The play opens on Grace Smart’s beautiful depiction of a Yorkshire hillside. Gemma Whelan’s Charlotte commands the stage, thereby establishing herself as the chronicler. The hillside almost miraculously lifts around her, becoming a rugged ceiling to the action, which takes place chiefly on a bare stage. Presumably, this is meant to symbolise the influence of the landscape on the lives and work of the sisters.Charlotte introduces Adele James’ Emily, and Rhiannon Clements’ Anne and the characters are quickly established. Anne is sweet and obliging, passionate about her writing but otherwise inclined to bend to the will of her more forceful siblings. Emily is fiercely private, with no interest in celebrity, and Charlotte is eager to establish herself in the literary firmament with an enduring legacy.The three must fight a male-dominated literary establishment to publish their work, settling on the use of male pseudonyms. They are not only fighting the establishment; they are fighting among themselves, jockeying for position, as Charlotte contrives to publish first, her Jane Eyre effectively overshadowing Anne’s Agnes Grey, written earlier but delayed by an unscrupulous publisher, since both tell the story of a plain governess fighting an unjust society to make her way in the world.After her sisters’ death, Charlotte having stepped from behind her male pseudonym, sets out to tell the sisters’ story in her own fashion, cementing her legacy and even preventing the republication of Anne’s most successful novel. The audience are given occasional hints that Charlotte’s storytelling may be unreliable, but it is unclear whether we are meant to be seeing the sisters through her eyes. Anne’s and Emily’s characters seem chiefly to be as we gather Charlotte depicted them after her death but she would hardly have portrayed her own character to be as domineering and self-interested as she is seen here.The story of the women’s literary travails and their unfulfilled passions are played out in modern, uninhibited language that would likely have curled the hair of any 19th century lady. Much is made of their struggles against male oppression and of the feminist nature of some of their writing, though little indication of the actual power of the sisters’ writing is given. This places the emphasis on the social history and the feminist elements of the story, rather than the truth of characters themselves. This is justifiable, of course, but it makes the whole piece less involving than might have been hoped. The script is lively, irreverent and literate but the production does lag at times, despite a number of effective comic moments.Nevertheless, the performances are uniformly excellent. Whelan is a powerhouse and manages to invest Charlotte with humour and some humanity. Clements is sincere and sympathetic as the put-upon Anne. Perhaps James’ Emily is rather assertive, given the reticence of her character as described, but that could be justified by considering the passion in her writing. James Phoon is given little to do but look brooding and dissolute as their alcoholic brother, Branwell.Phoon and three other male actors play all the other parts. There are a number of amusing touches in the way they work, at times, like a Greek chorus. Julian Moore-Cook invests the two men for whom Charlotte had unrequited romantic feelings with a convincing aura of period machismo and Nick Blakeley gives delightfully arch sketches of Anne’s lady employer and Elizabeth Gaskell, the novelist who became Charlotte’s biographer.Overall, this is an interesting portrayal of the lives and the social landscape of three important and fascinating writers. If it doesn’t entirely get to the heart of their characters, well, that is really the point of the play. As Samantha Ellis states in the programme, “We might be telling different stories about the Brontës if Anne had been the survivor.” (Jonathan Cash)
Even as far back as the works of Charlotte Brontë and her novel Jane Eyre, we have seen Black-coded characters demonised so that the white main characters can be exulted. Bertha Mason, a woman of mixed heritage from the West Indies, was relegated to the attic of Bronte’s novel, a caged threat to Jane’s happily ever after, nothing more than an obstacle for the book’s heroine to overcome.Bridgerton seems to reserve its true horrors for its Black characters in a similar way, with even the cast working to bring this show to life suffering for it. With every new season that is released of the Netflix phenomenon, a new wave of toxicity is unleashed on social media, varying from racist TikToks with thousands of likes disparaging how “ugly” Black characters like John Stirling supposedly are, or tweets harassing any actor of colour who they deem to be a “bad character” on the show as fans did with actress Ruby Barker (Marina Thompson). (Ayaan Artan)
I sincerely hope you enjoy this new batch of episodes. Surely, many of you will binge them all Thursday night and have nothing left to watch this weekend (good luck transitioning to Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” in theaters Friday).Might I suggest revisiting Brontë flicks like William Wyler’s “Wuthering Heights” (1939) or Cary Fukunaga’s “Jane Eyre” (2011); Jane Austen in Ang Lee’s “Sense & Sensibility” (1995) and Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice” (2005); the great Merchant-Ivory productions of “A Room with a View” (1985) and “The Remains of the Day” (1993); and auteur gems like Martin Scorsese’s “The Age of Innocence” (1993) or Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” (2019).There, that should keep you busy until the fifth installment of “Bridgerton” arrives in 2026 following Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson). Fortunately for fans, there are eight official novels to adapt, not to mention various epilogues, compilations and anthologies for an endless amount of material just waiting to arrive on screen. (Jason Fraley)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte BronteJane Eyre is another classic that is absolutely beloved. This famously depicts the struggles of a simple and plain young woman navigating life's many difficulties along the way. While Jane endures many hardships, she must learn to love herself to ultimately make it through. It's a lesson we can all relate to, in some way or another! Definitely a fantastic regency era read! (Kayla Walden)
This week’s walk takes us into Brontë country.In the meantime, Express suggests the top 10 places to follow in Jane Eyre's footsteps too.
It starts at Penistone Hill Country Park, just a stone’s throw away from the village of Haworth, where the Bronte sisters made their home after their father, Patrick, was appointed curate.
The paths and tracks on this route provide views up to Top Withens ruins, connected locally to Emily’s famous novel Wuthering Heights and the surrounding moors.
Sections can be quite wet and muddy and suitable footwear is advisable.
The walk has been provided by Yorkshire Water and other walks in the area can be found at yorkshirewater.com/walks-and-leisure (Read the step-by-step)
Love the novel Jane Eyre? Follow in Charlotte Brontë’s footsteps to explore stunning countryside that inspired her.These two steps, however, sound like shameless advertising and are nothing to do with Jane Eyre.
1. Explore Haworth, the Yorkshire village on the edge of the Pennine Moors where the Brontë sisters grew up. Charming Stone Cottage sleeps three people and has been recently refurbished and is just outside Haworth, down a country road in Oxenhope (1.7 miles from Haworth village). It’s the perfect base to explore Brontë land. Available from £51 a night. www.homeaway.co.uk/p1114699
2. Discover Hathersage, the place that inspired Charlotte’s novel, Jane Eyre when she visited the village in 1845. Traditional Barnfield Cottage sleeps five and this lovely stone cottage is right in the centre of the Hathersage. The cottage, has a 4* rating from Quality in Tourism, and is near the cafes, pubs, restaurant and shops. Features include wood burning stove, plus parking for 3/4 cars. Price from £483 a week. (Read more)
6. Historic Rochester, in Kent is the famous setting for Jane Eyre. Nearby, Stables Cottages make an idea stay for a big family group, or two families wanting to go away together. There are two and four bedroom oak beamed cottages cottages sleeping up to 8 people, set in 20 acres of secluded farmland on the Hoo Peninsula with panoramic views of the Thames. Rochester can be reached in 15 minutes by car. On site there’s a heated indoor swimming pool, steam room and pool table for the exclusive use of cottage occupants. Prices from £114 a night.
7. Stay in a stylishly renovated holiday barn on the edge of a very pretty village on the River Medway. Church Barne La Grande in Aylesford is just a short train ride from Rochester. Set in a conservation area, the beamed barn was originally built in 1890 and sleeps seven. Price to stay here on April 24 is £662 (£15.76 pppn) for seven nights. There’s room too for room for two pets. Property Reference: PPPC Church Barne La Grande, Aylesford, Maidstone, Kent. (Anne Gorringe)
10. Stay in a stunning holiday cottage that managed to make its way in the 2011 movie of Jane Eyre. White Edge Lodge, Derbyshire has breathtaking views in all directions and is surrounded by wide expanses of open heather moorland. This holiday cottage, which sleeps five, even has views of the moorland from the bathtub! Original interior features including a kitchen in the former game cellar. www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk/cottage/white-edge-lodge-007004/ (Anne Gorringe)
Malmö Stadsteater har tillkännagivit programmet till nästa säsong och hej! Jane Eyre!
Att det görs en nydramatisering av Charlotte Brontës klassiker är ju ingenting annat är fantastiskt kul. Det är Anna Azcárate som både dramatiserar och regisserar och jag fantiserar redan om vilka som ska spela huvudrollerna. Premiär blir det inte förrän tidigt nästa år, så det finns inga övriga detaljer klara. (Maria G Francke) (Translation)
Different books mesmerized me at different stages of my life: Books by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Thomas Hardy, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. These authors were my “classical friends” while James Michener, Boris Pasternak, Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger and Leon Uris were my “newer friends.” (Grace Shangkuan Koo)
Then in 2012, Judy published her own first novel, Eloise, to critical acclaim. This book and her latest bestseller, I Do not Sleep, have drawn comparisons with Daphne du Maurier and it's easy to see why - Judy's evocation of the landscape is visceral.
"Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, I want to write like that, where the landscapes mirror the emotion," she says. "I'm drawn to writing about very strong extremes of emotion and love that sort of gothic literature."
Infidel, an autobiography that chronicles the life and times of political activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali [...]
Turning her back on the more relaxed version of Islam practiced in Somalia and Kenya, Ms. Ali became immersed in the religion, donning the hijab, sympathizing with the Muslim Brotherhood, and agreeing with the fatwa against Salmon Rushdie for his portrayal of the Prophet in his The Satanic Verses.
At the same time, she was reading Nancy Drew stories, romance novels by Danielle Steele and Barbara Cartland, and Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls. She also read the great classics of Western literature, including Wuthering Heights, 1984, Huckleberry Finn, and Alan Paton’s Cry, The Beloved Country, the South African writers polemic about racism and apartheid in his country. (Mindy Newell)
How many wonderful writers came from unlikely beginnings? The Gettysburg Address, widely regarded as one of the greatest speeches of all time, was written by a man born in a log cabin, who was mostly self-educated well into his teens. Charlotte Brontë, one of six children of a poor clergyman, only had a year of formal education, at an institution that inspired Lowood School in “Jane Eyre.” Joseph Conrad barely knew any English until he was an adult, but his command of the language in “The Heart of Darkness” and his other writing is superb.Die Deutsche Bühne (Germany) reviews the Brunswick performances of Bernard Herrmann's Wuthering Heights:
Die Natur bleibt draußen. Für die deutsche Erstaufführung von Bernard Herrmanns Oper „Wuthering Heights" am Staatstheater Braunschweig hat Thomas Gruber einen edel-karg eingerichteten Betonbunker mit Ledersofa und Breitbildschirm geschaffen. Philipp Kochheims Interpretation des romantisch-mysteriösen Stoffs von Emily Brontë erinnert so eher an Godard als an naheliegende englische Gothic-Filme. Damit setzt er Herrmanns Musik mit ihren breit malenden Naturschilderungen und manchmal reichlich melodramatischem Pathos eine zeitgenössisch-coole Ästhetik entgegen. Und zwar perfekt durchgestylt. (Read more) (Translation) (Andreas Berger)
Plus, in addition to movies, literature -- often taught in women's lit courses -- also teaches women to lust after men in a position of money and authority. Jane Eyre is required reading in many schools, and what does the heroine Jane do? She, the lowly poor tutor, falls for her rich boss, Mr. Rochester, and is in ecstasy when he deigns to fall in love with her, too. So think about it -- we're actually schooled to believe that it's desirable to date the boss. (Bonnie Fuller)Her convictions, then, must have made her stop reading halfway through the novel, as she seems to have missed a good many things that came later like the following:
"Oh, comply!" it said. "Think of his misery; think of his danger -- look at his state when left alone; remember his headlong nature; consider the recklessness following on despair -- soothe him; save him; love him; tell him you love him and will be his. Who in the world cares for you? or who will be injured by what you do?"To us that is a bit more than just being 'schooled to believe that it's desirable to date the boss'. And on the topic of sexual harassment - which is what the article is about - that quotation would have come in much handier than a totally wrong and misleading statement.
Still indomitable was the reply -- "I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad -- as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth -- so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane -- quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot." (Jane Eyre, ch. XXVII)
... we thought we’d make suggestions for a mini film festival. We paired up a 1939 film with a modern title. (James Ward)And here's the somewhat strange pairing for Wuthering Heights:
“Wuthering Heights”Not quite the combination we would have expected, to be honest.
Director William Wyler brought Emily Brontë’s classic Gothic romance to life, with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon as the star-crossed lovers, Heathcliff and Cathy.
Modern film: Keira Knightley shines in “Pride & Prejudice,” a bubbly adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel. (James Ward)
Of Charlotte Brontë, Dillon writes, "It is only by falling ill that she can find for herself the right kind of solitude, in which to invent her future self." (Amanda Gefter)The Buffalo News has an article on Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her book Infidel. During her childhood in Kenya, she is said to have
read Nancy Drew, Charlotte Bronte, Harlequin romances. (Jean Westmoore)As for blogs, The Heart of Haworth has posted more feedback and suggestions from visitors to the Parsonage. Rotten Tomatoes My Way writes about Jane Eyre and Let Me Digress posts about Rochester. Also, Flickr user lizziep2 has uploaded a few pictures of Wycoller Hall, the supposed model for Ferndean. Ο Ερευνητής της Βέροιας writes a brief biography of Charlotte Brontë in Greek and Wandeca Reads gives 5/5 to Syrie James's The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë. Fly High! has been watching a few film versions of Wuthering Heights.
"I like the book 'Wuthering Heights' (by Emily Bronte, Bantam Classics) because it's an unexpected love story full of twists and turns.The Hindustan Times talks about the Wordbuffs initiative:
"It's also good because the characters that fall in love aren't really likable, only their love is," said Alsip resident Shaili Shah, a student at Shepard High School in Palos Heights.
Thus Wordbuffs was born. A community of book lovers who get to swap some of their books without losing those they love the most.Psychology Today interviews Ayaan Hirsi Ali (as a matter of fact it is an interview dated in October 2008 now published unedited):
Only about 15 days old, the group already has 100 members and 1,200 books with absolutely no advertising and is growing every day. Each member has to upload at least five books that they’d like to swap and tag them in three different ways — Wuthering Heights, for instance, can be tagged as a Classic, Victorian romance and Tragedy. You can then swap this book with another whose tags match. In this case, with Jane Eyre, perhaps. (Ruchira Hoon)
Who were your female role models?The Times explores the changes in the Hebrides way of living, more or less:
When we were kids in Kenya, there was literature we had to read: George Orwell, Jane Eyre, Jane Austen. Then there were the fun books kids exchanged. Nancy Drew was one of them. They were my first sense of individualization.
Frankly, the retail synergies could be enormous, with megastore branches of Borders and Waterstone’s stocking bodice-rippers by Emily Bronte alongside three Bibles for the price of two offers[.] (Allan Brown)Thanks to the Ilkley Gazette we happen to know that the Brontë Big K Mountain Bike Challenge has three different routes named after the three Brontë sisters.
She talked about all of the writers and books she has loved: Robert Louis Stevenson's children's stories and Carl Sandburg's poetry, Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita and Charlotte Bronte's "breathtakingly beautiful" masterpiece Villette. (Stuart Rintoul)Another known Brontëite, not so militant, is Ayaan Hirsi Ali:
She was supposed to go to Canada to marry a man chosen by her father, a man she'd met only twice. But she'd grown up on a steady diet of Western novels, of Wuthering Heights and Nancy Drew and even Harlequin romances, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali wanted something more than submission to a man she didn't love. (Sarah Fenske in The Phoenix New Times)The Cleveland Scene reviews Saul Dibbs's The Duchess (2008):
We first meet Georgiana at 17, when she is selected as a bride by the older Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), with the approval of her mother, Lady Spencer (wonderful Charlotte Rampling). The story is pure Jane Eyre gothic: Georgiana becomes a prisoner in her own home when she discovers, to her shock, that she has married the Duke of Churl. The Duke is cruelly distant, devoted only to his dogs and prone to marital rape in his single-minded pursuit of a male heir when Georgiana stubbornly produces only girls. Like Princess Di, she is beloved by the people but despised by her husband. (Pamela Zoslov)Another film review with a Brontë mention, in Alexandre Aja's Mirrors:
In the end, this is the ‘Jane Eyre’ meets the Exorcist with mirrors. Aja strains to explain the relevance of his theme: “Everyone has a relationship with their reflection. It’s something we don’t really think about, but it’s there.’ Even if you swallow that one, if you’re estranged from your reflection, Mirrors is not the sort of movie that will have you running to renew the acquaintance. (Joyce Glasser in Mature Times)We read on Publishers Marketplace about a new novel deal by Libby Sternberg, Sloane Hall. Check these old posts for more information about this novel:
A neophyte cameraman fired from his first job finds work as a chauffeur in the household of a silent film star, justifiably skittish about making her first sound picture. Hollywood's greats--directors, cinematographers, musicians, and actors--are all tumbling as the sound technician becomes king. Against this backdrop, chauffeur and star fall in love, but devastating secrets interfere with their happiness. Sunset Boulevard meets Jane Eyre in this tale set against one of Hollywood's most tumultuous times.The Lexington Herald-Leader reviews the current performances of The Mystery of Irma Vep at the Balagula Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky:
It is also kind of like being inside a lucid dream — a surreal late-night mélange of old black-and-white horror films mixed with a host of wry and ironic nods to our collectively clichéd literary consciousness. The script is copiously peppered with influences including Shakespeare, Poe, Hitchcock, the Brontë sisters and modern soap operas. Part of the fun is the narrative guesswork the audience gets to do. Just when you think you've got a handle on the show being a ghost story — bam! — it is about vampires, or werewolves, or ancient Egypt, or murder mystery, or romance. (Candace Chaney)A Reader's Respite interviews author Molly Dwyer:
What led you to write fiction as opposed to a biography of Mary Shelley?This column in Carroll County News is quite depressing:
Although it's true I've written nonfiction, I'm a fiction writer at heart. It's always been my dream to write novels, so in that sense, it would not have occurred to me to write a nonfiction work on Mary Shelley. I was influenced early on by the Bronte's. As a teenager I remember thinking it would be amazing to write a book like Wuthering Heights because I'd get to live inside of it and interact with the characters. I remember being asked in a writing class what novel I wished I had written, and without hesitation, answering Wuthering Heights.
When I came across Mary Shelley's story, it resonated with those early desires. The stormy summer when Frankenstein was conceived, and the drama of Mary, Shelley and Byron have much in common with the gothic nature and passion of Wuthering Heights. So, although I didn't notice any of that as I undertook the project, in retrospect, I think I was drawn to it because of my very early love of the Brontes. (...)
Is there any author who influenced your work?
Lots. I already talked about Emily Bronte, and I'd have to add Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen and George Eliot as well.
So who does read these days? Home schooled children read. If I sell a copy of Wuthering Heights or Dante's Inferno, I can bet dollars to dimes that the customer is being home schooled. (Daniel Krotz)5 Minutes for Books posts about different Jane Eyre film and TV adaptations, Petite Morte posts about her love for the Brontës (in Spanish). The Adam Smith Academy announces the following:
In our quest to continuing to give teachers and parents better resources for students, we are adding to our online AudioText novels.Categories: Audio-Radio, Books, Brontëites, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Villette, Wuthering Heights
The latest novel that we are in the process of adding is Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre." Students can read the eText, listen to the audio narration and click on any word to get its definition. Additionally, students can watch the mini-series movie, "Jane Eyre," to reinforce comprehension of the book. (The first mini-series segment can be found at the end of Chapter 2.)
The director of Haworth's Brontë Parsonage Museum has stepped down from his post after more than seven years in the job.The Weekly Standard (Volume 013, Issue 39) carries an article about the parallels between American abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The Somali Islamic dissident remembers her Brontë readings when she was a child:
Alan Bentley, who lives in Cross Roads, has left the Brontë Society to pursue a career in freelance heritage work and management consultancy.
He said: "I have enjoyed my time as museum director. It's been frustrating in some ways but really good in others.
"Attracting visitors is always a struggle - there was the foot and mouth outbreak when I first started.
"Being head of an internationally renowned attraction is quite a tough, complex job and involves a lot of demands on one's time.
"But I've enjoyed working with the staff here and liked the experience of being associated with the Brontës.
"There have been a lot of improvements to the museum - particularly to the education service. We've expanded our collection quite considerably and raised a good deal of funds.
"We're also redeveloping our exhibition room, which will be opening in February of next year."
He added 2009 should be a big year in terms of publicity for the parsonage.
It is due to include the screening of two or three films based on the life and work of the Brontë sisters, along with an ITV serialisation of the novel Wuthering Heights.
For Ayaan Hirsi Ali, it was not one book, but rather a kind of book--Western fiction, both high and low--that stirred her aspirations beyond the horizons of a typical Somali woman. At school, she read 1984, Huckleberry Finn, The Thirty-Nine Steps, Wuthering Heights, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Cry, the Beloved Country. She read Jane Austen and Charlotte Brönte and "Russian novels with their strange patronymics and snowy vistas." (Claudia Anderson)More reviews of the Washington performances of Robert Ludlum's The Mystery of Irma Vep:
Not everyone could happily lead audiences down a path heavily strewn with pop culture and literary references ranging from the Bronte sisters and Shakespeare to Alfred Hitchcock and Hammer film studio creature features. Yet fearless comic duo Brad Oscar and J. Fred Shiffman prove equal to the task. (Jayne Blanchard in The Washington Times)The World Is Your Oyster recommends Jane Eyre 2006. Accio posts briefly about the novel (in Italian). Agnes Mary Francis Robinson's pioneering biography of Emily Brontë (1883) that was available from the Internet Archive (see sidebar) now can also be downloades from the Gutenberg project website. A Girl Walks into a Bookstore... reviews Agnes Grey.
Did you see the movie based on this book? Didn’t you think Laurence Olivier was too old to play the part? Boy, I did. I never thought he was all that good-looking, did you?Categories: Agnes Grey, Biography, Books, Brontë Parsonage Museum, Humour, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Theatre, References, Wuthering Heights
If Heathcliff had fallen in love with Jane Eyre or Elizabeth Bennet instead of Cathy, do you think his house would have burned down?
If Heathcliff were alive today, would he mention Cathy’s death on his Facebook page and change his relationship status to “It’s complicated”? (Joe Queenan)
Three of the country's top women writers are to reveal how they have been inspired by the Bronté sisters.The Enquirer interviews musician Richard Thompson, who confesses to his share of Brontë influence as well.
Booker Prize nominee Michèle Roberts, author, critic and biographer Stevie Davies and award winner Patricia Duncker will tell of their love of the Brontës in the village where the sisters - Emily, Charlotte and Anne - found their own inspiration.
They have agreed to form a panel to explore the power of the Brontës on the invitation of Brontë Parsonage Museum deputy director Andrew McCarthy.
It is part of the Haworth museum's contemporary arts programme, which aims to show how the Brontes continue to influence artists, writers and film makers up to the present day. [...]
Mr McCarthy said the literary event was a coup for the museum because they were three of the leading British feminist writers.
"The Brontes' influence on other writers has been profound and it's wonderful to have contemporary writers of such prominence here in Haworth to talk about the Brontes in relation to their work," he said.
"They are hugely talented and this is a rare opportunity to hear what some of our best contemporary writers have to say about their literary forebears."
Patricia Duncker is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and her latest novel is called Miss Webster and Cherif.
She said: "I first visited Haworth with my aunt, the late Patricia Beer, who was giving the annual Bronte lecture in the church.
"Her topic was Transvestism in the Novels of Charlotte Bronte'. I was transfixed, not only by her lecture which was really rather shocking, but by the place, the cold, even in summer, the moors behind the house and strange intimacy of the parsonage.
"I have returned many times since then. These women were an inspiration to me - as writers and as survivors, writing against all the odds."
The event will take place on Wednesday, March 7, at 7.30pm in West Lane Baptist Chapel, Haworth.
Tickets cost £6.50 and include admission to the Brontë Parsonage Museum. To book telephone (01535) 640194 or e-mail andrew.mccarthy@bronte.org.uk (Clive White)
Question: You live in Southern California and appear to have a relatively calm life. Where does all this angst and drama in your songs come from?World Magazine carries an article on Islamic dissident Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who describes her life as a Muslim woman in a her autobiography, Infidel.
Answer: Musical landscape and creative landscape is something you carry around inside you. I'm not very influenced by the external as a writer. Internally, I'm a Charlotte Brontë windswept moor. (Gil Kaufman)
Hirsi Ali wanted to be independent, like the characters in the Western novels she read: Huckleberry Finn and Wuthering Heights from the Kenyan school curriculum, trashy romance novels from her classmates. (Priya Abraham)As you can see the Brontës' influences sneaks into the most unexpected places.
Do something noble: avoid it. Period. (Kiko Matsing)And finally, the Brontë Parsonage Blog posts about Jane Eyre. The Musical, which will be on stage the Regent Centre, Christchurch, Dorset from April 11th – 14th. Tickets are available from the Regent Centre box office on 01202 499148.
One of the South’s largest youth theatre companies has embarked on its most ambitious project yet, and it’s leaving nothing to chance. The Big Little Theatre School brings new levels of professionalism to its production of the Broadway show Jane Eyre - The Musical Drama with West End directors and state-of-the-art stage effects and set design. (Julie Barnes)
Categories: Books, Brontë Parsonage Museum, Brontëites, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, Talks,Theatre
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