The Case of the Midnight Laughter

 Vulture interviews the film director Guillermo Del Toro:

Matt Zoller Seitz: When did you start reading Gothic fiction, and what effect did it have on you?

G.dT: I guess I started reading it really, really early, because some people consider Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to be Gothic. I would take a little bit of exception to that, but it doesn’t matter. By the time I was 11 or 12, I had already read some of the basics of Gothic fiction. I read Jane Austen right away. I read The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis. I read The Castle of Otranto.

And then, in Mexico, by mere chance, a Spanish and Argentine publisher started republishing all of these popular Ann Radcliffe Gothics, and I got addicted to the sort of askew cemetery poetry of those novels, their exoticism and all the coruscated romances. And then there were all the sub-imitations of Jane Eyre that started invading a very hungry market: you know, Fabio carrying a damsel in distress. But that kind of stuff is not true to gothic romance. It’s just swarthy fantasies, really.

M.Z.S.: The use of the word “swarthy” is interesting, because so many of these works have a handsome and — in one sense or another — dark stranger who comes into the story and complicates everyone else’s life. 

G.dT: There is always a Byronic, aloof character, from Jane Eyre all the way through to Rebecca. You can track that character, who is haunted by a secret, that is trapped by his wealth and his loneliness and needs to be rescued; and little by little, you uncover the layers. These are variations of the classic Bluebeard fairy tale, with a lot more melodrama. It’s an infallible formula, really. And when it’s great, it’s absolutely great. But what I love most about it are the supernatural elements that underscore a secret from the past coming back. In general, Gothic is a really interesting way to go into the Jungian trappings of the romantic mind, you know? 

GQ lists books celebrities like reading:

 Pedro Pascal

“When I was a kid,” Pedro Pascal wrote in response to a Reddit AMA about his love of literature, “I remember reading this book called Watership Down. That was one of the most gruelling, it's by Richard Adams, and I also love One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And I love Jane Eyre, I love anything by J.D. Salinger, I love reading.” As if we couldn’t like him more. (Gladys Lai)

Minding the Campus, among many (many, many), complains about the terrible Leftists in academia and slips a Jane Eyre mention:

Throughout my years as a reader and literary scholar, I have witnessed countless works imprint themselves on my psyche as I have grown into a richer human being. Jane Eyre taught me the value of trust and persistence in the name of love. (Liza Libes)

Broadway Baby reviews yet another show at the Edinburgh Fringe, The Cambridge Footlights International Tour 2024. We wonder what this "historical overlap" means: 

The show also includes references to historical figures like Beowulf and some historical overlaps between Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. While these sketches are based on satire, they fall short of fully addressing contemporary issues. Although enjoyable, this year's sketches feel more like a collection of lighthearted comedy rather than engaging with more profound themes. (Lisa Simonis)

Of course, if you consider Beowulf a historical figure, the answer to our previous question may lie therein. 

Cultura Colectiva (Argentina)  discusses a surprising trend where readers are purchasing Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (the second issue of the Novelas Eternas collection that has been a hit in Argentinian newstands), thinking it's a romantic story similar to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The readers who expect light romance from Wuthering Heights will be quite surprised by its darker themes.

Este será el evento canónico de muchas personas: al parecer, han agotado el libro de ’Cumbres borrascosas’ en puestos de periódicos luego de que saliera a la venta una colección especial de clásicos de la literatura universal. Usuarias lo compraron pensando que era una historia romántica tipo ‘Orgullo y prejuicio’ y lamentamos decirles que no podrían estar más equivocadas. (Alan Cruz) (Translation)

Tdf recommends some theatre productions in streaming:

In 2020, London's lauded National Theatre launched its own streaming service featuring professional stage captures of its productions. While you can buy a subscription, shows are also available to rent individually. New to the roster is Sarah Gordon's Underdog: The Other Other Brontë, an irreverent spin on the lives and legacies of the three Brontë sisters, literary legends and squabbling siblings. Natalie Ibu directed this 2024 production, which was co-presented by National Theatre and Northern Stage. (Raven Snook)

Psychology Today is concerned about the dangers of AI in children's reading and writing capabilities. But it is quite wrong when it claims that,

Third, teachers should ask students to take unusual perspectives in their writing assignments. For example, what would happen if Sherlock Holmes got involved in investigating the peculiar events at Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre? Humans excel at divergent thinking; AI is currently incapable of it. (Yellowlees Douglas Ph.D)

That's not true. LLM models can do a rather convincing imitation of divergent thinking if they have models to check from. Feed any A.I. with that prompt and they will produce an acceptable tapestry of Conan Doyle's Jane Eyre rewriting.

Impulse Gamer announces that Wise Children's Production of Wuthering Heights will take the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney next year (January 31-Feburary 15). Another British production that crosses the pond (but in this case another pond) is Sally Cookson's Jane Eyre. A new production will hit the Austin stages in November. If you feel like it, auditions will take place next September, 15.