Charlotte Brontë's 206th birthday

It's Charlotte Brontë's 206th birthday today. Amazing to think that it's already six years since we celebrated her bicentenary. It might be coincidental but there are a couple of talks today connected to her: Shocked, Disgusted, Almost Sickened: The Brontës' Worst Reviews (details via the link) and also this one hosted by the Brontë Society:

Charlotte Brontë: Afterlives of a Modern Woman

If you couldn’t get to Scarborough for our Brontë talk then don’t worry, we will be chatting about Charlotte on our doorstep too. 

Charlotte Brontë is an iconic woman, remembered for her novels and uncompromising life. From the dresses she wore to the letters she wrote, Charlotte is integral to the history of literature and an early feminist icon. Her work is bold and honest, and for over 200 years we have seen a smorgasbord of adaptations that reimagine her ground-breaking stories. On the anniversay of her birth, we ask; what gifts did Charlotte Brontë give us? And what makes them the gifts that keep on giving?

Our Thursday Talks are delivered by our knowledgeable Parsonage staff. This year we will be delivering them in person at the Parsonage, and online for anyone who can't make it to the Museum. Details on how to join are below.

This Thursday Talk will take place at 2pm on Thursday 21st April.

Tickets are free with admission to the museum, and will take place in the Old School Room.

This event is first come first serve, please sign up at the welcome desk on arrival on the day.

Can't make it in person? No problem! We will be running an online version of the Thursday Talk at 7:30pm, the very same day.

Tickets for the evening event cost £3. The event will start at 7.30pm UK time. This event will take place via zoom.  It is a live event and will not be recorded.

Full details of how to join the event will be sent once you have booked your place. 

Please do not book a £3 ticket if you are planning on attending in person, at 2pm. The online ticket is for a Zoom event, at 7:30pm.

Today is also the scheduled date for the auction of the tiny book by Charlotte Brontë at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. The New York Times highlights some of the items on display although the tiny book is only mentioned in the headline and in passing. Same thing happens on Fine Books and Collections.

A contributor to Daily Nebraskan looks into the literary influences of Taylor Swift.

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë

I ran to my tattered copy of “Jane Eyre'' after hearing “invisible string” for the first time, finding a line where Edward Rochester says, “I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you – especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs.” Swift alludes to “Jane Eyre” throughout “invisible string” with lyrics like, “And isn't it just so pretty to think / All along there was some / Invisible string / Tying you to me?” This literary allusion is one of Swift’s best, in my opinion, because it is clear that it is from “Jane Eyre” without being overt with the reference. (Maddie Ames)

Nau (Switzerland) looks at nearby moor-like places.

Das Moor ist so manchem bis heute nicht geheuer. Mythen und Schauergeschichten ranken sich um den sumpfigen Ort, der auch in der Literatur seinen Platz gefunden hat.

Denken wir nur einmal an den wild-romantischen Klassiker «Sturmhöhe» von Emily Brontë. Darin wird ein Moor in Yorkshire zum Schauplatz der tragischen Geschichte um Heathcliff und Catherine. (Translation)

Charles Hutchpress posts about the Jane Eyre production at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.