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High School Brontë
2008-05-08 00:06:00
Some US high school productions of Brontë-related plays that have been (or will be) performed these days:Ann Arbor Young Actors Guild, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Jane Eyre adapted by Robert Johansson from the novel by Charlotte Brontëdirected by Sue Roe Charlotte Bronte's magnificent gothic story will be brought to life in a script that has been described as "rich in mystery and romanticism" and filled with "brooding atmosphere". Upon arriving at Thornfield Hall, governess Jane Eyre begins to unravel the mysterious secrets of the house and its master. In the process, she finds herself through honesty, courage and sacrifice. An emotional, moving performance piece with extraordinary moments of theatre. Friday May 9, 2008 7:30pmSaturday May 10, 2008 7:30pmSunday May 11, 2008 2:00pmat the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in the Michigan League911 N. University, Ann ArborThere was another production of this Jane Eyre adaptation last March in High land, New York:March 7, 2008~March 8, 2008Hi...
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"If Charlotte Brontë were alive today, I’d seek her out and ask her to m
2008-05-07 16:58:00
Apart from the big news of the day, there are few other things worth looking at online today.The Mid-North Monitor reviews the play A Bad Year for Tomatoes and says: In order to discourage the unexpected neighbourly visits, Marlowe decides to take her acting skill to a whole other level by creating a character similar to that of Mr. Rochester’s wife in the novel Jane Eyre.So, with a crazy sister howling from the attic, she will no undoubtedly rid herself of pesky neighbors, or so she thinks! (Ande)On the blogosphere:Chris from book-a-rama has written to us to let us know about this. Charlotte Brontë won last week's Great Wednesday Compare (versus Emily Dickinson) and this week's compare at The Book Mine Set is indeed painful: Charlotte Brontë vs Emily Brontë vs Anne Brontë.Mrs Magoo Reads interviews author Martin Dubow and he states the following: And so I finally come to the answer to your question -- the authors who’ve most influenced me are from a bygone era. They are t...
More About: Today , Alive , Seek

Ellen Page to play Jane Eyre
2008-05-07 09:38:00
Many thanks to Kyung for sending us in the direction of this. Many websites report the news that Ellen Page is set to be the new Jane Eyre in the big screen.The news all seem to come from a Variety article which seems to be acting funny at the moment, so for the time being we will have to quote from other sources.Entertainment Weekly:Ellen Page will play the title heroine in a BBC Films adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's 19th-century novel Jane Eyre. No director is yet attached, but Moira Buffini has written the screenplay, and producers hope to begin filming this fall. Bronte's tale, about a governess who warms the heart of her employer but discovers his dark secret, is one of the most adapted works in the English language; a BBC miniseries won three Emmys just last year.Yahoo! News:Jane Eyre could be taking another swoon on the big screen -- with Ellen Page playing the iconic British character.BBC Films has signed on to develop an adaptation of the Charlotte Bronte novel and has a...
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Englishness and Jane Eyre
2008-05-07 00:03:00
A new scholar book published this month:Imperialism, Reform and the Making of Englishness in Jane EyreSue Thomas216x138 mm978023055425230 Apr 2008184 Pages£45.00Publisher : Palgrave MacmillanDescriptionIn a famous passage from Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre identifies herself with ‘millions’ in ‘ferment’, ‘in silent revolt against their lot’. Elsewhere, she compares herself to a missionary preaching liberty to the enslaved, helping them secure their freedom. Her imagination is shaped by historical events, and yet Brontë is usually thought to be careless about dates and historical markers in Jane Eyre. In this groundbreaking study, Sue Thomas convincingly dates the action and setting of the novel, and analyses the worldly consciousness of Brontë’s characters and of Brontë herself. She addresses the articulation of questions of imperial history and relations, reform, racialization and the making of Englishness in the novel. Her examination of an 1848 stage ada...

From Toni Morrison to Woolworths
2008-05-06 16:16:00
Red Orbit analyzes the first novel by Toni Morrison , The Bluest Eye (1970) and finds traces of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall:Bump (Bump, Jerome. "The Family Dynamics of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye." Reading The Family Dance: Family Systems Therapy and Literary Study. Eds. John V. Knapp and Kenneth Womack. Newark: U of Delaware P, 2003) draws parallels between the "emotional literacy" required for, and developed by, family systems therapy, and that exhibited by "family romance" novelists, arguing that "this may well be one of literature's most important contribution to our culture" (159-60). Indeed, he suggests that Claudia is "one of a long tradition of narrators who escape family disintegration that can be traced back at least to Helen in Anne Bronte's Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Helen is the only person who breaks out of the cycle of abuse and addiction in that novel because she too adopts a form of the talking cure" by writing ajournai. (Naomi Rokotnitz)The Independent reviews ...
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Brontë Attic (Literally)
2008-05-06 00:05:00
This is something that we have discovered through the YouTube search on our sidebar. Sometimes it is really Brontë related, sometimes not (you'll never imagine the amount of Brontë-named children recorded by their fathers or the huge number of Brontë singers around), and sometimes it is really something (very) weird. When we came across this video we had to double check it to convince us it was not a joke. It's hard to believe but there is a Malaysian company named Bronte Attic and... well, they build... attics. As far as we know there's no knowing if a madwoman comes with the contract:BRONTE Attic No 34B, Jalan TK 1/11A, Taman Kinrara Seksyen 1, Puchong 47100 Selangor, Malaysia. BRONTE ATTIC is Malaysia's leading attic ladder and roof access specialists. We introduced the concept of creating an attic ...
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Shades of Grey
2008-05-05 13:36:00
The Swindon Advertiser has an article on the Fforde Fiesta which took place over the weekend. The convention was held at the De Vere Hotel in Shaw Ridge - otherwise known as the Finis Hotel - which was the scene of a kidnapping involving Jane Eyre and a Dickens character in one of the famous books. (Avantika Bhargava)Incidentally, Mr Fforde has moved the release of his new book - Shades of Grey , unrelated to both the Nursery Crimes and Thursday Next series - to July 2009, rather than July 2008, which places the release of the sixth installment of the Thursday Next series in summer 2010. We are pretty sure it will be worth it.On the blogosphere. O Frugal Literário (in Portuguese) and Cocomademoiselle's weblog review Wuthering Heights. Rob Hardy writes about The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë by Daphne du Maurier and appropriately enough Bookersatz reviews Daphne by Justine Picardie.Renata Cordeiro continues translating poems by Emily Brontë into Portuguese. It's Sympathy toda...

French Scholarship
2008-05-04 23:08:00
Some examples of recent French scholar contributions (taken from the bibliography of the Revisiting Inner Space / La Réinvention de l’espace intérieur one-day conference at the Université Toulouse II-le Mirail).BORIE, Charlotte. “La Poétique de l’intériorité chez Emily et Charlotte Brontë� (Ph.D. in progress, under the direction of Catherine Lanone). “La correspondance de Charlotte Brontë : coulisses du style et de l’écriture� (Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens 68, avril 2008).TRAPENARD, Augustin. “L’Opération “Emily Brontë� : textes, hors-textes, contextes d’une invention d’auteur (1846-1869)� (Ph.D. in progress, under the direction of Frédéric Regard). �L’étrangeté d’une langue étrangère : (dé)familiariser l’expérience belge d’Emily Brontë� (Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens 68, avril 2008). “Soi-même comme une autre : drames de l’identité dans la poésie d’Emily Brontë� (to be published in Cahiers de Reche...
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A pas de deux with Jane Eyre
2008-05-04 12:20:00
As we have informed previously, the London Children's Ballet is preparing a dance adaptation of Jane Eyre to be performed from 15-18 May at the Peacock Theatre (originally premiered by the London Children's Ballet in 1994, with an original score by composer Julia Gomelskaya and choreography by Polyanna Buckingham.). The Telegraph carries an article about the LCB and particularly the upcoming Jane Eyre performances:Picture credits: Peter Teigen. Source.The production they are working on is Jane Eyre: a ballet created specially for the LCB, to be performed in the West End this month. Very few professional dance companies have the chutzpah to invent their own full-length narrative ballets from scratch: music, choreography, scenery, the lot. The company does it every year, commissioning up-and-coming (and already arrived) composers and choreographers to turn a classic work of literature into a stage spectacle. The Happy Prince, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Canterville Ghost, among o...

More Brontë editions
2008-05-04 00:06:00
A Wuthering Heights reading guide and a couple of RLA adaptations of Brontë novels:Wuthering HeightsAuthored by Harold Bloom, EditorChelsea House PublishingBloom's Guides Set, 55-VolumesPublished: 4/1/2008ISBN-10: 0791098311ISBN-13: 978-0-7910-9831-8Format: HardcoverPage count: 96Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, set among the rugged beauty of the English moors, is the tragic and passionate story of Catherine and Heathcliff, two lovers drawn together from the moment they meet. Their love is consuming and destructive, forbidden and inescapable, making Brontë’s tale an enduring classic of English literature. This new Bloom's Guides volume offers clear analysis perfect for students seeking valuable insight into this haunting tale praised for its innovative structure, originality, and poetic style. Level 5, RLA, adaptations published by Penguin Longman Readers:Jane Eyre (Level 5, RLA) Charlotte BronteEdition 2nd Revised editionMultimedia Item ISBN: 9781405879965Paperback ISBN:...

Brontës in the media
2008-05-03 10:03:00
Alan Bentley, Brontë Parsonage Museum director, sent us the following: Ann Dinsdale appeared on the BBC prime time magazine show “The One Show� last night with some objects from the Parsonage collections including two of the little books. The appearance was part of a piece on Jane Eyre and Hathersage http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/article/2 008/04/gb_placeinabook.shtml it is quite a nice short film not including Ann’s live appearance but I think that is available through the BBC Iplayer for the next 7 Days. I will also be on the BBC radio Leeds breakfast show on Monday morning at about 8.30.From the show's website: In 1845, Charlotte Bronte went to stay with a friend in Hathersage in the Peak District. It was there that she was inspired to write the passionate story of Jane Eyre; the strong and sensitive governess who falls in love with the dark and brooding Mr Rochester.Gyles visits the George Inn, where Charlotte wrote of Jane Eyre, sitting nervously waiting to meet her ne...
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She's volcanic
2008-05-03 09:55:00
The Wall Street Journal reviews Governess: The Lives and Times of the Real Jane Eyres by Ruth Brandon, the slightly adapted American title of the Other People Daughter's:Today we have nannies, but in the 19th century they had governesses. If the word calls to mind a person forlorn and severe, the reason may well be Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, "Jane Eyre." Most of us can conjure up a mental picture of governess Jane.By design, she is outwardly unremarkable. Small, quiet, with pulled-back hair and a dress of subdued gray, she's a plain Jane indeed. Internally, though, she's volcanic. As a 10-year-old orphan foisted on malign relatives, Jane can be filled with rage and an eerie imagination. As a 20-year-old governess, she feels an idolatrous love for her master, Edward Rochester. We chart Jane's maturity by watching her channel her passions. Ultimately, she emerges triumphant over her awful cousins, her tall blonde rival, the mad wife who is revealed living in the attic, and e...

Brontë Economy
2008-05-03 00:05:00
A couple of new books with Brontë references:The Literary Book of EconomicsIncluding Readings from Literature and Drama on Economic Concepts, Issues, and ThemesEdited, with commentary, by Michael WattsPublisher: ISI BooksCloth • Pages: 373ISBN10/13: 1932236023 / 9781932236026In The Literary Book of Economics, economist Michael Watts presents a fresh approach to economic education and literacy. Professor Watts uses seventy-eight selections from classic and contemporary fiction, drama, poetry, and prose to give flesh to more than twenty major economic concepts, issues, and themes.In Watts's hands, selections from Robert Frost, Sebastian Junger, and John Steinbeck illuminate the nature of property rights; Theodore Dreiser and Sherwood Anderson speak to specialization and the division of labor; John Dos Passos and Joseph Heller provide commentary on entrepreneurship; Charles Dickens and Arundhati Roy illustrate the concepts of public goods and externalities; Benjamin Franklin, Georg...
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Brontës Housepartying
2008-05-02 09:42:00
Los Angeles Times reviews Margot Livesey's The House of Fountain Street and highlights the Jane Eyre influence (both the author and the novel has been associated with the Brontës before):"The House on Fortune Street" is not all psychology, though. It is, in the best sense of the term, a literary novel: Livesey invokes particular writers and even particular works to add resonance to her characters and their situations. Each of the novel's four sections has its own leitmotif: the poems of the great English Romantic John Keats, the life of Lewis Carroll, Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" and Dickens' "Great Expectations." Here again, Livesey is supple in her approach. Even if a reader is unfamiliar with those texts, their significance is made perfectly clear. And for the vast majority of her readers, who will indeed know them well, they add a great deal -- all the more so in the hands of a writer as skilled as Livesey. (Martin Rubin)The Wheeling Countryside carries a funny article, ...

Jane Eyre in Cumbria and New Jersey
2008-05-02 00:07:00
Two theatrical alerts for today, May 2. The first one from Beetham, Cumbria:Jane Eyreby Charlotte Bronte adapted by Polly TealeHeron Theatre, Cumbria on 2 - 3 MayIlkley Playhousedirected by George RitchieCharlotte Bronte spent most of her life in a remote Yorkshire village. Yet, like Jane, she yearned to live beyond the limitations of her restricted horizons. It was this desire to express her emotions and dreams of fulfilment that led her to create her literary masterpieces.This production will also be performed at the Wildman Theatre, Ilkley on 12 - 17 May.And in New Jersey :Charlotte Bronte's Jane EyreFranklin Theatre WorksQuakertown, New JerseyMay 2 and 3, 7:30pmThe most experienced middle school and high school actors of Franklin Theatre Works bring Jane Eyre to the stage in May. This faithful adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s classic 1847 novel follows the story of an orphan who overcomes a grim, lonely childhood and blossoms into an independent, spirited young woman. This...

Jane Eyre in Orange County
2008-05-01 10:40:00
A student production of Jane Eyre, A Musical Dram (John Caird & Paul Gordon) opens today, May 1, at the Brethren Christian Junior & Senior High School in Huntington Beach, California:Brethren Christian Drama proudly presents the 2001 Tony nominated musical based on the Novel by Charlotte BrontëJane Eyre, A Musical DramaOnstage at BCHSMay 1,2,3 2008 at 7:00 p.m.May 3 2:30 p.m. matineeCategories: Jane Eyre, Music, Theatre
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Britney Buttoned Up
2008-05-01 10:29:00
The New York Sun reviews Mad, bad and sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800 to the Present by Lisa Appignanesiñ. The review begins with a paragraph that successfully (?) manages to link Bertha Mason with... Britney Spears:Could it be that imprisoned inside every sane woman is a Mrs. Rochester — the madwoman in the attic whose untamed presence, like that of "some strange wild animal," haunts "Jane Eyre" — yowling to get out? Are we women now, as in the 19th and 20th centuries, in danger of coming down, sooner or later, with some configuration of what Elaine Showalter described as "the female malady"? Some culturally constructed and fashionably diagnosed form of emotional instability, that is, ranging from "weak" nerves to full-blown Britney Spears meltdown? (Daphne Merkin)We read in the Martha's Vineyard Times a nice article partly telling about a visit to the Parsonage in Haworth:The Brontë sisters lived in a little village called Haworth (pronounced Howarth)...

Chaffinches and Churchyards
2008-05-01 00:04:00
The Brontë Parsonage Museum has sent us the following press release. An alert for next May 5:Monday 5 MayChaffinches and ChurchyardsAn activity day for families at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.Spring is in the air and this May bank holiday the Brontë Parsonage Museum is offering families a day of outdoor activities… with a difference. When you have explored the fascinating home where the Brontë family grew up, take one of the special Discovery Bags and meet the inhabitants of Haworth Churchyard! No, not the ghosts (although you never know) but some of the varied plants and creatures that like to call the churchyard home. The museum’s education officer Susan Newby, who will be running the activities, says“As well as being really interesting places to explore historically, churchyards can be a haven to a surprising range of species, all coming alive at this time of year. It’s great to have a dig around and see what you turn up!�Amongst other things, you’ll find in your ...

Currer Bell Sailing
2008-05-01 00:02:00
Today, May 1, opens at the National Maritime Museum (Greenwich, UK) the following exhibition that contains an unexpected Brontë reference:Simon PattersonThe Undersea World and Other StoriesExhibition: 1 May–26 October 2008Location: Level 3, Neptune Court, National Maritime MuseumThe Undersea World and Other Stories investigates Simon Patterson’s consistent explorations of the sea, stars and time – themes central to the collections and research at the National Maritime Museum (NMM). The Museum unpacks the material cultures that result from human attempts to find their place in the world, be it mapping the skies above, the ocean depths below, or seeking relationships across time and space. Such structures form frameworks of understanding that are bounded by limits of knowledge and distributed through language.The following piece has caught our attention:(...)Patterson’s Untitled (Sails) (1996) seems to be primed to race across the waves right out of the gallery space. This se...
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Elmet
2008-04-30 17:39:00
The Telegraph and Argus briefly mentions the Fay Godwin/Ted Hughes exhibition at the Parsonage: Photographs that inspired poet Ted Hughes are to be displayed at the Bronte Parsonage Museum.The exhibition Elmet brings together acclaimed work of leading landscape photographer Fay Godwin.Yorkshire born Hughes wrote verse in the 1970s in response to Godwin's images of the county.Their collaboration was published in 1979 as The Remains of Elmet, with a follow-up 15 years later.The new display is billed as a rare opportunity to view the original exhibition prints, recently acquired by the British Library.The exhibition is included in the museum admission charge. Phone 01535 642323 for times and prices. (David Knights)Don't miss it if you're nearby!Categories: Brontë Parsonage Museum, In the News

Would Aunt Branwell agree?
2008-04-30 17:09:00
The Times recently looked at Britain's best 'rectories, vicarages and period parsonages' arguing that 'Along with the Aga, the labrador and the Barbour, the right ecclesiastical residence is the epitome of the English country dream'. Jane Austen grew up in one in Hampshire, the Brontë sisters spent most of their short lives in a dour Yorkshire version, and David Cameron passed much of his childhood rattling around in one in Berkshire. A former rectory or vicarage, that is. (Helen Davies)We don't know if poor Aunt Branwell trying to ward off the Yorkshire cold by using pattens inside the parsonage helps keep the idyllic 'dream' alive, though.We recently heard that Harry Potter has been incorporated into the A-level syllabus. There were a few articles unfavourably comparing J.K. Rowling to the Brontës. Today Kate Bevan looks further into the matter on her Guardian blog. The news that the first Harry Potter book had made it on to the A-level syllabus has prompted the inevitab...

Secret Lives and Reading Literary Pages
2008-04-30 00:05:00
We present today two very different books with Brontë mentions: SECRET LIVES OF GREAT AUTHORS What Your Teachers Never Told You About Famous Novelists, Poets, and Playwrights Robert Schnakenberg Quirk Books ISBN: 1594742111 Pages : 304 Published: April 2008 In the tradition of Quirk’s bestselling Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents (100,000+ copies in print), here are outrageous and uncensored profiles of the world’s greatest writers, complete with hundreds of little-known, politically incorrect, and downright bizarre facts. Consider:# Edgar Allan Poe was kicked out of West Point Military Academy.# Louisa May Alcott was addicted to opium.# W. B. Yeats paid surgeons to transplant monkey glands into his scrotum.# J. R. R. Tolkien slept in his bathroom.# Kurt Vonnegut managed a Saab dealership before hitting the big time.With chapters on everyone from William Shakespeare to Thomas Pynchon, Secret Lives of Great Authors tackles all the tough questions your teachers were afrai...
More About: Reading , Literary

April tidbits
2008-04-29 16:36:00
A few finds on the blogosphere today: Amanda Joy's Blog posts Sylvia Plath's poem 'Wuthering Heights'. Novel Journey discovers a new Brontëite: Cecilia Samartin:What are a few of your favorite books (not written by you) and why are they favorites?Jane Eyre, A Death in the Family, To Kill a Mocking Bird, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Madam Bovary, The Scarlet Letter.Fedde Spoel's Gebroken Oor talks about Jane Eyre (in Dutch). Art & Entertainment traces a brief biography of Charlotte Brontë. Word Nerdery reviews Wide Sargasso Sea:All in all, the style of the writing is unpleasant, no matter how well it reflects the characters it portrays: it is difficult to read and less than compelling. If you are a lover of Jane Eyre, this is an interesting read - if not, don't bother. (Maggie)Finally, we have found this blog of a Jane Eyre reader.Categories: Brontëites, Jane Eyre, Poetry, Wide Sargasso Sea
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Romance Collection Revamp
2008-04-29 00:06:00
Today the A&E Home Video's revamped 'Romance Collection. Special Edition' becomes available for Region 1. It includes Jane Eyre 1997:Romance Collection Special Edition DVD Set DVD Release Date: April 29, 2008 Run Time: 1800 minutesRegion 1 * Enjoy the original, unedited and complete versions of these acclaimed productions.* Over 30 hours of programming — plus Extras! — on 14-discs in an all-new, slimmer case.* Stunning performances by Colin Firth, Kate Beckinsale, Jonathan Pryce, and many more!* This extraordinary collection presents 8 complete miniseries and films from A&E®.These acclaimed adaptations of literature's classics transport us to amazing worlds: the chivalrous pomp of Ivanhoe, the bodice-ripping adventure of Tom Jones, the intimate side of monarchy in Victoria and Albert, and so many more.And now it's even easier to lose yourself in the captivating drama of these beloved, masterful small-screen adaptations. Offered in a brilliant, slimmer case that ...

Leaving Linton aside for a moment
2008-04-28 14:09:00
It looks like today's big news swept away most of the other would-be Brontë news.The Coastal News posts about this evening's event: "An Evening of Opera" will be presented at Coastal Carolina University's Spring Choral Concert on Monday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Wheelwright Auditorium.Brontëites in the area might be interested in the programme: The program will include selections such as "Carmen," "La Traviata," "The Magic Flute" and "The Gondoliers." More contemporary operas will also be included, such as Aaron Copland's "The Tender Land," Kurt Weill's "Street Scene" and Bernard Herrmann's "Wuthering Heights."A couple of blogs: Peace & Wisdom posts about Charlotte Brontë's take on Jane Austen. And Jin from The Blind Sisters reviews Wuthering Heights.Categories: Alert, Music, Opera, Wuthering Heights
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Andrew Lincoln as Linton
2008-04-28 13:36:00
We read in The Independent about a new name for the new Wuthering Heights film project. We had a writer: Olivia Hetreed, a director: John Maybury and a Cathy: Natalie Portman. Now we have a Linton : Andrew Lincoln .Like many British actors before him, Andrew Lincoln finds plying his trade across the pond can be a demanding experience. The blokeish star, best remembered for his role in cult series This Life, is currently working on an as-yet untitled TV series with Men In Black creator Barry Sonnenfeld. "It was very difficult though, I have to admit," he told me at a recent party in aid of Barnados. "It's not just the accent, it's completely different culturally. It's like playing baseball. You are under so much pressure to get the take right – three strikes and you're out. It has been more like controlling one's own fear rather than acting." No matter, since Lincoln will be back working on these shores soon. He informed me he's just been ...

Classical Comics' Jane Eyre Final Stages
2008-04-28 00:03:00
The people of Classical Comics has sent us the first pages of the upcoming (September 2008) adaptation of Jane Eyre (John M. Burns in the artwork and Amy Corzine in the script). It is described as still rough, but it our opinion it seems quite promising.Click in the pages to enlarge them.More sample pages on this post on the Brontë Parsonage Blog.Categories: Comics, Jane Eyre
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Being Emily
2008-04-27 12:59:00
That's the title of the latest novel by Anne Donovan. And yes, the Emily in the title is Emily Brontë.Being Emilyby Anne DonovanPaperback: 320 pagesPublisher: Canongate Books (1 May 2008)Language EnglishISBN-10: 184767044XISBN-13: 978-1847670441Things are never dull in the O'Connell family. Still, Fiona, squeezed beteen her quiet brother and her mischievous line-dancing twin sisters, thinks life in their tenement flat is far less interesting than Emily Bronte's.But tragedy is not confined to Victorian novels. And life for Fiona in this happy domestic set-up is about to change forever, Following the devastating events of a single day her family can never be the same. But - perhaps - new relationships will develop, built on a solid foundation of love.Moving, funny and ultimately heart=warming, Being Emily is a wonderful novel about one young girl trying to find her place in the world among the turmoil that only your own family can create.The Scotland on Sunday interviews Anne Dono...

One of the most subversive novels ever made
2008-04-27 11:05:00
Los Angeles Times introduces us to a new Brontëite, author Steve Erickson:Jacket Copy: In "Zeroville," your most recent novel, movies shape the way the main character perceives the world. Are there any books that do the same for you? Steve Erickson: I'm not sure there's a difference between books that affected the way I see the world and books that influenced me as a writer. The first books I remember having an impact on me when I was a kid were L. Frank Baum's "Oz" books, which were much stranger than the movie, at once rather whimsical and really dark. Later Faulkner's novels made sense to me for the way time was never literal, the way it seemed hot-wired to memory rather than experience, and Henry Miller's early work was revelatory for the way it so willfully assaulted all the formalist notions about literature that get taught in English classes. There was something very punk about Miller's juxtaposition of the transcendent with the primal, the sky with the gutter. When I...
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Sense, sensibility, seven novels and one life
2008-04-27 00:15:00
A couple of alerts for today, April 27. A talk given in the Cotswolds:Literature & Writing: Jane Austen and the Brontes: 'Sense ' versus 'Sensibility'With Angela Day27 April 2008 at 2:30 p.m.Farncombe Estate CentreBroadway (Cotswolds)WorcestershireSo much in common and yet so different: Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. We look at Austen’s "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice", Charlotte Bronte’s "Jane Eyre" and Emily Bronte’s "Wuthering Heights" and discuss this apparent paradox. Austen’s approach is through a rejection of excess of sentimentality – sense. The Bronte novels emphasise the power of the imagination – sensibility.And crossing the pond, Edward Mendelson, author of The Things That Matter gives a talk in Port Washington, New York.Edward MendelsonColumbia University Professor and Author to give 2008 Ruth D. Bogen Memorial Lecture on Classic LiteratureSunday, April 27The Friends of the Port Washington Public Library invites you to join t...
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