enduring gothic landscape.  
A must-see for film lovers, Brontë enthusiasts and admirers of the moors alike.

Thursday, July 09, 2026

Julian Pierce in The Yorkshire Post thinks that "Britain needs to rediscover the art of delivering great ideas";
The Great Exhibition of 1851 wasn’t done by halves. It wasn’t value engineered to within an inch of its life and (I’m betting) it didn’t take a month to make a simple decision. That exhibition – designed to set out what this country had and could offer the world – is still referenced in textbooks as an example of Britain leading on the world stage. It was outward looking, but confident in the country’s collective national abilities. Leading thinkers and doers of the day were there. Michael Faraday, Charlotte Brontë, Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll, Karl Marx and Alfred Tennyson were all in attendance. The perfect blend of science, philosophy and culture, under one giant glass roof of the (at the time, temporary) Crystal Palace. Queen Victoria herself allegedly visited more than 30 times. 
Clare.fm interviews the artist Marcus Vallboehmer:
From painting the walls of his family home as a child in Germany to creating eye-catching public murals here in west Clare, artist Marcus Vallboehmer has turned a lifelong passion for colour into a successful career.  
Now living in Farrihy, near Doonbeg, Marcus is the artist behind the striking new mural of Charlotte Brontë on the White Walls in Kilkee, celebrating the famous novelist’s connection to the seaside town. 
Summer readings in The Irish Independent:
Summer is also the time for adventure, whether that’s white water rafting or Finnegans Wake. You have energy, Vitamin D and oceans of time. Plus, sun and heat are the enemy of the screen. You can’t doomscroll on a beach.
I remember exactly where I was when I first read Wuthering Heights (on a beach in Brittany), Catch-22 (a beach in southern Italy) and The Beach (a pool in Ibiza). Also, the frustration of not being able to escape completely into Emma Cline’s The Girls on a beach in Kerry when my kids were small. And many more.
WWD discusses the Ashi Studio Fall 2026 Couture:
Before the show, Ashi said he leaned further into the “Wuthering Heights” feeling of his spring effort and thought back to the Surrealist Ball given by Baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild in 1972, a soirée with the likes of Salvador Dalí, Princess Grace of Monaco and Audrey Hepburn in attendance. (Lily Templeton)
Varsity wonders about the possible benefits of the upcoming East of Eden adaptation for John Steinbeck's  knowledge:
The question of adapting brilliant literature is not newly raised by this forthcoming limited series. Modern films have proven time and time again that renewed audience interest in their source texts can arise from the adaptive process. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, for example, saw viewers picking up copies of Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece, while Emerald Fennell’s interpretation of Wuthering Heights brought Brontë’s text back off the shelf, be it through inspiration or outrage. The texts didn’t need a spotlight shone on them, but their filmic twins formed a fruitful relationship of engagement between the different media. (Dan Porritt)
Today on BBC Four, a new chance to watch Jane Eyre 1944 (23:50 GMT). The Ada News publishes a extense summary of Wuthering Heights.