In my formative years, I chanced upon this little book with mint-green borders. In the centre, there was a picture of a pale little girl with the name Jane Eyre on top. After I had devoured the book at one go, the very next year I realised it was included in my school curriculum as well. And so I read it again. I read it till it became a habit to come back to this book every two years or so. For a young girl, young Jane had much to teach.
From challenging the patriarchal norms of Victorian society to asserting her independence, agency, and morality, Charlotte Brontë was able to shape a character that is endlessly captivating—a woman who can resonate with a 14-year-old and 25-year-old alike, even today. [...]
Unlike Jane Eyre, Lucy Snowe is not outspoken or courageous in the traditional sense. Even when the person she loved was seemingly walking away, she could not gather the courage to confront or speak her mind. But despite her unremarkable exterior, it's her rich inner world, her self-awareness and her resilience that illustrate her empowered nature. Characters such as Lucy Snowe rarely ever get the limelight in today's very vociferous world. This is evident in the movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, where the soft spoken Anne Elliot is turned into a sassy caricature because the contemporary world seems to not understand the importance and charm of introspective women. [...]
As I dove further into Brontë's work, I discovered Shirley. Here, you meet the wealthy heiress Shirley Keelder. And unlike the previous protagonists, through her, you get to see the world from the perspective of someone born into wealth. Exploring women's various roles in society is a common theme in Brontë's work and throughout Shirley, she explores the expectations placed on a woman based on her social class. You see the titular character challenging traditional gender roles by choosing to remain unmarried and run her own business. [...]
From the iconic character of Jane Eyre, to the introverted and introspective Lucy Snowe, and the unconventional Shirley Keelder, Brontë's heroines have embodied the values and principles of the feminist movement long before it became a mainstream social and political movement. While her work is often seen as a reflection of the Victorian era, her themes and messages remain relevant today, as women continue to fight for gender equality and empowerment. (Tasnim Odrika)
In a cheeky move, the opening scenes of "Evil Dead Rise" are actually, chronologically, the end. During an idyllic trip to a cabin by a lake presumably somewhere in California, Teresa (Mirabai Pease) is attempting to read Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" but is rudely interrupted by her friend's new boyfriend, Caleb (Richard Crouchley), and his camera drone. Annoyed, Teresa goes to check on her friend, Jessica (Anna-Maree Thomas), who hasn't been feeling well since the trio arrived at the eerily triangular-shaped cabin in the woods.
Turns out that no amount of pills or rest will help what ails Jessica, who begins reciting the exact text of "Wuthering Heights" at the precise point Teresa is reading them, a nod to the possessed Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss) psychically calling out playing cards she can't see in 1981's "The Evil Dead." (Bill Bria)
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