Close Cousins and Plaques

New plaques installed at the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. According to The Telegraph & Argus:

A blue plaque marking the birthplace of the Brontës will be unveiled today - on what would have been Emily’s birthday.

The new heritage marker is the first Bradford Civic Society blue plaque dedicated to the Brontë sisters at their Thornton birthplace. It was commissioned by Mark and Michelle De Luca, who runs Emily’s cafe at the property, and funded by a donation from the Bradford-based Morrisons Foundation.

Also unveiled today will be a miniature blue plaque dedicated to the ‘Bronte bats’ at Thornton's South Square arts centre.

The three bats, named Charlotte, Emily and Anne, were found living in the roof of the centre during restoration work and the South Square team worked with ecologists on creating a special home for them - a mini replica of the Brontë birthplace. Visitors to the centre can now see the Brontë Bat Box.

Accompanying the plaque unveilings is the launch of a new book about places that inspired the Brontës. Walking the Invisible, by Michael Stewart, follows a series of inspiring walks through the lives and landscapes of the world famous literary family, investigating geographical and social features that shaped their work. Michael will give a talk and sign copies in the newly landscaped garden of South Square Art Centre. (Emma Clayton)

 

Financial Times reviews Katherine Priddy's debut album, The Eternal Rocks Behind:

The second track, “Wolf”, is the first in a run of literary references: its hero who “chases midnight over heath and over heather” is a close cousin of Brontë’s Heathcliff. (David Honigmann)

Of course, the title of the album seems also an obvious reference to Wuthering Heights. 

Why so few men read books by women, according to The Guardian:

No matter if it is Austen or Atwood, the Brontës or Booker winners, data shows men are reluctant to read women – and this has real world implications.

he byline at the top of this piece reads MA Sieghart, not Mary Ann. Why? Because I really want men to read it too. Female authors through the centuries, from the Brontë sisters to George Eliot to JK Rowling, have felt obliged to disguise their gender to persuade boys and men to read their books. But now? Is it really still necessary? The sad answer is yes. (MA Sieghart)

The Gateway's summer reading list includes Jane Eyre:

Throwing it way back, Jane Eyre is a classic that many of us have heard of, yet never actually taken the time to read. I read Jane Eyre last summer, and while it took me about a week to finish the entire book, I really enjoyed every minute of it. You hear so much about how classics are iconic and something everyone should read, but usually it is impossible to get through the first few chapters without rereading every sentence multiple times. However, this story sets an engaging and easily understandable tone for modern readers. You won’t need to have SparkNotes open as you progress through the novel.
One of the best parts of a good novel is a well developed character. In Brontë’s novel, we witness Jane develop into a strong female lead in a restrictive society. While the romantic aspect of the story is engaging, my personal favourite part was seeing Jane evolve from a misunderstood child to a self-assured young woman. (Malaika Arif)

IndieWire reviews the latest film by Andrea Arnold, Cow: 

“Cow” marks Arnold’s first trip into the non-fiction arena, and it’s a far more elemental piece than the tough, raucous character studies of “American Honey” or “Fish Tank” (though the farm country backdrop of her “Wuthering Heights” adaptation could be seen as as a quasi-prequel).  (Eric Kohn)

Psychology Today and stalking:

 The obsessive pursuit of another has been romanticized in novels like Wuthering Heights, vocalized in song lyrics filled with dejected passion, and dramatized by famous movies like Fatal Attraction. (Robert T Muller, Ph.D.)

Hypeness (Brazil) has an article about the Brontës: 

As irmãs Brontë, que morreram jovens mas deixaram obra-primas da literatura do século 19.

Cada irmã é autora de ao menos uma obra-prima, com especial destaque para O Morro Dos Ventos Uivantes, único romance de Emily, lançado em 1847 sob o pseudônimo de Ellis Bell – um nome masculino para facilitar a publicação e recepção –  que se tornaria um clássico absoluto. A irmã mais velha das três, Charlotte, recorreu ao pseudônimo masculino Currer Bell para lançar Jane Eyre, também em 1847, que se tornaria um marco dentre os chamados “romances de formação”. A irmã mais nova, Anne, por sua vez, publicaria no ano seguinte o romance A Senhora de Wildfell Hall que, como Jane Eyre, é considerado um dos primeiros livros feministas da história. (Vitor Paiva) (Translation)

France Culture (France) recommends a 2017 broadcast on Emily Brontë:

Emily Brontë : depuis le presbytère d'Haworth (58 min)

Sœur de Charlotte et Anne, Emily Brontë (1818-1848) est l'autrice d'un seul roman… mais quel roman ! Marqué par un style vif, percutant et parfois effroyable, Les Hauts de Hurlevent, publié en 1847 — la même année que Jane Eyre, œuvre de sa sœur Charlotte — est l’un des romans majeurs de la littérature anglo-saxonne. Esprit fougueux et rebelle, profondément attachée au caractère sauvage de la lande anglaise, Emily Brontë a passé sa courte vie isolée ans le presbytère d'un hameau du Yorkshire. Son caractère réservé et solitaire et son vœu de silence semblent si extrêmes qu'ils ont rendu difficile l'analyse de sa personnalité. Jusqu'à sa mort en 1848, d’une tuberculose qu’elle a refusée de soigner, Emily Brontë n'a en effet laissé aucune correspondance ni aucun journal intime. Cette émission porte un éclairage sur le désir radical de silence de la poétesse et romancière britannique. (Translation)

Bonculture (Italy) posts about the Honresfeld collection auction.