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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Wednesday, September 24, 2014 3:43 pm by M. in , , , , , ,    1 comment
The Brontë Society dissenters and the Council are not looking for common ground and understanding according to The Yorkshire Post:
A bid to oust members of the ruling council of the Brontë Society in an on-going row over the literary society’s future direction looks set to fail.
A group of the society’s members have forced an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) which will be held in Haworth on Saturday October 18.
Members Janice Lee, a retired deputy headteacher, and John Thirlwell, a TV producer, gathered 53 signatures to force the meeting to take place.
Around 1,700 members are receiving details this week of the EGM.
The agenda includes a resolution “to elect a new Council, comprising, if possible, some existing members (to provide continuity) but also new members to bring further levels of professionalism and experience to the society.”
The resolution will not be voted on, according to the society letter, although it may be subject of a discussion. According to letter, the resolution is “ineffective in law since it does not comply with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to the retirement and appointment of specific directors.”
The letter goes on to say that the ruling council had previously identified “skills gaps” within its ranks which it “has taken and is taking steps to fill”.
It is understood that the group which forced the emergency general meeting is now seeking legal advice on the attempt to block voting on the resolution.
Last night Christine Went, chairman of the Brontë Society, said the EGM was requested “by a small number of members, most of whom have joined the society relatively recently.”
She added: “We welcome the interest and support of these members and the fact that they are keen to be more involved with the running of the society.” (Andrew Robinson)
Just a thought. We are not in a position to take parts here as we don't really know what's going on. But... is the Brontë Society such a powerful and mighty institution that can afford to spend resources, time and efforts in civil stupid wars?

Chicago Theatre Review talks about the LifeLine's production of Jane Eyre:
I’ll confess, dear reader, that I like my gothic plays gloomy and ghost-filled as anybody, pitting the world worn hero or heroine against all sorts of horrors, both the unearthly and the all too human. Where I draw the line though in the cultivation of spooky atmosphere is a soundtrack that relies upon thunderous drums, electric guitars and whole flocks of “shwarp” sounds (as though something huge and winged was hopping about in the rafters). The decidedly metallic taste of Christina Calvit’s adaptation of Jane Eyre certainly brings this beloved tale of courage and conviction into the modern age, but pays for its passage with the intimacy and immidacy of the world it is supposed to exist in. One cannot push out the image of Charlotte Brontë scribbling away in the old drafty house, heavily made-up around the eyes, banging her head back and forth to the chords of Emily playing Black Sabbath on the piano forte (while Anne stuffs her ears with cotton and retires to another room). (...)
Where both Calvit and Milne are in luck, and where the production really comes into its potential, is in their Eyre. Bhatt does far more than any amount of diresome rock to show us Jane’s modern sensibility. Her voice is clear and carrying, her rejoinders. (Ben Kemper)
Another review can be read on Sheridan Road.

The Guardian reports several cases of wrong  questionable grades for students in the GCSE and A-level papers:
“One particular incident that springs to mind took place a couple of years ago. A student who had clearly not prepared at all, had an extremely poor work ethic and had actually considered not sitting the paper at all that very day, came out with an A grade.”
After requesting a copy of the paper, she found that the paper was hardly deserving of an E. “It opened with: ‘Jane Eyre, written by Bronte, under her pseudonym Victoria Lucas …’ Even a layperson would know this was not Charlotte Brontë’s pen-name, even if they were not aware that it was Plath’s. The entire essay was littered with inaccuracies, made-up content, ridiculous arguments.” (Rebecca Ratcliffe)
Bustle lists not boring books that can help you fall asleep:
Brontë’s gothic novel — with ahead of its time commentary on class, race and feminism—is mysterious and slow; paired with the inherent spookiness of early 19th century England and the romance at the center of the book, Jane Eyre is a perfect night cap when you’re cozy under the covers. (Molly Labell)
The Huffington Post talks about literary pilgrimages:
I've been to some of the biggies -- at Haworth, the Brontë's home, I wandered the moors as they did, but the signposts are in Japanese as well as English now -- young Japanese girls are cultish over the Brontës, apparently. I swooned with them over the sofa (black, appropriately) on which Emily died. (Chrysler Szarlan)
We could agree with Alexandra Petri in The Washington Post but please, do not use again this stupid story about Branwell Brontë:
True enough. The only person I know who died standing was Branwell Brontë, who died leaning on a mantelpiece because he wanted to prove that he could do it. But we can all agree that this was stupid.
Do we want to become a nation of Branwell Brontës and die standing up, like idiots, just to show we can?
No. No, we don’t.
El Universal (Venezuela) interviews the artist Edgar Sánchez:
El paisaje no se ha tratado dentro del hecho dramático. Es decir, lo vemos en el cine. Lo vemos en la literatura. Ahora mismo pienso en Cumbres borrascosas, de Emily Brontë. Pero en la pintura, salvo en algunos ejemplos holandeses, no es usual. (Simón Villamizar) (Translation)
The Dutch writer Mensje van Keulen talks about her passion for Emily Brontë in NOS; The Minneapolis Star Tribune and The Boston Globe review  The Fame Lunches by Daphne Merkin; Reading 2011 (and Beyond) posts about Wuthering Heights.

1 comment:

  1. Great you found the interview with Mensje van Keulen. It is a very good interview. I liked to hear it.

    ReplyDelete