'The trees are bare, the sun is cold;/And seldom, seldom seen;'

The Point discusses 'Zadie Smith and the condition of the social novel'.

Many others would publish their own “condition of England” novels during that period, from Elizabeth Gaskell to Charlotte Brontë, all disquieted by revolution and sympathetic to the suffering of the working poor, all deploring the social ills of industrialization. “The present splendid brotherhood of fiction-writers in England,” observed a somewhat obscure journalist named Karl Marx, “have issued to the world more political and social truths than have been uttered by all the professional politicians, publicists and moralists put together.” (Rosemarie Ho)

The Indiependent reviews Saltburn.

Aside from the entertaining cinematic experience this film evokes, the cinematography itself is absolutely gorgeous. Emerald Fennel has spoken about Saltburn’s Gothic inspirations, from Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, and the visuals have a clear Gothic influence. The setting of the sprawling country mansion, with more rooms than any one family could need (expertly illustrated with the magnificent tracking shot as Felix gives Oliver his introductory tour) allows for plenty of suspenseful moments, as you never know where anyone could be lurking. (Emily Nutbean)

AnneBrontë.org features Emily Brontë's poem The Bluebell, written on a day like today in 1838.