For tomorrow, International Women’s Day, a contributor to
The Conversation has selected 'ten literary heroines to inspire you' and one of them is
1. Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” So says Jane Eyre in one of literature’s most famous lines. She overcomes a dreadful childhood, impoverished circumstances and social inequality (as well as the indignity of finding out the man she loves is already married) through a strong sense of self-worth. Described throughout the novel as small and plain, Jane demonstrates an innate sense of endurance, independence and self-belief, no matter what she faces. (Amy Wilcockson)
The Guardian argues that Bertha Mason is Jane Eyre's doppelgänger:
Yet this world of endless doubling is not new. The doppelganger first appeared in Jean Paul’s novel Siebenkäs, published in three volumes between 1796 and 1797, and has been with us as an almost constant companion since. From gothic touchstones such as Edgar Allan Poe’s William Wilson, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and James Hogg’s The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, to modern classics such as Nabokov’s Despair and Muriel Spark’s The Ballad of Peckham Rye, the double has outpaced every trend and appears in just about every genre.
In these novels, the double frequently functions as the embodiment of unacceptable, inexpressible desires and impulses. Brontë gives Jane Eyre an anima figure, in the form of Bertha Mason, a shadow self capable of expressing what Jane cannot. (Lauren J Joseph)
And now for some more Wuthering Heights 2026:
According to
The Signal, 'Emerald Fennel’s ‘
Wuthering Heights’ understands the novel better than critics realize.
There is an abundance of nuanced detail bridging Fennell’s film to Brontë’s novel, and the liberties it takes are beautifully executed. The soundtrack feels both relevant and immersive. I especially loved “Dark-Eyed Sailor” and the slowed-down reunion scene, which, cinematically, was stunning. The intimate moments between Heathcliff and Catherine are deliberately slowed, making them all the more hypnotic.
Visually, the film paints a striking gothic landscape, particularly in its contrasts between the overcast moors and the vivid Thrushcross Grange. This contrast emphasizes Catherine’s internal world, one that feels feverish and dreamlike. She is perpetually torn between societal reality and the pull of her own heart.
Fennell also repeatedly employs red and black to symbolize the passion and aggression of Catherine and Heathcliff’s love, while also evoking unfaithfulness, sexual awakening, and unrelenting grief.
On a final note, both lead performances are striking. Robbie is magnetic, fearlessly surrendering herself to Catherine’s intensity and emotional naivety. Elordi delivers a compelling performance as the brooding, obsessive antihero. I believed in Catherine and Heathcliff’s love story, partly due to Robbie and Elordi’s performances, but also because of Owen Cooper and Charlotte Mellington, who were cast as the younger Catherine and Heathcliff.
From the film’s opening, I was invited to believe in their bond. The younger actors beautifully capture the innocent yet foreboding spark between the two as children.
As a whole, I found the film brilliant. It is a bold and beautiful approach to a novel I cherish deeply. If you missed some of these details, I encourage you to revisit it. It was precisely these nuances that allowed me to find so much richness and enjoyment in the adaptation. (Isabella McHugh)
Perhaps catering to emotionality and aesthetics instead of authenticity and critics, isn’t doing Fennell as many favors as she hoped. The film may be largely enjoyable on the surface level. We, the authors of this piece, found it a rather good watch. It’s full of bright colors and beautiful sets, emotion and heartbreak.
The stars, Robbie and Elordi, are attractive and very impressive actors—but art is inherently political. Undoubtedly, this film was going to create a stir, especially in our current social and political climate. The film is worth the watch especially for those planning to follow next award season, but the controversy will likely follow it, casting a shadow on any awards it may win. (Christina McManus and Antonia Spellacy)
Vanguard thinks that 'We Almost Got the Best, Feral Romance Film of All Time'.
Although this rendition of Wuthering Heights ultimately crumbled under the weight of its own buildup, it was worth seeing, if not for Emerald Fennell’s strength in pushing the artistic envelope at a time when Hollywood is largely not investing in these types of projects. This, along with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s addictive synergy — plus one of the best macabre love stories in the Western diaspora — culminates in a naturally captivating film that will be revered as a cult classic, for all its successes and faults. (Karli Mae)
While I’ve never read Emily Brontë’s original 1847 novel, my boyfriend has and watched the film with me in theaters. At the end of the film, I was surprised to learn that it was only half of the book, ending with Catherine’s death, while the book goes on for years later. I don’t think it’s bad that Fennell chose to end on Catherine’s death — in fact, I see the vision she had. Ending on that note has more impact in visual media, but it loses a lot of the nuance of the original. In boiling down the story to only the romance between Catherine and Heathcliff, she’s creating entirely new themes. What was once a narrative centered around social class conflict and the effects of destructive obsession turned into a tragic, sexed-up romance.
Her first and vital mistake is and always will be casting a white Heathcliff. This decision to whitewash him actively gets rid of half of the main themes and social commentary from the novel. Heathcliff being a person of color is the basis for why he goes down the spiral he does and why he is treated so harshly by most of the characters. Fennell is telling the audience she has no care for what the story is trying to say through her misinterpretation of what it’s actually about. Because I didn’t have any connection to the novel before watching the film, I admittedly didn’t care much that the film wasn’t exactly like the book when I initially watched it. But the more research I did, the more blatantly shameful it became. Imagine if Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” was adapted with a man playing Esther Greenwood, or “Coraline” was adapted with an old woman in the titular role. Thinking of these works’ core messages, these changes to the characters would fundamentally alter their stories and main themes completely. Fennell made a change as drastic and nonsensical as this by changing Heathcliff’s race, and therefore, character.
Adaptation is a necessary part of art. Though many people now seem to hate or nitpick adaptations, artists should be able to make their interpretation of a story they love in the medium they’re passionate about. I’m one of the very few who also believe they should be able to change it up however they want. The original work will always be there, so why restrict artists in their creative visions? The only thing they should hold sacred is always the core themes and the elements of the story that are necessary to those themes. While it should be your own work, it is still an adaptation, and you owe it to the original creator and story itself to tell the intended message. (Heidi)
Hyperbole is clearly
The Maroon's reviewer's favourite literary device:
I think it would be in Fennell’s best interest to write a heartfelt apology to the Brontë estate. I bet a trillion bucks that Emily is rolling over in her grave. So are literary scholars everywhere. (Stella Perdue)
For
The Face, '2026 is the year of the costume designer'.
The last year has seen clothes in film shift from the background music of a rollout, to something central. See the outrage around Margot Robbie’s frocks in Wuthering Heights – the English Lit girls were not happy about those anachronisms – or the hype around Marty Supreme. This wasn’t even about the clothing in the film. Instead, A24 – the original pranksters of film merch – moved the goalposts again. Queues formed around streets for fans to buy a ’90s-style Nahmias windbreaker with the film’s name on – and that was even before it got to cinemas.
Meanwhile, Emerald Fennel’s Wuthering Heights adaptation brought Jacqueline Durran’s costumes to the red carpet in February, with Robbie’s outfits going method and paying tribute to the era of the novel. There were corsets, ribbons and even a Dilara Findikoğlu dress using hair, referencing Victorian mourning bracelets made from the hair of loved ones. With a 25% increase in cinema trips for Gen Z this year, this is a trend that has only just started. Could it be that 2026 is the year that fashion and costume design come together in more ways than ever before? (Lauren Cochrane)
You also mentioned the Brontës in your album description. Do you have a favorite Brontë sister or a favorite Brontë novel?
CAROLYN: Definitely Jane Eyre. While thinking about how to describe the album, I was like, “It's Gothic with a capital G, like Gothic literature.” Andy was like, “No one will know what that means; they’ll think it means dark wave.” So I described it as “a Gothic tale, in the Brontë sisters’ sense.”
I think, too, that there are feminine aspects to the music, reminiscent of a journey that might get scary at times. You might encounter big landscapes and ghosts. You may not be able to entirely understand what's going on, and there is a lot of heightened emotion. The Brontë sisters created huge worlds, even though their worlds were actually really small. They were governesses; they didn't traverse that much area, yet they were able to build these magnificent emotional universes.
My friend actually asked me recently which Brontë sister each member of Mt Fog is. I was like, “We're not the sisters, we’re actually long-lost characters from the Brontë sisters' imagined world of Gondal. [Laughs] (Audrey Vann)
The Bookseller discusses 'Books on BookTok: Emerald Fennell's
Wuthering Heights prompts return to canonical literature':
Director Emerald Fennell is the name on everyone’s lips on BookTok as this week creators highlighted trending genres and titles.
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is “having a moment on TikTok” because of Fennell’s film adaptation, said Nate (@nateblackbooks; 2,682 followers). “[It] is pushing readers to dive into classic literature.” Evie (@evieschapters; 5,217 followers) agreed: “Over the past few months my FYP has been full of people reading and re-reading Wuthering Heights.” The film has meant “readers have felt the urge to reconnect with the novel before watching the film”, said Evie. “Classics are coming back on the scene”, continued Megan (@megschapters; 2,189 followers) prompted by both Fennell’s Wuthering Heights and the Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, starring Emma Corrin. (Katie Fraser)
A contributor to
The Independent discusses 'The
Wuthering Heights effect – how romance fiction saved my life'.
The Irish Echo discusses what others have said recently about the Brontës in other newspapers.
The Telegraph and Argus feels the need to teach visitors how to pronounce Haworth.
The Brontë Sisters UK posts a video on "How did the Brontës live with Death all around them".
0 comments:
Post a Comment