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)
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)
"Wuthering Heights' (Warner), de Charlie XCXMientras 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)
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.
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)
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.
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..
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 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)
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.
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.
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.
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July 17-19, 2026Cultúrlann Sweeney TheatreDough, Co. Clare, V15 P960, IrelandThis year’s festival will welcome leading Brontë experts to Kilkee for a weekend exploring the family’s Irish roots, its often-overlooked family members, its portrayal on screen, and the homes and buildings that shaped the Brontës’ lives. The programme also includes a watercolour workshop, a participatory dance event and a guided Brontë tour of Kilkee.Friday, 17 JulyOpening CeremonyThe festival will officially open at 6.45pm on Friday 17 July, followed at 7pm by a talk from Ann Dinsdale about her work and contribution to the production of the celebrated BBC film To Walk Invisible. Written and directed by award-winning writer Sally Wainwright, the drama explores the relationship between Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë and their troubled brother, Branwell. Individual talks are priced at €10, while a weekend pass costing €30 includes all four talks across Friday and Saturday. The film screening is free, and the watercolour workshop costs €30.Saturday, 18 July2pm: The Mother of the Brontës | Sharon WrightAt 2pm, award-winning journalist, playwright and author Sharon Wright will give a talk about Maria Branwell Brontë, the often-overlooked mother of Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell. Sharon is the author of the historical biography The Mother of the Brontës. She writes for national newspapers and magazines and, in 2024, successfully campaigned for the correction of the Brontë memorial in Westminster Abbey.3.30pm: The Brontës in Ireland or Facts are Stranger than Fiction | Uel WrightAt 3.30pm, Uel Wright will present The Brontës in Ireland,; Facts Are Stranger Than Fiction.His talk will draw on the influential book compiled by his great-great-uncle, William Wright, from oral histories concerning the Brontë family’s Irish ancestry. The audience will be taken into the early life and family background of Patrick Brontë, who was born in County Down, and will hear how the family’s Irish heritage may have influenced the imaginations and writing of his famous children.5pm: The Brontës in bricks and mortar | Ann Dinsdale and Sharon WrightAt 5pm, Ann Dinsdale and Sharon Wright will come together to discuss their recent joint publication, Let Me In: The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar.The book explores the houses, buildings and places connected with the Brontë family and examines what later happened to these important locations.It has been described by Professor Kathryn Sutherland as “personal and poetic, authoritative and richly evocative”, while novelist Stacey Halls praised it as being “full of insight, compassion and exciting new discoveries”.The authors’ discussion will be followed by questions from the audience.7.30pm Participatory dance event. Further details will be announced shortly.Sunday, 19 JulyThe festival concludes on Sunday afternoon with a guided Brontë tour of Kilkee, exploring Charlotte Brontë’s honeymoon visit to the town and the landscape she so greatly admired.
Bradford Heritage FestivalBrontë Parsonage MuseumThu 16 Jul 11:00am /2:00pmThe year is 1848.Join Tabbitha Ackroyd (Brontë servant and confidante) and John Brown (grave digger and tippler) for their tour of Haworth. See the sights and get the gossip. Be introduced to doctors and lady novelists, maiden aunts and sewage inspectors. Keep your eyes peeled and you might spot a Brontë…This event brings history to life through characters and stories the Brontës knew.It is an outside promenade performance beginning at the Brontë Parsonage Museum and taking place in the churchyard and the top of Main Street.This performance will last approximately 50 mins and is suitable for all ages.
The Banagher Brontë Group is holding a social gathering on Thursday week, July 16, in Corrigan's Corner Pub at 9pm.The evening will begin with a special showing of 'Arthur & Charlotte: A Victorian Romance Remembered' which was performed in Tullamore in December 2019 by the Banagher Martello Tower Players.
The performance, which relates the romance between Arthur Bell Nicholls and his wife Charlotte Brontë, was filmed by Maebh O' Regan and features many well known Banagher faces.
Two eminent Brontë scholars, Ann Dinsdale and Sharon Wright will be in attendance as they are paying a short visit to Banagher en route to the Killkee Brontë Festival the following weekend.
Last call for this coming Friday night’s Banagher Brontë Group annual quiz in Seán Corrigan’s Corner Pub at 9 p.m.Ray Flannery has prepared an array of interesting, humorous and challenging questions so it will be a night to enjoy.Tables for teams of four are €40 each.Many thanks to Nigel West who has donated a print of the Thornton Brontë Birthplace, value €125 for our raffle.
A Musical tribute by Michael and Christine O'Dowd to the celebrated 19th-century Brontë family of Yorkshire was hosted by the Banagher Bronte Group last weekend to mark Charlotte Brontë's birthday.The tribute was a melodic cycle of ten original studio-recorded songs. 40 people attended the event in Crank House. James Scully introduced the world premiere programme of nine songs and lyrics.He also requested a minute’s silence to mark the passing of Kieran Keenaghan, his great friend, historical colleague and good friend of Banagher Brontë Group.Michael and Christine delivered the relevant historical Brontë information for each of the songs, thus enhancing and informing the audience’s experience. A stunning projected film complemented the songs and music and raised the show to a very sophisticated level.Thornton, Yorkshire was the birthplace of the Brontës. Queen Camilla visited in 2025 and learned about the famous literary family. The first song was Brontë Birthplace, Maker of Dreams. Next was Maria, the mother of the family, singing a lullaby to Charlotte. Then, We are the Brontës by the youthful Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne. Followed by Emily, I am a woman.Branwell’s Lament, showed him as lovelorn and melancholic. Anne’s Evensong is a nightly prayer. The Reverend Patrick’s Blessing, prays for divine favour. Charlotte and Arthur's Waltz was a prelude to romance. Charlotte's Way represented the happy couple in Banagher. Charlotte died in 1854. Arthur Bell Nicholls lived in Banagher for 66 of his 80 years. In Forever Free, a schooner represents Freedom floating on a friendly sea to the divine underworld.Frances Browner did a workshop on the Brontës for 6th class in the National School. The fruits of that, were readings of their own poems by Caoimhe Teehan, Maddie Mahon and Diarmuid Boylan to the very appreciative adult audience. Well done to them and their teacher Michaela Keenaghan. Adult readers were James Scully, Courtney Caitlin Phillips, Caleb Phillips, Eileen Casey, Francis Browner. Courtney and Caleb from Alabama also duetted and entertained as singer and musician. Jeannenn and Greg Eastway from Australia and Betsy Pearson from Ohio enjoyed the welcome. Well, That Beats Banagher!Thanks to the Banagher Bronte Group committee, James Scully, Maebh O’Regan, Nicola Daly, Sean O’Regan, Sean Corrigan, Donie Hogan, Frances Browner, and Cora Stronge Smith provided a memorable day and thank Amanda Pedlow and Karen Gray for their support, encouragement and direction for the project. Also Maebh O’Reagan for the art on the back cover of the memorable programme by Brosna Press, Nicola Daly for flower bouquets and the yellow Arthur Bell Rose.Finally, Sean Corrigan who mastered the intricate electronics and the film screen donated by the very generous late Kieran Keenaghan. (Eddie Alford)
Ideas of time pervade the arrangement of the exhibition and its title, ‘I Set Out, I Walked Fast’, which is drawn from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847). Re-reading the novel while working in her New Zealand studio, Grosse was struck by Jane’s continuous movement and action as a woman of her time, noting that merely by walking she propels the story forward. Similarly, the exhibition brings together paintings from different periods of Grosse’s practice into a single, interconnected environment, allowing her to traverse swathes of time and register change: an effect that ‘almost repaints’ the works. Across the three spaces of the gallery, each work functions as a ‘plot’ point or ‘node within a spider’s web’ that constantly ‘generates new strands of activity’. In some cases, this process is made literal: canvases painted in previous in-situ installations are brought into the exhibition, carrying ‘the structure and thought of that past show’ with them.
A stormy, emotionally charged literary classic is having a major moment in 2026. According to Goodreads’ latest data on the most-read classics in the last few months, readers have been gravitating toward one famously debated novel above all others so far this year: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.It’s probably no surprise that the 19th-century novel is topping the list. A new film adaptation released in February has reintroduced the story to audiences, sparking fresh discussion around its famously polarizing characters and bleak emotional landscape. (Devon Forward)
La Cadera de Eva (in Spanish) suggests a reading guide to know the Brontës (using a very questionable image without warning or context).
El arco se extenderá hasta que, tres décadas después, Esther dará a luz a un niño, Jimmy, o el auténtico protagonista, siguiendo el modelo de madre subrogada (y tatuada con un extracto de Jane Eyre que sirve de lema existencial) tras un pacto con la mujer asexual para la que antes ha ejercido de au pair (el territorio irvingniano), ya que su proyecto vital estará en la construcción del futuro Estado de Israel. (Antonio Lozano) (Translation)
"When I wrote this book, I was just being all the characters," Micallef says. "To get into their heads, I had to know how they sounded and how they thought."But Micallef did need to change his methods slightly. He couldn't get a laugh with a funny face, voice or act-out — but he could make oblique references to everything from ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. (Hannah Story and Claire Nichols)
“Wuthering Heights”If you love “Running Up That Hill”, it’s likely you’ll also be fond of this song, which Bush wrote when she was just 18. “Wuthering Heights” was Bush’s debut single and made her the first female to reach No. 1 with an entirely self-written song. It’s also sung from the perspective of Catherine Earnshaw, a character in Emily Brontë’s novel.“It was a subject matter that had been going around in my head for a long time,” Bush shared in an interview. “I’d originally seen the end of a TV series in England, and it had really stuck in my head. And, uh, I read the book last year, and after reading that I just had to write [Wuthering Heights].” (Kat Caudill)
Driving Amazing TrainsC4, 8pmPaul Merton goes from Ravenglass to Dalegarth in the Lake District and then, after Windermere and Brontë country visits, travels from Pickering to Whitby. It’s pleasing stuff, and his journey sheds light on an intractable problem of rail travel: leaves on the line. “A classic railway issue,” he says as the train driver uses a mechanical dropper to put sand in front of the wheels to add traction and stop them slipping down the hill. (Helen Stewart)
3. Lakeside Lodge, Damems, West YorkshirePerhaps not suitable for younger children because of its waterside location, this smart lodge nonetheless has real wow factor. Glass doors and a panoramic deck provide views over the water, beckoning you for a spin in the rowing boat or a spot of fishing. Families can enjoy wildlife watching, as well as train spotting — with steam engines passing by on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. It’s handy for the Brontë sisters’ home town of Haworth too, which can be reached from nearby Damems station (a request stop) for an excellent family outing. (Oliver Berry)
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The Banagher Brontë Group is preparing to celebrate Charlotte Brontë's birthday on Saturday, April 18, in Crank House, Main Street, Banagher, commencing at 3.30pm.The main event of the afternoon will be the world premiere of Brontës: Love and Honour, a melodic tribute to the celebrated 19th century Brontë family of Yorkshire.This cycle of ten studio-recorded songs was written by the well-known composer Michael O'Dowd and his wife, Christine. The cycle relates the joys and sorrows of the family in music and lyrics with linking dialogue and illustrations to provide ambience and clarity.Organisers say this will be a truly delightful and enchanting experience for all attending.The afternoon will also include a 'Miscellany for Charlotte', a session of readings created or chosen by members of the group and others wishing to do so.Following a series of creative writing sessions, a selection of new writings, including poems by pupils from sixth class in St Rynagh's Primary School, are ready for the celebrations.
In the semifinals, Heathcliff and Edward Rochester were eliminated, depriving us of any Brontë sisters in the final round and leaving a championship matchup between Dorian Gray and George Wickham. (Evander James Reyes)
“Wuthering Heights” dominated the box office on its opening weekend, with gross sales hitting $11 million, according to The Numbers ( Friday, February 13 ; Domestic (42%) $11,000,000 in 3682 theaters. International: (58%): $15.200.000. Total: $26.000.200 BoxOffice Mojo).
Things are not looking too good for Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” at least when compared to the $50M opening that seemed practically locked just a few days ago.Fennell’s divisive romance tallied $8M on Friday — not good. Warner Bros. is praying that an onslaught of ticket buyers will show up today for Valentine’s Day. Otherwise, the film is currently looking at $37–$38M for the four-day weekend. (Jordan Ruimy)
Over the course of the movie, she had two looks for the actor: “It was ‘Jesus Elordi’ and ‘Darcy Elordi’ as Emerald and I mockingly called it,” she says about Heathcliff’s eventual transformation into a clean-shaven gentleman. “Reading the script, [the long-haired look] really rang out. I had the pleasure of knowing Jacob before [from ‘Saltburn’]; I asked him, ‘Can you just grow everything?” (...)As detailed as Fennell’s script was, the “Vagina hair” was not written in. But having worked with Fennell on “Saltburn,” Miller says, “There were talks of vagina early on,” so she wasn’t shocked when the conversation came up.Miller worked closely with production designer Suzie Davies, who said, “‘When we get back to Wuthering Heights, there’s going to be this big fissure in the wall where the house is falling apart, and it’s a vagina.'” In another scene, Isabella is given a gift for Christmas, and it’s a pop-up book; metaphorically, it resembles a vagina.Miller followed suit: “I’d seen something reminiscent of this style in my search — this plait at the back of the head. I thought, ‘If I make it smaller and we dress the hair around it.’ We just called it a ‘Vagina plait.’ That’s what’s great about working with Emerald, you show her things, ‘Oh, vagina plait. Yes, I love that.’ And we gave the hairstyles names. We really spur each other on.” (Jazz Tangcay)
Wuthering Heights, which is in Yorkshire, needed a stable, an upstairs and a kitchen. Even though Davies built it on a soundstage, nature still needed to be ever-present.“That’s why we have a courtyard of rock around the house,” Davies explains. In addition, the arch leading to the house was inspired by Gothic architecture.Davies raised the set by two feet so she could build a drainage system. “We wanted practical effects. So there are rain rigs punched through the ceiling and there’s a tank underneath.”She kept the colors of the Wuthering Heights interiors muted and almost bruise-like.The idea of Wuthering Heights was for it to feel bruised and heavy with a brutalist vibe.During her research, Davies found the Trefor granite quarry in Northern Wales, which was abandoned and near a “big brutal structure on top of a hill.” Davies says, “It’s got nothing to do with Yorkshire, but it has the essence that Emerald wanted. Once we found that, then we started sort of layering on elements of the Yorkshire vernacular, of those big tiles.” The tiles were wet and shiny. She goes on to say, “There are a lots of modern materials used in traditional ways, and traditional materials used in unconventional ways. Everything’s flipped on its side, just to make the audience feel more uncomfortable.” (...)When Cathy is introduced to her bedroom, it’s boasted that the walls are like her skin.Again, it’s an uncomfortable moment for the character. (...)Once she knew she was onto something, Davies asked Robbie to “send high res images of her arms and veins. We printed it. We’ve slightly accentuated her veins.” Davies adds, “We had a go at doing her belly button as well above the fireplace, but that looked a little bit too weird, believe it or not.” The images of her skin were then printed onto the fabric that’s used for the padded wall panels of the bedroom.Davies adds that at the end, as there’s an overhead shot of Cathy on the bed as she is dying, her veins are prominent. “We printed her veins and everything into the carpet as well, just for that top shot, which is even more weird and uncomfortable.” (...)Take a careful look at “Wuthering Heights” and hands are everywhere, whether it’s shots of the actors, or as part of the decor. “There’s something really sexy about what they’re up to and what’s going on,” Davies says.For the hands above the fireplace, Davies says she took casts of the art department’s hands to make the ceiling roses in the fireplace and in the panels of the library. (...)The dollhouse was created by the Mattes and Miniatures crew. They built a 1/12th scale version of the Grange. Davies had the model built first, before building and designing the lifesize Thrushcross Grange, flipping her typical design process. (Jazz Tangcay)
When viewers meet Margot Robbie’s Cathy Earnshaw, who wears a palette grounded in ruby and burgundy, she aggressively cuts through the crumbling gray-brown farm home and its surrounding hills. Her wardrobe consists of modern-cut corsets with intricate embroidery, girlish checked skirts, and peplum waistcoats. They’re clothes that burn too bright to be period-precise—and that’s the point. Far from prim and proper, the pieces are as carnal as her lust for Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi). As Cathy’s pulled into the wealthy Linton household, and away from Heathcliff, the styling further amplifies, now as a rebellion against the societal expectations she finds herself boxed into. (...)On the surface, costumes are there to support character arcs and development. But Wuthering Heights is a story of trauma and mania (and the Saltburn director’s signature emotion: horniness); a faithful Georgian wardrobe would be too polite and restrained. What takes the Wuthering Heights costumes levels beyond the adaptation baseline is the brazen modernity Durran injects to create a rule-breaking wardrobe fitting of a transgressive (at least for the time period) anti-heroine. A black leather corset with red heart cutouts inspires initial provocation in a scene intended to get pulses racing, and that sets off the downward trajectory of events. (...)In a conventional period film, these inaccuracies might take viewers out of the experience. Here, the exaggerated clothes match the augmented magnitude of Cathy’s discontent, always on the verge of reaching a boiling point and overflowing into impropriety. (Irina Grechko)
I read the reviews of this film in confusion. I looked at the Tomatometer — just 64 per cent — and wondered, what is it that people want? Do they just want blandness in films now? Predictable storylines?It’s true, a decorous adaptation wouldn’t have Heathcliff heaving over Cathy, rasping, “You bitch.” It wouldn’t have her dad screaming, “F*** off, you silly woman.” It wouldn’t have a public hanging scene in which a child yelps of the corpse, “He’s got a stiffy!” (complete with close-up). It wouldn’t have the prostitutes, the blood, the squelching, the snail trails, the erotic eggs or Cathy running about the moors in ever more teetering (mouthwatering) bits of couture. But who’d prefer that adaptation over this? Bourgeois is boring.There is a problem in culture at the moment of making everything predictable and small. Real art now scares us. As film dies, it’s being shut into ever more boring, ugly little formulas just to make money. It’s true (as this film shows) phone-obsessed audiences can’t even cope with subplots. The soundtrack isn’t a soundtrack any more; it’s a marketing opportunity. I get why people react against that. But why don’t they embrace the rest of it? Why don’t they see this for what it is — spectacular? Or do they think that the Brontës were just weeping, sad, limited victims — as that review points out, virgins — deserving only of insipid, careful remakes? And the less we see of posh “primal” Emerald’s sexuality, the better? (Camilla Long)
Any driver travelling the Belfast–Dublin road will pass a brown tourism sign pointing to the Brontë Homeland. Few turn off, and fewer still realise that behind that modest roadside marker lies a literary debate that has simmered for more than a century.The Brontës belong to Yorkshire. Yet, a generation before Haworth, before the parsonage and the wind-scoured heath, there were the fields of rural Co Down.More than 100 years ago, a Belfast writer argued, to scoffing in some quarters, that the family’s literary story began in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains, and that the backdrop inspired more than has ever been comfortably acknowledged.The writing trio are, says the Irish novelist Martina Devlin, “regarded as jewels in the English literary crown and quite rightly so”. But, she adds, “many rivers feed into the great ocean of creativity, and one of those rivers is the Irish dimension”. (...)It was the Belfast writer William Wright who, in The Brontës in Ireland, first argued in print in 1893 that the Co Down factor should be treated as much more than a biographical footnote.Drawing on local testimony among Patrick’s contemporaries, Wright suggested that his upbringing, surrounded by the Mournes, left traces in the imaginative world later fixed in Yorkshire.Wright floated the idea that Heathcliff, the feral, obsessive foundling of ambiguous background at the centre of Wuthering Heights, might represent the Irish famine-era migration or Irish “otherness” entering England en masse at Liverpool at the time, the city in which he is discovered wandering the streets. (...)Dr Robert Logan, of the Brontë Ireland society, believes Patrick’s influence has been consistently under-recognised. (...)Brontë Ireland, he notes, remains affiliated with the Brontë Society in Haworth and maintains close ties.“There’s always been a close connection,” he says.The aim, he suggests, is not to redraw the map of literary ownership, but to ensure the opening chapter is more widely known and never forgotten.Devlin agrees, saying: “It doesn’t detract from the Brontës, it adds to our understanding.” (Jason Johnson)
This project marks a pivotal shift for Charli XCX, signaling her transition into a more cinematic and experimental era. By revisiting one of literature’s most intense stories, she joins a broader conversation about how classic themes of obsession and volatility can be reinterpreted for a modern audience. The result is a body of work that feels both ancient and futuristic, solidifying her place as one of pop’s most versatile voices. (Mariana A.)
The Record-Patriot publishes an audio review of the album. By the way, a new song has been released on video: Always Everywhere.
Bloomberg considers the film an example of the power of unoriginal art. InStyle explains how "really" people dressed in Georgian times.
On Saturday, November 28 there will be an event with several Brontë-related talks. The Offaly Independent says
The Banagher Brontë Group will bring its 2025 programme to a close this Saturday, 29 November, with a series of cultural events celebrating the town’s links to the Brontë fa a wreath at the grmily.
The day will begin at 2pm with the traditional laying ofave of Arthur and Mary Anna Bell Nicholls in St Paul’s Churchyard. Arthur Bell Nicholls, Charlotte Brontë’s husband, spent his later years in Banagher.
At 3pm, the Long Room in Crank House will host the launch of Dr Michael O’Dowd’s new book, Charlotte Brontë: A Medical Casebook.
The launch will follow an interview with Dr Maebh O’Regan, offering attendees insight into the medical themes that shaped Charlotte Brontë’s life and writing.
Events will conclude with an intimate recital by the Banagher Brontë Ensemble in the Parlour Room of Simon and Mary Lyons’s public house.
Supported by an Arts Grant from Offaly County Council, the recital will feature musical pieces interspersed with readings from and about the works of the Brontë family, performed by members of the Banagher Brontë Group and invited guests.
An alert from Ireland:
The Banagher Brontë Group will have its annual quiz this Friday, October 24, in Sean Corrigan's Corner House pub, starting at 9pm.
Questions will be devised by Ray Flannery and delivered by James Scully so the group is encouraging locals to put the date in their diary and get their thinking hats on.
"After a hectic summer this is an important fundraising event for the Brontë group, so your attendance would be most welcome," said James Scully. (Offaly Independent)
Wuthering Heights has always been the subject of controversy: contemporary papers even called the novel “semi-savage”. Yet it is sadly ironic that it seems Fennell’s adaptation has side-lined one of the most truly confronting things in the novel. While I will join many others in the cinema this Valentine’s Day to watch Fennel’s adaptation, I will also reread the original, appreciating Brontë’s text as the soil upon which each adaptation has grown. While modern adaptations allow us to rediscover well-loved classics with new eyes, not every decision they make is an improvement on the original. (Rosa Moore)
“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte BrontëOrphan Jane Eyre experiences mistreatment and cruelty throughout her childhood. She eventually gains independence as a governess of the ward to Mr. Rochester, moving into Thornfield Hall. But it is soon obvious that something haunts the house at odd hours, and Jane makes a horrifying discovery.Brontë’s most popular work serves as the perfect fall read, meant to be read on a gloomy and rainy day. Thornfield Hall is isolated and mysterious, with an unexplained mystery at the heart of it. There are dark secrets and seemingly supernatural events, complemented by romantic elements, cultivating its title of a gothic novel. “Jane Eyre” provides readers with the ambience and emotions that only a Victorian classic truly can. (Meagan Ismail)
Jane Eyre - Charlotte BrontëJane Eyre traces the life of a girl who is an orphan and gets employed as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets the mysterious Mr. Rochester. Their relationship, which is growing, is confronted with a lot of obstacles, like secrets that can destroy their happiness. The novel deals with issues of morality, love, and class, and asserts Jane's independence and strength as she battles societal norms.Wuthering Heights - Emily BrontëSet on the Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights is a violent and passionate tale of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw's romance. The passionate love results in ruinous circumstances, impacting generations. The novel explores themes of obsession, vengeance, and the darker side of human nature, and the ruinous impact of unresolved feelings and societal limitations.
Friday 12th and Saturday 13th September at Culturlann Sweeney Theatre, KilkeeCurator Jenny BassetFriday September 12th.8pm Opening by James Scully from the Banagher Brontë Group at 8pm.8.15pm Rose Dawn Gant, a regular contributor for the Brontë Studies Journal, will be talking about the early childhood writings and illustrations by Charlotte and her brother Branwell. Their juvenilia informed Charlotte’s later bestselling novels.Saturday September 13th10am to 11.30am, Jenny Bassett will be facilitating ‘Nourishing the Flow’. This creative writing workshop is open to people who would love to write or are emerging and experienced writers. The one and a half hour workshop will include mindfulness techniques and exercises designed to: help overcome writers’ block, encourage inspiration and discourage over-thinking.1.30pm Artist and Film Maker Dr. Maebh O’Regan will show and speak about two of her short films: The Irish Legacy of the Brontës’ in Banagher and Prenuptial Politics at the Parsonage in Haworth.While upstairs in the meeting room at Culturlann Sweeney The Legacy of the Brontës’ in Banagher exhibition will be on display. The exhibition, consisting of a variety of textile panels, will show precious items connected to the Brontë family brought over to Banagher by Charlotte Brontë’s widower Arthur Bell Nicholls in 1861. The work is an ongoing collaboration between the Banagher Crafting Group and Maebh O’Regan formerly of the National College of Art and Design in DublinFollowing the double bill of short films, Nick Holland will deliver his talk titled The Loves of Charlotte Brontë. Yorkshire born and bred, Nick is well known internationally for his books on various members of the Brontë family and his weekly In Search of Anne Brontë blog.4.30pm, Courtney Caitlin travelling from Alabama, USA, will talk about how the Brontë novels inspired her to write a series of chamber music compositions. Courtney said she is ‘Absolutely delighted to have been invited to Kilkee, a watering hole Charlotte loved and adored and so excited to be part of this year’s festival’. The audience will get the opportunity to listen to recordings of Courtney’s exquisite compositions. There will also be a Q&A session following each talk.To close the Kilkee Brontë Festival, Nigel West, a descendant of Charlotte Brontë’s Irish husband Arthur Bell Nicholls, will address the audience via Zoom from the recently opened Brontë Birthplace in Thornton, Bradford. As the Fundraising Officer on the Brontë Birthplace committee, Nigel will share the inspiring story of how a group of determined and committed people bought and renovated the house in Thornton where all four of the Brontë siblings: Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne were born. The house was recently officially opened to the public by Her Majesty Queen Camilla.
The Great Southern Killarney was honoured to extend a very warm welcome [to] Nigel West of the Brontë Birthplace Limited, a descendant of Charlotte Brontë’s husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls.Brontë was born Charlotte Nicholls [sic] on 21 April 1816 and she became a highly accomplished English novelist and poet.She [was] elder sister of Emily, Anne and Branwell Brontë and she is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which was published under the pseudonym Currer Bell.Jane Eyre was a success on publication and is now acknowledged as a classic of English literature.The Brontë connection to Killarney runs deep. In 1818, Rev Patrick Brontë wrote the novella The Maid of Killarney while residing in Thornton, Yorkshire.Decades later, in 1854, Charlotte Brontë and Arthur Bell Nicholls stayed at the newly opened Great Southern Killarney, just days after the hotel first welcomed guests.The visit was marked by the presence of local artist Dolores Lyne, Mayor of Killarney Martin Grady and Great Southern General Manager Jamie Power in a gathering that highlighted the links between community, culture and history.“The occasion provided a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the enduring cultural legacy of the Brontë family and to celebrate the ways in which literature and heritage continue to inspire,” Jamie Power remarked. (John O'Mahony)
Emily Brontë's Wuthering HeightsWhat we know so far: "Emerald Fennell is directing the new adaptation of Brontë's work starring Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. The film, produced by Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment, has begun filming in the UK and is scheduled for a February 2026 release by Warner Bros." (Molly Toolan)
The visit was attended by local artist Dolores Lyne, Mayor of Killarney Martin Grady, and Great Southern General Manager Jamie Power, in an event that highlighted the strong cultural connections between the Brontë family and Killarney.Patrick Brontë, father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne, was born in 1777 in Emdale, County Down, and grew up in the parish of Drumballyroney near Rathfriland before going on to study at St John’s College, Cambridge. His Irish upbringing shaped his outlook, and in 1818, while living in Thornton, Yorkshire, he published The Maid of Killarney, a poem that reflected the romantic interest in Ireland of the period.The family’s link to Killarney deepened in 1854 when Charlotte Brontë and Arthur Bell Nicholls stayed at the Great Southern, just days after the hotel had opened. Their visit remains one of the earliest associations between the Brontë literary legacy and the landmark Killarney hotel.The presence of Nigel West in Killarney served as a reminder of those ties, as well as the wider Irish roots of the Brontë family. Great Southern General Manager Jamie Power said the hotel was proud to continue celebrating its historic connections while honouring traditions that still resonate with the local community today.
Haworth is an interesting industrial village with a history which includes the Brontë sisters and filming of The Railway Children.Explore the narrow, often cobbled streets on this short walk and experience a real sense of history.Park in one of the car parks at the top end of Haworth and make your way to top of the cobbled main street next to St Michael and All Angels Church. The Brontë Parsonage Museum is set behind the church and worth a visit on your return. From the centre of Haworth head down the cobbled street. Opposite the Fleece pub turn left down a steep lane heading towards Haworth rail station. (Jonathan Smith)
Premiering in 1966 and running for 1,225 episodes, creator Dan Curtis conceived the ABC drama as a contemporary, non-supernatural riff on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. (Kelcie Mattson)
The Orinda Starlight Village Players presentsThe world premiere production ofCharlotte Brontë's Jane EyreAdapted and directed by Malcolm CowlerBrontë's classic novel will be brought to life on stage in this world premiere production using Cowler's signature blend of video projection and live performance. It's a show not to miss!Featuring - sophie ruf-justin parish-john chapin - marian simpson- kayly veliz, angelo veliz, laura martin chapin, mimi hamilton, sara couden, monica bonnington, kenny silberberg, jahannes muckel, julia nelson, carolyna ryklansky, ariella folksSeptember 5 - 27
"Jane Eyre" actress Wasikowska
BBC period drama hailed as 'best' and 'totally authentic' now streamingThe BBC film put the spotlight on the little-known story (!) of the three Brontë sisters (...)Numerous viewers lauded the programme on IMDb upon its initial release, with one 10/10 review stating: "Really excellently put together and not like any way we've seen the Brontes before."Sets and locations spot on, right even down to the regency couch that Emily is supposed to have died on."Another review was entitled: "One of the Best Bronte Biographies yet" with the viewer elaborating: "I must admit I was dubious at yet another film of the lives of the Brontes.I needn't have been,this was an excellent production." (...)To Walk Invisible is streaming on Apple TV+ and Prime Video for a fee. (Neela Debnath)
After “Frankenstein,” Elordi underwent another transformation to portray Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights.” As he channeled the Emily Brontë antihero earlier this year outside London, he was shocked when a grunt escaped from his own throat.“It was one of my first scenes,” Elordi says with a laugh. “The other actor said something, and I went ‘Wwooouuuugh!’” He re-creates his deep groan from the del Toro movie — wounded and childlike. “Because I had learned to respond to everything with a grunt. Something was still there.” (Brent Lang in Variety)
Banagher Brontë Group organised a number of events for this year's Heritage Week over the weekend of August 15th-August 18th.The Sunday began with 11am Mass in St. Rynagh’s Church and 12 noon Service in St Paul’s Church. Michael Mulqueen, standing in for the vicar, gave a lovely humane sermon.James Scully informed us that the stained glass window by A.L. More at the altar in St Paul's had the names of the Rev. Arthur Bell's family inscribed. He also showed us the graves of the Bell Nicholls family and hoped that the stonework can be restored as it needs very specialist attention.After lunch we gathered in Crank House for the showing of the world premiere of Maebh O’Regan's film Prenuptual Politics at the Bronte Parsonage regarding the marriage settlement and Arthur Bell Nicholls, featuring an interview with Ann Dinsdale, principal curator of the Bronte Museum in Haworth.We learned that once married, a woman had no right to property or money!!! Charlotte was worried about this and whether the marriage would work. They married, fell in love and she trusted Arthur to look after her father Patrick Bronte, a very bright man from a poor Co. Down family. He went to Cambridge on a scholarship. He ensured that the family were well educated so they could survive in employment. Their church school was horrid!In her early life Charlotte was a governess to two young children for £20 a year, less £4 for laundry. Her father Patrick married a well to do lady, Maria Branwell from Cornwall, in 1854. They had six children, four survived; the mortality rate in the Victorian era was very high for children, no sophisticated medicines like today. Maria died in 1821. Patrick was a jobbing vicar in St Peter's Church, Hartshead, Yorkshire. He couldn’t raise the money to buy a church from charities. Rich vicars could afford to buy a church! Patrick was a writer of poetry named “Cottage Poems”. Emily, Patrick and Branwell were known for their poetry.Nigel West gave a very important speech. He’s a founding member of the Brontë Birthplace Thornton group and a descendant of the former occupants of Hill House, now known as Charlotte’s Way. The doctor in Banagher was Robert Tearns. He practised in the building beside Brosna Lodge. Walter West, Nigel’s grandfather, crashed his motorcycle outside the clinic. Dr Robert treated him for his injuries over a period of weeks. Meanwhile the Doctor's daughter and Walter were quickly getting on famously. They got married in St Paul’s Church. Walter later bought Hill House and they lived with her great aunt and Florrie. Their son was Nigel’s father, who inherited Hill House. He lived there and in 1959 he donated Hill House to St Paul's Church.Nigel was a very important figure leading the restoration of the Brontë family’s birthplace of Thornton. He oversaw with the Thornton group fundraising, grants from Bradford City of Culture 2025 and the Community Ownership Fund. The house is now under the care of Brontë Birthplace Ltd., a community benefit society. The building is restored as a heritage destination. (...)Monday August 18th opened in the Offaly History Centre, Tullamore. At 11am the Banagher Bronte Ensemble musicians from Tullamore, Aidan Barry on guitar, Siobhan Butler on vocals and keyboard, Siobhan Godley on flute and Frank Kelly of Lusmagh, gave a recital of the music the Bronte family knew and loved.At 12pm James Scully provided a second launch of 'Let Me In: The Brontes in Bricks and Mortar' by Anne Dinsdale and Sharon White. This very fine tome can be purchased for €25. (...)Finally Dr Meabh O’Regan's enlightening and excellent film, Prenuptial Politics at the Bronte Parsonage was shown. (Eddie Alford)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe story of Jane Eyre is riveting and quite an interesting read to pick up for the fall reading season. It can also to some extent be identified as a coming of age novel. It follows the love story of Jane Eyre and the challenges she faces while growing to finally getting the freedom she deserves. The ending of the novel is also quite interesting and heartfelt, as a reader you will root for the protagonist to have a happy ending. As this is one of the most popular classic novels of all time it would be a little hefty length wise but well layered and quite a language lesson to get in. it is not written to accommodate your language deciphering capacity but is more inclined to improve and upgrade you level of language understanding. (Humaira Salim)
Thumbing through a CliffsNotes guide now is something of a revelation. The Wuthering Heights guide offers over 60 pages on Heathcliff and Cathy’s tempestuous relationship, analysis of Brontë’s writing style, biographical inspiration, and discussion questions. The author of this version of the guide, Janet C. James, has a doctorate from the University of York in England and the writing demonstrates it. One sentence about how readers might feel about Brontë’s work contains 79 words and eight commas:Men and women who, perhaps naturally very calm, and with feelings moderate in degree, and little marked in kind, have been trained from their cradle to observe the utmost evenness of manner and guardedness of language, will hardly know what to make of the rough, strong utterance, the harshly manifested passions, the unbridled aversions and headlong partialities of unlettered moorlands hinds and rugged moorland squires, who have grown up untaught and unchecked, except by mentors as harsh as themselves. (Joelle Renstrom)
Some are interpreted literally through their titles, while others draw on pop culture, such as the bonnet cap from Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale or a chase scene lifted from Wuthering Heights. (Matin Cheung)
In motion, the mood channels the cinema that [Pieter] Mulier loves: the elemental romance of The Piano, the intensity of Breaking the Waves, the brooding wilds of Wuthering Heights, and the painterly historicism of Barry Lyndon. It’s not pastiche, it’s memory repurposed, references filtered into something that feels strikingly now and yet timeless.
The Brontë Sisters UK publishes a video where she describes how the Brontës published under male pseudonyms (Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell) to be taken seriously in Victorian England
Sunday, August 17thThe day will begin with Sunday morning service in St Pauls at noon or mass in St. Rynagh’s Church at 11 a.m.At 12.45p.m. we will make a short visit to the graves of the Bell Nicholls family in St Paul’s Churchyard at the top of the hill in Banagher.Lunch in The Crank Café and Restaurant, Lower Main Street, Banagher. Eircode R42 DE612.30 p.m. in Crank House: Showing of Dr Maebh O Regan’s film Prenuptial Politics at the Brontë Parsonage, regarding the marriage settlement of Charlotte Brontë, and Arthur Bell Nicholls featuring an interview with Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator of the Brontë Museum in Haworth.3.30 p.m. Address from Nigel West, founding member of the Brontë Birthplace Thornton group and a descendant of the former occupants of Hill House now known Charlotte’s Way.4.30 p.m. Boat trip on the Shannon to Meelick Weir and Walkway with Silverlines River Queen. Please book a seat through committee members, details listed below. It is expected that the cost of the boat trip will be €12-15.7.00p.m. Corrigan’s Corner Pub and Simon Lyons for open mic readings and nighttime revelry.Monday, August 18th:Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore (Eircode R35 Y5VO)11 a.m. Music recital by the Banagher Brontë Ensemble 12.00 p.m. A second launch, by James Scully, of LET ME IN: The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar by Ann Dinsdale and Sharon Wright.12.20 p.m. Sharon Wright will give an illustrated talk on Balloonamania Belles and Daredevil Divas, an entertaining history of early female balloonists and parachutists, a subject matter particularly relevant to Tullamore in view of the great balloon fire there in 1785.1.10 p.m. Showing of Dr Maebh O Regan’s film Prenuptial Politics at the Brontë Parsonage, regarding the marriage settlement of Charlotte Brontë, and Arthur Bell Nicholls featuring an interview with Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator of the Brontë Museum in Haworth. This showing will be followed by a Q&A session and should finish by 2 p.m.
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Friday, August 15th:Banagher Brontë Group and invited guests ‘meet
and greet’. This will take place in Charlotte’s Way, and it will be followed with a dinner at 7pm in local hostelry, Flynn’s. If you wish to join us, please book with in advance with Flynn’s 05791 51312Saturday, August 16th:GALA GARDEN PARTY / BOOK LAUNCH AT CHARLOTTE’S WAY STARTING AT 2 P.M. (Eircode: R42 RY82).Come join us at Charlotte's Way B&B, formerly Hill House, home of Arthur Bell Nicholls, Irish husband of Charlotte Brontë, for a remarkable book launch, the best of food and drinks, music and all things Brontë.The Banagher Brontë Group is honoured to welcome Ann Dinsdale, principal curator of the Brontë Museum in Haworth and Sharon Wright, author of Mother of the Brontës , for the launch of their co-written book: LET ME IN: The Brontës in Bricks and MortarThe book will be launched by Kay Sheehy, retired RTE Radio 1 presenter and producer of Arena, the RTE Radio Flagship Arts programme.There will be marquees on the lawns of the beautiful garden setting, so the weather will not deter the festivities.Don't forget to bring your dancing shoes, and if desired the dress code is Brontë!Music act is Brid Gallagher, the former lead singer with the Kate Bush Tribute band, Army Dreamers.The ticket price includes a signed copy of the book.
BroadwayWorld has just learned that Manhattan Concert Productions will continue its acclaimed Broadway Series with Jane Eyre, coming
to David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center on February 15, 2026. The concert will be led by Erika Henningsen as the title character and Ramin Karimloo as Rochester. (Nicole Rosky)
I have to say, I’m finding all this pre-emptive horror/dismissal of Fennel’s Heights quite amusing. Because, let’s face it, Wuthering Heights is mad. Loads of Cathys and Catherines and men with names beginning with “H”, all shagging and/or arguing with each other, and ghosts banging on windows left, right and centre. Catherine and Heathcliff are unlikeable, and the point of Wuthering Heights is that it in its time it was one of the most controversial books. One of the first reviews condemned it with this zinger: “How a human being could have attempted such a book without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters is a mystery. It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.” All of which sounds quite a lot like a 21st-century viewer coming out of a cinema in Dallas and calling the whole thing “mad”.I have to say I have no idea what’s happening with that egg yolk, or that nun, but it sounds like a pretty faithful adaptation to me. Vibe-wise, at least.
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëCharlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is a gothic romance that combines mystery, passion, and resilience. The story follows Jane, a fiercely independent orphan, as she falls for the enigmatic Mr. Rochester. Their complex relationship, marked by secrets and societal barriers, unfolds against a backdrop of haunting settings and emotional depth. Brontë’s exploration of love, morality, and self-respect makes this novel a powerful read. Its enduring appeal lies in Jane’s strength and the intense, transformative romance that captivates readers across time. (Am@n Khan)
The Banagher Brontë Group have organised a number of events for this year's Heritage Week over the weekend of Friday August 15th-Monday August 18th.These include a garden party and a book launch as well as the premiere of a film regarding the marriage settlement of Charlotte Brontë. (John O'Callaghan)
Who will speak up for the critic? After all, it’s so much fun to point out when we get it wrong. What film weighed “like a pound of fruitcake soaking wet” on its release? Why, The Wizard of Oz of course, that famous dud. (Thank you, Otis Ferguson of The New Republic.) Here’s the Spectator raising a venerable eyebrow – “the incidents are too coarse and disagreeable to be attractive” – in considering Wuthering Heights at the time of its publication. (Erica Wagner)
For fans of the stories of Bridgerton, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women and the like, Well Behaved Women is definitely worth a watch. An entertaining and ambitious production which provides a compelling commentary on women’s lives at the time. (Fiona McDonald)
7. Surprising criticCharlotte Brontë, author of the novel Jane Eyre, appears not to have been much of a fan of Jane Austen.Writing to the critic George Henry Lewes, Charlotte asked, ‘Why do you like Miss Austen so very much?’, later adding, ‘I should hardly like to live with her ladies and gentlemen, in their elegant but confined houses.’ (Claire Fox)
The Favorites by Layne FargoLoosely inspired by Wuthering Heights, The Favorites follows Katarina and Heath, childhood friends turned ice dancing partners, and their rollercoaster of a relationship over the years. We see them as they ascend the ranks to the top of the sport, only for a shocking incident at the Olympic Games to end their partnership for good.A decade later, Kat finally decides to tell her side of the story as part of an unauthorised documentary on the pair, with it seamlessly switching between the past and the present to completely immerse you in their history. Let’s just say, I lost count of the number of times that I gasped or felt a punch to the gut while reading this. (Ellis Cochrane)
A BuzzFeed quiz of first sentences in novels contains a couple of Jane Eyre appearances.
A striking portrait of a renowned Yorkshire writer has gone on display in the house where it was painted nearly two centuries ago.The profile image of Emily Brontë is one of the only surviving likenesses of the novelist and poet. It was painted by her brother Branwell originally as part of a family portrait of Emily, himself, and their sisters Charlotte and Anne.The work, on loan until October 31 from the National Portrait Gallery in London, has gone on display at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations in Bradford.Branwell created the picture when he was about 17 in around 1833. He was shown holding a gun but later painted himself out.It was inherited by Charlotte’s widower, Arthur Bell Nicholls, who destroyed the images of Charlotte and Anne thinking them poor likenesses. However, he kept the remaining scrap because he thought the depiction of Emily was accurate. It was discovered decades later on top of a wardrobe.Ann Dinsdale, principal curator at the Bronte Parsonage Museum, said: “There is great expectancy at the parsonage and we can’t wait for our visitors to see it. It is a fairly rare opportunity to see it outside London in the house where it was painted.”She said its popularity owed much to the “haunting” image of Emily looking much as readers might expect of the Wuthering Heights author.“She’s looking into the distance, you can only see her in profile. The way it’s been torn, you feel it’s like a holy relic almost,” she said. “We’re definitely expecting people to make a special trip while it’s here.”The discovery of the portraits proved to be a compelling story in themselves.On the first day of viewing in 1914 so many people wanted to see the pictures, the Yorkshire Observer noted the gallery “underwent a minor siege”. (Mike Waites)
Many Irish people are unaware that the English novelist, Charlotte Bronte was married to an Irish-man, Arthur Bell Nicholls from Banagher.Charlotte was the only one of her siblings to marry and we are lucky enough to have her dramatic first-hand account of Arthur's proposal and her father, the Rev Patrick Brontë's staunch opposition to this union. In fact Arthur broached the subject of marriage on Monday December 13th 1852 and there followed a tsunami of events before the couple eventually became engaged. Their marriage took place on June 29th 1854.Her father put many obstacles in the couple's way. He even tried to sabotage the wedding by declaring, on the evening before the ceremony, that he was 'indisposed' and unable to attend. So, in the absence of any other male relatives, who would give the bride away?Luckily, Charlotte had her two best friends staying in the Parsonage with her, Ellen Nussey (her bridesmaid) and her mentor, Margaret Wooler. The ladies put their thinking caps on and looked up the Book of Common Prayer (a religious text book). They discovered that the person who conducted the bride up the aisle did not have to be male and so, Margaret Wooler, Charlotte's former teacher, took up that role and the wedding went ahead at 8am on the following morning.One must remember at that time, marriage was a social, religious and legal contract. Prior to the wedding, on May 24th, a group including Charlotte, Arthur, the bride's father Patrick, the trustee Joe Taylor and Charlotte's solicitor, assembled in the Parsonage at Haworth to sign a legal document known as the Wedding Settlement. Who instigated this contract? Why was this a necessary step? Where did Charlotte's money come from? What was the legal standing of women at that time under English law?To answer these questions I brought my camera along to the Parsonage Museum in Haworth (home of the Brontës) to interview an expert in this field. Their Principal Curator, Ann Dinsdale kindly retrieved the Wedding Settlement parchment from the archives and unpacked the story behind it.This film will be premiered in Banagher on August 17th of August 2025 at 2.30pm as part of the Heritage Week festivities. Ann Dinsdale will be present at Crank House, Main Street and Q & A afterwards should be fascinating. (Maebh O’Regan)
Composer John Joubert and librettist Kenneth Birkin worked on this opera adaptation of Jane Eyre for over a decade, from 1987 to 1997 – there were other things going on during this time, and much of their collaboration was done by correspondence, some of which is apparently now in the archives of the British Library, together with some of Joubert’s composition manuscripts. The good thing about this being an opera they wanted to compose and write, rather than being commissioned, is that there was no deadline by which it had to be good and ready come what may. The ‘bad’ thing, as it were, about an uncommissioned work is that it can take a while to get a full production. In this case, it was quite a long while indeed: and so it was, that on opening night, Birkin stood alone with the cast at curtain call, Joubert having died in 2019.Surtitles are in use, even though the opera is in English in the first place. Emotions that come gushing from carefully constructed and thought-through intonations and inflections in a surprisingly enjoyable experience, accessible without compromising too much on the nuances in the story. Of course, a two-act opera (which itself probably rankles purists) that sends the audience home the ‘right’ side of 10:00pm isn’t going to capture everything that the Charlotte Brontë novel does. It effectively skips the first two of the five stages of the novel’s narrative, jumping straight into Jane Eyre (Laura Mekhail) having resigned from her job for the mundane reason (at surface level, at least) of being successful at another job she applied for. The rest is pretty much as the novel would have it, ending, in essence, where Brontë’s Eyre wrote: “Reader, I married him”.I wasn’t thinking about the book whilst watching the opera, which on balance I think is a good thing: the opera does not assume prior knowledge of the story, and there is no synopsis in the show’s programme (well, online freesheet – it is 2025, after all), because one is not required. The operatic convention of putting more effort and energy into singing about one’s intention to do something than actually doing it manifests itself in St John Rivers (Lawrence Thackeray) and his plan to embark on an overseas missionary trip. Whether he goes in the end is known to those who have read the novel, but here, with his purpose in Eyre’s story served, he’s just forgotten about altogether in the final scenes.The focus on the central character appeals to me: a show called Jane Eyre should be about Jane Eyre! This is not opera on a grand scale, and it is, for the most part, solos and duets, duets and solos. I resist a direct comparison with Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde as the storyline is too dissimilar. Joubert’s music more often than not has a propulsive rhythm, and this production is a lean machine, in the sense that most shows, even excellent ones, could do with a little trimming – and some could do with a lot – but this one requires none at all. Perhaps more set would have been ideal, as different settings looked more or less like one another. Otherwise, it was an enthusiastic and engaging evening, which held my attention throughout despite prior familiarity with the story. (Chris Omaweng)
There aren't many directors who manage to stir up rage, controversy and divide opinion quite like Emerald Fennell. Before she could even say the word 'Heights', the Promising Young Woman director's adaptation of Emily Bronte's 1847 novel has had the internet up in arms.First, she was criticised for casting Margot Robbie, 35, as Catherine Earnshaw, who (spoiler alert) dies by the time she is 18. Then she was called out for casting Jacob Elordi, a white actor, in the racially ambiguous role of Heathcliff. And then 'first look' pictures of Wuthering Heights found their way onto social media and the whole production was written off for its numerous historically inaccuracies.Now, despite the film not coming out until 13 February 2026, scathing reviews of the test screenings have put Fennell's adaptation back in the headlines. One viewer at the first test screening in Dallas labelled the film 'aggressively provocative' and said it had parallels with the 'stylised depravity' of her last project, Saltburn. [...]What is surprising, though, is that we are hearing about all of this six months before the film hits cinemas. Whether you work in the entertainment industry or not, it is fairly unprecedented for reviews of screen testings not to be under strict embargoes, especially for a film with such a demonstrable marketing budget and high profile cast and crew.There is a reason why reviews tend to drop the week before or day of a film being released. They are, to all intents and purposes, a way of helping people decide whether to tune in. Nowadays they are also used to create 'buzz' and help the film cut through in online discourse.Given Fennell's penchant for raucous debate – she certainly seems to be an advocate of 'all publicity is good publicity' – it's hard to imagine that these scabrous reviews are not part of the film's wider marketing strategy.When have we ever heard what a single viewer in Dallas thinks of a test screening before? Or read that a film blogger thinks her interpretation adds 'something bold and unexpected' to Brontë's story? It is far from usual protocol. And Fennell knows what she's doing. [...]In a world where audiences are constantly overwhelmed by choice and reluctant to spend in cinemas without knowing what they're paying for, the louder the chatter about a film is online, the more likely they are to watch it.If that's what Fennell is playing into, then hats (or bonnets) off to her. Wuthering Heights might still be six months away, but part of me wants to find out what all the fuss is about already. (Nikki Peach)
Unless explicitly said
