Have a Brontë Bonanza

The Times has very good 2026's cultural resolutions for all of you:

Have a Brontë bonanza

It’s going to be a year of Brontë for me. Recently I picked up Charlotte B’s Villette — prompted by a Times recommendation from the author Kaliane Bradley, who described it as “superb” and “horny” — and while I can’t exactly say I’m racing through it, the narrator is a remarkable heroine: bitter, wry, self-hating, kind of like a corseted Fleabag. Next goal: wrap up Villette in time to read Emily’s Wuthering Heights before the “sexed-up” movie with Margot Robbie comes out (February 13), so I can criticise it smugly but authoritatively. And then, I suppose out of fairness, it’s time to find out whether Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is utterly brilliant or a weird story about rental agreements. (Neil Fisher)

The Yorkshireman gives you reasons to visit Haworth in 2026:

Haworth village is one of the most picturesque, fascinating, and best places to visit in Yorkshire. Here are our top five things to do in Haworth that will persuade you to put it at the top of your bucket list for 2026.

1. It is the home of the Literature Queens, the Brontë Sisters 

One of the things that Haworth is most famous for is being the home of the talented Brontë sisters. The authors of such works, including Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, have left their legacy in Haworth. They continue to attract thousands of visitors to the village each year. 

Here are some of the main attractions linked to the Brontë Sisters you must see when you visit Haworth:

The Brontë Parsonage Museum 

The famous home of the Brontë family is now a fascinating museum. At the Brontë Parsonage Museum, you’ll discover the world’s largest variety of original Brontë items, including furniture, books, paintings, clothes, and much more. Throughout the year, there are family activities, insightful talks, and special exhibitions. 

Haworth Parish Church 

After visiting the Brontë Parsonage Museum, you should take a look at Haworth Parish Church, located right next door. It has deep connections with the family. Firstly, Patrick Brontë, the sisters’ father, was the parish minister for 41 years. Also, Emily, Charlotte, Bramwell (their brother), and Patrick are all buried here. It is a must-visit when wandering Brontë Country. 

Top Withens 

Top Withens is an iconic landmark in Haworth. This ruined, isolated farmhouse located on Haworth Moor is roughly a 3.5-mile walk from the village’s main street. It is widely considered a significant inspiration for Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights. With this connection mixed with the beautifully wild landscapes, it is a highly popular spot for walkers. 

Black Bull 

After a long day walking and sightseeing, you might very well want to stop for a hard-earned drink. If you want a cosy pub but also want to keep discovering more about the Brontës, then look no further than the Black Bull. The pub is famous as it was the favourite drinking spot of Branwell Brontë, the sisters’ brother. An excellent creative in his own right, he was a regular visitor to the pub, and you’ll still find his famous masonic seat. The pub also appeared in a BBC drama ‘To Walk Invisible’, which tells the story of Bramwell and his family. (Eddie Brickdale)

Not the only news outlet that recommends a visit to Haworth. We read in The Scottish Sun:

Hazel Rickett, from leading small-group tour operator Rabbie’s, has recommended six incredible destinations, perfect for a staycation in the new year to keep the January blues at bay. (...)

And finally, Haworth, located in West Yorkshire, was her sixth recommendation for anyone seeking a relaxing started to 2026.

Best known for being the home of the Brontë sisters, the village and surrounding moorlands are incredibly atmospheric at this time of year.

She added: “Here, people can explore the cobbled, Victorian streets or plan a visit to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, before warming up in one of Haworth’s traditional pubs after a crisp winter walk. (Ruth Warrander)

WishTV is more generic:

The dales and moors of Yorkshire are a well-established muse for writers and visual artists. Most recently, the region has served as the romantic location for “Wuthering Heights” and “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.” The North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the Yorkshire Dales make appearances in both and are a must-see when visiting. Make sure to squeeze in a visit to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, where the Brontë family lived from 1820 to 1861. The historic space offers fascinating insight into the lives of the three Brontë sisters and the world that inspired “Wuthering Heights.” 

The Week awaits eagerly for Wuthering Heights 2026:

The trailer for Emerald Fennell’s “ravishingly stylish” adaptation of Emily Brontë’s only novel sent much of the internet into a “tizzy”, said Jack King in GQ. This “definitely isn’t the ‘Wuthering Heights’ you read for your GCSEs”. As you would expect from the director of “Saltburn”, the trailer was “factory-made to provoke a reaction”. In her “gleefully anachronistic romance”, Margot Robbie (pictured above) and Jacob Elordi take on the starring roles of Catherine and Heathcliff, while Charli XCX has contributed some “absolute bangers” to the soundtrack. Is it a surprise Fennell’s film “seemingly sticks a middle finger up at the source material? More to the point: does it really matter, when it looks like this much of a laugh?” (Irene Forshaw)

The anticipation is shared in Express, Kent Online, The Standard, Variety, Vulture, The Sydney Morning Herald, FandomWire (which thinks that "with two A-list actors leading the project and giving this classic gothic story a steamy spin, it’s no surprise that this will churn $1 billion at the box office"), ComingSoon, Readly, Gold Derby, QueVer, El Nuevo Siglo, ELLE México, il Libraio, RTL, inStyle, Chicago Tribune, Cosmpolitan, Time Magazine, Prestige or Vogue which is, of course, more interested in the costumes:

While Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming film is already stirring up conversation thanks to its surprising costumes, Margot Robbie and stylist Andrew Mukamal are already plotting a fashion fantasia for the press tour. “The couture shows are in January. So we can see what comes out of that,” Robbie told British Vogue. Maybe, if we’re lucky, co-star Jacob Elordi will break out the cravat again. (Hannah Jackson)

Vanidad (Spain) has a list of the most anticipated music albums for 2026:

4. «Wuthering Heights» de Charli XCX

El próximo 13 de febrero los fans de Charli XCX estarán de celebración, y es que la artista anunció hace unas semanas que el segundo mes de 2026 llegaría por todo lo alto con un nuevo disco bajo el brazo: «Wuthering Heights». Un disco que se presenta como algo muy distinto a lo que ha hecho hasta ahora y del cual ya hemos conocido los temas «Chains of Love» y «House», tema que compuso para la banda sonora de la adaptación de «Cumbres Borrascosas» y que parece ser que es un muy buen chivatazo de lo que se viene con el disco en conjunto. Tal y como ella ha contado, hizo un disco completo para conseguir introducirse en el personaje, y de hecho ha creado este álbum junto al autor de la banda sonora de la película, Finn Keane. (Translation)

Broadway World shares how the votings are going for the 2025 BroadwayWorld UK / West End Standings. The Arcola Theatre production of John Joubert's Jane Eyre opera has a couple of nominations:

Best Opera Performance

Anna Sideris - Jane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 33%

Anna Netrebko - Tosca - Royal Ballet And Opera 29%

Laura Mekhail - Jane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 22%

Hector Bloggs - Jane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 15%

Best Opera Production

Jane Eyre - Arcola Theatre 48%

Tosca - Royal Ballet And Opera 29%

Saul - Glyndebourne 23%

Anime News Network lists the bests animes of 2025:

Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage (Kenji Nakamura/Toei Animation/Netflix)

Rage burns incandescent. This film is hardly the first literary work to note that women's rage, in particular, is hard to extinguish (though it might be the most visually striking). Honestly, I feel like the closest comparisons are Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. 

Kelsey Weekman recommends her favourite 2025 readings in Yahoo! Entertainment:

Why I recommend it: My second-greatest tip for getting back into reading is to revisit the first book you ever loved, and I do that every year with Wuthering Heights. It’s a classic novel about — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — the toxic situationship between two monstrous people. Catherine and Heathcliff both suck, but they’re more than soulmates, and their impossible love, set against the gloomy backdrop of the English moors, never gets boring. It helps that Emily Brontë’s pen is unmatched: “Be with me always — take any form — drive me mad.” That’s the hottest line ever written. I’m so mad at her for dying before she could write anything else.

It is impossible to talk about Wuthering Heights without noting that there’s a new movie adaptation coming in February 2026 — your homework is to read this before then, and don’t fall for the rage-bait of whatever inevitable inconsistencies the Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi version has. They’re different media, for goodness’ sake! Let Emerald Fennell (the notoriously polarizing director) have a little fun with it!

Rolling Stone reviews The Housemaid 2025: 

Also, what’s up with Millie’s room in the attic, which features a window that won’t open, a door that locks from the outside, and a serious Jane Eyre-meets-Gaslight vibe? (David Fear)

The Guardian reminisces about the legacy of Bradford's city of culture year:

They also installed the first visitor toilets at the Brontë Parsonage Museum; relocated the Peace Museum to Salts Mill where its annual visitors increased from 3,000 per year to more than 50,000; and they installed a lift at Ilkley Playhouse. None of that is sexy. But in a city with a council that by its own admission faces financial challenges which rank “among the most significant in local government nationally”, it is work that simply would not have happened otherwise. (Lanre Bakare)

Books large and small in Newsminer:

 Consideration of book sizes was sparked recently by noticing my spouse and I were both reading books from the Oxford World’s Classics series, her Austen’s “Emma” and me Brontë’s “Jane Eyre.” Both were small Aldus portables, but her “Emma” was noticeably larger at 4½ inches by 6½, while “Jane” was merely 4 by 6. The type in “Jane” was a bit smaller, too, as was the price. Published by Oxford Press in 1999, “Emma” cost $13, while “Jane” was published in 1986 by Avenel, a New York company, for $2.99. (Greg Hill)