Disturbing Literature

A derelict building's owner near the Bronte birthplace contests council safety orders, delaying resolution according to The Telegraph & Argus and The Yorkshire Post:

The owner of a derelict building just yards from the birthplace of the Brontë sisters is appealing an order made by Bradford Council to “remove the danger.”

In June 2023, parts of the roof of 4 Market Street in Thornton collapsed into the street – leading to the Council introducing an emergency road closure in the village centre. (...)

The former Springfield Hotel, empty for at least a decade, is on the same street as the Brontë Birthplace – an unassuming property that the three Brontë Sisters were born in.

That building, now in public ownership, is being opened up for social and cultural use in time for Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations. (Chris Young)

Edinburgh Guide reviews another Edinburgh Fringe production, My English Persian Kitchen by  Hannah Kahlil, as performed at the Traverse Theatre:

Finding an old battered copy of Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights,’ this was her favourite novel as a child, captivated by the romantic tale of obsessive love.  Heathcliff’s longing for Catherine is doomed because he can never have her but can also never let go. He begs, “Be with me always .. do not leave me in this abyss where I cannot find you’. (Vivien Devlin)

Entertainment Weekly reviews the last episode of season 2 of House of the Dragons:

Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) wanders around the Vale like the heroine in a Brontë novel but she eventually finds Sheepstealer. Frustratingly, she does not ride the rather raggedy wild dragon but hopefully, she makes a dramatic entrance on dragonback next season to makeup for it. (Lauren Morgan)

The Skinny interviews the short story writer Hannah Levery about her new collection, Unwritten Woman:

For Lavery, reading Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea was a revelation; Jane Eyre never quite resonated because, for Lavery, she was the Woman in the Attic, not Jane. With Unwritten Woman, Lavery sought a similar solace. “I find myself in the edges, these silences and absences, so I just wanted to write those back in. I think it's almost an experiment in being a reader. 'How do I meet this text? How do I read this text?'”  (Eilidh Akilade)

Why should we read Flannery O'Connor? Página 12 (Argentina) asks the writer Mariana Enríquez for a reason:

Nicolás Pichersky: ¿No es sorprendente que una mujer, que prácticamente no salió de su estado natal, Georgia, haya escrito un texto tan violento y cruel?

M.E.: --En absoluto. Es un hecho que las escritoras más adelantadas a su tiempo y con una imaginación más mórbida suelen ser aquellas que escribieron en aislamiento. Emily Dickinson escribió extensamente sobre la muerte; las hermanas Brontë crearon novelas como Cumbres borrascosas y Jane Eyre, verdaderos ejemplos de literatura perturbadora; Silvina Ocampo vivió casi en reclusión y escribió sobre una mujer con fantasías sexuales con perros; o Shirley Jackson, cuya literatura de la crueldad también nació de su aislamiento por enfermedad. Es un patrón común en la imaginación de muchas escritoras que viven en aislamiento. ¿Por qué deberíamos adherir al mito de que una mujer debe tener solo buenos pensamientos, no? (Translation)

Finally, a reminder from the Brontë Parsonage Museum:

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work in a museum? To play an integral part in caring for a world-class collection and bring its stories to life for thousands of visitors?

There's just under a week left to apply for our weekend Visitor Experience Assistant role. We're looking for individuals with excellent communication skills, who are enthusiastic about working in a busy, exciting heritage setting.

For all the details, and to apply today, visit bronte.org.uk/vacancies - closing date Sunday 11 August.