Wuthering Heights (1939) Rom-com energy can be enjoyable, sure. There are barriers to love and happiness, and it takes our adorable couple from 90 minutes to two hours to overcome them. But tortured-love energy is a more rarefied and raw force, one that reflects the darkest and most soul-stirring facets of human nature — and the 1939 version of “Wuthering Heights” fully embodies that force. Beautifully directed by William Wyler, the film is a carefully abridged adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, shot in an expressionistic black-and-white that turns the Yorkshire moors into the landscape of another, less shackled emotional world. As Heathcliff, Laurence Olivier is mesmerizing, his torment and class resentment palpable throughout. He is all love, as well as its companion state, loathing. At his most handsome in that era, with faraway eyes and a dimpled chin, Olivier represents the passion that Cathy (Merle Oberon) is drawn to — but turns away from out of social cowardice. Oh, our doomed couple do indeed find a way to embrace their great love — but alas, in death. (Matthew Gilbert)
Yale Daily News reviews
Bridgerton from a 'Courtship, Class and Consent' point of view.
To me, the biggest thing that sets “Bridgerton” apart from period dramas of old — think “Pride and Prejudice” or “Jane Eyre” — was its sheer quantity of steamy scenes. (Melissa Adams)
How have your reading tastes changed over time?
In my protracted adolescence, I was drawn to works of overwrought romanticism, like “Wuthering Heights” and “The Sorrows of Young Werther.” I still love both of these books, but in general my tastes have become a lot cooler.
I think it’s also important to note that my decline in reading coincided with the increasing pressure to read ‘classic’ books, which became more demanding. Instead of getting sucked into the action-packed adventures of Percy Jackson, I was being encouraged to ponder the drawn-out dithering of Jane Eyre. When I needed to relax from a busy day of school, I didn’t want a challenge, I wanted an easy solution. (Toby Mayhew)
The debate continues on whether Tolkien's home should be allowed to be sold to private buyers. As
Cherwell points out,
There is a need for spaces where the intellectual heritage of writers’ is protected. In these cultural infrastructures, visitors can honor the creators of art and form a cognitive, emotional bond with them. It is almost like a cultural pilgrimage that leads the individual to continuously renegotiate his positioning in relation to the writer’s legacy. In the same vain [sic], Jane Austen’s house at Chawton, Charles Dickens’ home in London and William Faulkner’s house in Rowan Oak are some spaces of writers’ cultural production successfully preserved. The Brontë Parsonage is yet another example of a space of cultural production which operates as a cultural pilgrimage preserving the Brontë sisters’ intellectual heritage. All these spaces operate as significant sites, literary pilgrimages of the writers’ literary production. (Irene Zhang)
Already in its toolbox are flagship cultural institutions like the Impressions Gallery, a space dedicated to thought-provoking photography, and the National Science and Media Museum, which has one of the UK’s best photography, TV and film collections. Salts Mill is a little further out and sits in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Saltaire – the 19th-century mill is home to artwork by David Hockney, world-famous artist and proud Bradfordian. Venture further into the dazzling Brontë Country and you’ll come across Haworth, the birthplace of literary legends the Brontë Sisters.
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Once again, you’re spoilt for choice. You can get your climbing shoes on at the Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor or soak up the Brontë Country by steam train on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. Haworth is a must too – amble up its cobbled streets to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, before continuing onto the moors towards Top Withins, the place that inspired Wuthering Heights. (Emma Cooke)
Lancashire Telegraph reminds readers that 'you can still visit beauty spots and scenic parks on your doorstep' such as
The Wycoller Panopticon Walk, Pendle
Have you ever tried out this walking route before?
It is only 1.5 miles long and is a circular trail that begins at the striking Panopticon structure itself.
On the walk, you will encounter scenic hillside sheep pastures and also encounter the Wycoller Beck.
Wycoller Hall is thought to have been the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre.
The terrain is relatively smooth, making it easy for walkers of all abilities and fitness levels.
However, it can become boggy during wet weather and you will encounter several kissing gates throughout the walk. (Sarah McGee)
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