Warwickshire World has another review of Underdog: The Other Other Brontë. Anne-marie Greene’s direction gives Sarah Gordon’s 2024 already feisty modern-day revision of the Brontë myth a quick-witted flair. Much of this is due to the clever, knowing portrayal of Charlotte by Alice Scott. She is a pink-haired, elfin dominatrix of the family. Her determination to place herself at the top of the literary tree is expressed by frequent asides through the fourth wall, which draws us onto her side while at the same time slightly repelling us at the unfairness of her treatment of her sisters, Anne in particular. We forgive her, up to a point, partly because of her sparky charm and her knowing comments about the (still) patriarchal publishing game, but also because we buy into her idea that without her there would have been no Brontës. Even Emily, passionately, often angrily played by Nicole Cortese, is sidelined by her. And what of poor Anne? Anne, the nice one, Anne the modest, self-effacing one who suspends her literary ambitions to become a governess, one of the lowest rungs of the Victorian social ladder, where she is bullied and humiliated by her employers and their nasty children. Somehow, she turns this unhappy experience into a scathing condemnation of abuse within marriage which was revolutionary in her day, and hits the jackpot with her book sales. But in order to succeed the sisters had to pretend to be men, otherwise they would have been dismissed as mere ‘women writers.’ But this brings a conundrum. By pretending to be men they are, in a sense, beating the men at their own game and are somewhat protected by the mask, provided their true identities remain secret. Once they are revealed they are subject to the very condemnation they challenged in spite of, and because of, their success. Sarah Gordon’s play doesn't delve too deeply into the books themselves; rather it is the Brontë myth that is explored and its status as a repudiation of patriarchy. Even Branwell Brontë (Connor Bailey), their wayward, drunken brother, who aspired to be a painter though he lacked the talent, is somehow portrayed as a victim of this London-based snobbery. Ironically by working together to create the image of the Bell brothers, partly in order to protect him from full knowledge of himself, the sisters cannot help but buy into that snobbery. Charlotte tries to rip the façade off the dominant ideology of the time by making herself into a literary superstar and using her fame to overturn the orthodoxy. It is self-conscious promotion with its roots in the past and its flower very much in the present. The cast, including an excellent ensemble, have great fun with it, playing with a punk / Gen Z theme. The performances are top-notch throughout, the three sisters well balanced in their characters, Charlotte as the apex of a triangle that could only function as a collective. (Nick Le Mesurier)
“I've always loved the book. I love English literature. I first read Jane Eyre at high school when I was 11 or 12 or 13 and I just loved it. I'm very much an Austen and Bronte girl. I read all of them but I always remember Jane Eyre struck me as such a fantastic heroine. “I think she has such a strong will. She is so passionate and so determined to keep to her values and her morality and her desire to do what is right. I think that fascinated me as a child. You often see in people their kindness or their bravery and she's kind and brave but I think the main thing for Jane is doing what is right. She is willing sometimes to make people a little bit upset but it comes from a place not of weakness; it comes from a place of wanting to do the right thing. I love her strength and I think it is that core that really attracted me to Jane as a person. And I'm really interested to see what resonates with me now. I read it as a young person, and to come back to it again now it's interesting to rediscover it and to see what really resonates now.” (Phil Hewitt)
QBurgh reviews the novel The Lost Brontë by Catherine Friend. This time of year, you may come to crave dark, spooky stories, and “The Last Brontë” fits those needs perfectly with its Gothic deliciousness. Think: Daphne du Maurier-type, stormy-night squirms with a dangerously chaste, sweetly romantic girl-meets-girl twist for fun. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read a Gothic novel, you’re in for a nice reminder of why you love them here. You can almost tick off the must-haves: a novel like this is nothing without a foreboding stone manor with damp walls; stone steps to a dank basement; a mysterious portrait; and a nearby bog, and author Catherine Friend gives readers every one of them. You’d be disappointed if there was no ghost, wouldn’t you? Ha. You can practically feel the cold blow through the attic, right? Yeah, it’s that kind of book.If you’re a fan of the Brontës, you’ll like this novel. If you love Gothic mysteries or Victorian romances, ditto. “The Lost Brontë” is good, no lie. (Terri Schlichenmeyer)
Nowadays, there are plenty of adaptations that blatantly acknowledge the literary classic that it is based on. In just February of this year, a movie adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” hit theatres. [...] The question becomes, are these adaptations a sign of a lack of creativity or is Hollywood’s ability to take literary classics unknown or disliked by the younger generations a show of creativity and innovative thinking? I’m not quite sure. UTC junior Lexie Jones, a history and anthropology double major, gave her perspective on the question: “I don’t think it's a lack of creativity. Like ‘Wuthering Heights.’ I haven’t watched the new movie but it was a way to draw in people who probably would have never read the book.” The movie adaptations may become a way to draw interest from our generation. The prospect of reading the classics, to most, might seem boring and a waste of time, especially if it has nothing to do with your major. The most popular book genres right now are romance or ‘romantasy,’ a term coined by TikTok. Fantasy, thrillers, science fiction and horror are the runner-ups. Classic fiction wasn’t really high on the list. “Wuthering Heights” was advertised with phrases such as “drive me mad,” “come undone,” and "inspired by the greatest love story of all time.” The movie starred well-known actors Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, and was released on Valentine’s Day. The marketing was directed towards the generation that made romance the most popular book genre. The movie only covered about half of the original novel, though. Watchers who were enamored by the love story on the screen can continue the story by returning to the novel. Adults who may have never considered opening the novel might just read it now, or at least stop and purchase it at the book store. (Haley Goodfriend)
Den of Geek lists '15 Movie Characters That Look Nothing Like Their Descriptions' and one of them is Heathcliff. Heathcliff Was Described as Dark-Skinned Emily Brontë repeatedly gives Heathcliff a dark complexion and describes him as “a dark-skinned gipsy in aspect.” Laurence Olivier’s 1939 Wuthering Heights became one of the character’s most famous screen versions despite looking very different. (Fernanda Arnaud)
El diario de Madrid (Spain) discusses Wuthering Heights and Emerald Fennell's take on the novel. Hace poco inicié la relectura de la novela de Emily Brontë, Cumbres borrascosas, porque tenía una deuda con el libro. La primera vez que lo leí fue hace veinticinco años y siento que no fue la mejor lectura, pues mi habilidad como lector aún no se había desarrollado para obras como esta. El refrán «cada libro tiene su tiempo» es, por lo menos en mi caso, cierto. Otro detonante que anticipó mi relectura fue la insípida, anodina, insulsa, adormecida, formulaica y pobrísima versión cinematográfica de Emerald Fennell sobre Cumbres borrascosas. El desarrollo psicológico de sus personajes y la atmósfera de la película se asemejan al ámbito de Cincuenta sombras de Grey: buscan desfogar un deseo carnal sin ningún tipo de composición narrativa que sustente la pasión entre los protagonistas. Quería quitarme ese amargo sabor. El problema no es que Emerald Fennell haya cambiado la historia; desde el título entrecomillado se puede deducir que la película busca alejarse por completo de la obra literaria: omitió a Lockwood, quien se convierte en el repositorio de la historia, e ignoró la facultad narrativa de Nelly Dean. Estas licencias que se tomó Fennell no aportan valor a la cinta, sino que reflejan el afán de contar una historia distinta que no logra trascender y se queda en un vacuo entretenimiento de Hollywood. El problema no es que Emerald Fennell haya cambiado la historia; desde el título entrecomillado se deduce que la película busca distanciarse de la obra literaria: omitió a Lockwood —el marco receptor de la historia— y despojó a Nelly Dean de su compleja ambigüedad como narradora no fiable, reduciéndola a un mero detonante de hechos trágicos. Además, en el filme es el Sr. Earnshaw quien termina ebrio e hipotecando sus propiedades hasta perderlas a manos de Heathcliff; sin embargo, en la novela original esta ruina personal y financiera recae enteramente en su hijo Hindley Earnshaw. Estas licencias no aportan valor a la cinta, sino que reflejan el afán de contar una historia efectista que se queda en un vacuo entretenimiento de Hollywood. Al comprender las circunstancias de Heathcliff, deducimos que su comportamiento (cuestionable desde la moral) es el resultado de un contexto hostil: es un huérfano pauperizado y maltratado tanto por su padre como por su hermano adoptivos. Como bien señaló Karl Marx: «No es la conciencia del hombre la que determina su ser, sino, por el contrario, el ser social es el que determina su conciencia». Sin embargo, bajo la mirada moralizante y burguesa de la narradora Nelly, la personalidad de Heathcliff no es responsabilidad de una estructura social, sino estrictamente del individuo. De manera similar, la contemporaneidad —bajo el espejismo de que «el pobre es pobre porque quiere»— traslada la responsabilidad de un sistema de privilegios e imperfecto, hacia las clases bajas, culpándolas de su propia condición y favoreciendo el desarrollo de trastornos como la depresión y la ansiedad, así como fenómenos psicosociales de indefensión aprendida y vergüenza social interiorizada. ¿Podría considerarse a Heathcliff, entonces, como una advertencia de las pasiones y grietas que genera una estructura ciega a la salud mental del otro? (Juan Sebastián Sánchez) (Translation)
In a couple of days, in Watertown, NY: Tea with the Brontës: HarmoNNY Performing Arts Community presents
Wild Imaginations - Tea with the Brontës and Friends
by Susan Taghe Smith
The Strand, 136 Franklin St, Watertown, NY 13601, USA
HarmoNNY Performing Arts Community and local writer, Susan Tague Smith, presents “Wild Imaginations: Tea with the Brontës and Friends” on October 3, 4-6 PM at The Strand located at 136 Franklin Street, Watertown, NY 13601.
This event will feature the Brontë sisters, Emily, Charlotte, and Anne, Emily Dickinson, and Jane Austen meeting for tea and sharing their thoughts and writings.
“Wild Imaginations: Tea with the Brontës and Friends” will be a HarmoNNY Performing Arts Community event supporting The Strand, Watertown’s premiere performance venue. Bring your own teacup to this event. Show off that heirloom from the china cabinet.
Only 60 tickets will be available at $35 each and will include this performance, along with service of an afternoon tea consisting of a selection of teas, sweet and savory treats.Wines and specialty drinks will be available for purchase at The Strand Concession area.
The Telegraph and Argus has an article on last weekend's Brontë Women’s Writing Festival. Now in its 16th year, the festival ran from September 25 to 29 in Haworth and featured a packed programme of events at the Brontë Parsonage Museum and online, highlighting women’s voices across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and scriptwriting. Sam Harrison, first-time programmer of the festival, said: "It's been really good. "This is actually my first time programming the festival this year, and so I was very nervous beforehand" "The main thing was I really wanted people to come away feeling like they had a really good time. "Everyone's really enjoying it. The feedback's been really good and the speakers have been great. "I feel very lucky that we've had such an amazing group of women writers come together." The festival opened with a sold-out talk by writer Sally Wainwright, who discussed her work including the BBC drama To Walk Invisible, which marked its 10th anniversary this year. He said: "Sally Wainwright was great, she was sold out and she's become just part of the Brontë legend. "We're, again, so grateful that she was able to come and be part of the festival and celebrate 10 years of To Walk Invisible. "It's a film that means so much to so many people still." The programme included a gothic fiction panel with Essie Fox, Heba Al-Wasity, and Stephanie Bramwell, a discussion on historical novels with Liz Flanagan and Anna Craig, and a poetry event inspired by Emily Brontë’s The Hawk. The festival also offered online events and workshops exploring themes of literature, history, and the environment. Mr Harrison said the organisation had partnered with the British Library on the newly produced Wuthering Heights facsimile. A workshop featuring Anna Chilvers and Clare Shaw also took place, inspired by their Book of Bogs project and aimed at educating people about the importance of peat. Mr Harrison added, "They are also curating our poetry at the Parsonage event, which is at the end of October as well, so that will be really exciting." He said, "It's so inspiring to hear these up and coming writers and just listening to their processes of creating. "I think it's nice because you get so many people who are aspiring writers or creators. "You hope that they can come and it will just give them a bit of a boost to keep going and keep pushing with their dreams." As the festival wrapped up, Mr Harrison said even the weather had played its part. She said: "The weather's also been good, which is very rare for Haworth." (Amelia Short)
Although the plot rightly discusses the iniquitous vulnerability and powerlessness of women in society at the time, as the sisters have to initially publish using male pseudonyms and discussion in literary circles that women could not have written works such as theirs, the power of the play lies in the family dynamics, and the characters that each actor portrays. Emily gives a rarely heard view, defending Branwell as being a victim of the expectations that are put on men. It is important to remember that Sarah Gordon’s excellent script is rather like those ITV true crime dramas, based on known facts but with some licence of what was said by whom, in other words, it’s all true apart from the bits that aren’t. The Criterion has put on a play which is both highly entertaining and thought-provoking and thoroughly deserves the enthusiastic applause. (Charles Essex)
Nine (Australia) has one more review of Sense and Sensibility of the kind that includes a message for Emerald Fennell. Fennell, take note: you don’t have to completely revolutionise a period romance and stuff it full of sex and anachronisms to make it work for modern viewers. (Maddison Skipper) No, you don't have to, but you can.
Several sites comment on designer Joseph Altuzarra bringing ' Wuthering Heights Romance to Old Navy'. From Marie Claire: Altuzarra didn’t treat the project as a scaled-down version of his namesake line. “I wanted to approach it in a very similar way that I do my own runway collections,” he says. As with many of his collections, that meant beginning with books as inspiration. At the time, Altuzarra had recently read Emily Brontë'sWuthering Heights and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and was “steeped in this world of romantic literature and romantic heroines and these windswept Scottish moors.” The novels became the collection’s central references, informing a wardrobe built around what he describes as a “sense of yearning, of desire, that kind of deep romance.” Or, as Posen puts it: “bringing your Jane Austen fantasies into today.” (Irina Grechko)
“Drawing inspiration from the Regency and early Victorian literary eras, the collection reflects the romance and mystery of classic Romantic and Gothic fiction,” according to a press release. Inspired by Wuthering Heights, these designs are meant to be worn passionately (and to frolic through wide fields in). (Victoria Montalti) Treating it "like capital F fashion," Altuzarra reveals he approached the Old Navy partnership the same way as his eponymous ready-to-wear label. "I often start my own collections with a book as the inspiration," he tells me. "I had just read Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. I really imagine this collection on a windswept Scottish moor." (Josephine Hadjiloucas)
Toscana Libri (Italy) reports that today Wuthering Heights will be part of the programme Libri Liberi (a programme for bringing literature into prisons) at Carcere Minorile G.P. Meucci in Florence. Ci sono libri che attraversano il tempo senza perdere la capacità di parlare al presente. Storie nelle quali passioni, conflitti, desiderio di libertà e conseguenze delle proprie scelte continuano a interrogare generazioni di lettori. È il caso di "Cime tempestose", unico romanzo di Emily Brontë e uno dei grandi classici della letteratura inglese, al centro del nuovo appuntamento di Libri Liberi, la rassegna promossa dalla Fondazione De Sanctis che porta la letteratura all'interno degli istituti penitenziari italiani. Dopo la tappa milanese al Beccaria, Libri Liberi arriverà a Firenze il 30 settembre, al Carcere Minorile G.P. Meucci, per un incontro dedicato all'opera di Emily Brontë. A guidare i ragazzi attraverso le pagine del romanzo saranno la scrittrice Camilla Baresani e l'attrice Francesca Inaudi, chiamate a intrecciare lettura, racconto e confronto intorno a una storia che, a quasi due secoli dalla sua pubblicazione, conserva intatta la propria forza. (Translation)
Both The Times and Firstpost discuss China's decision to make Jane Eyre a mandatory read for teenagers: Reader, I studied it. For Chinese schoolchildren, there will be no escape from now on from the romantic fantasies of early Victorian England. Ninth-year pupils across China have begun their last autumn term at middle school to discover that the classic Charlotte Brontë novel Jane Eyre has been added to their compulsory curriculum. It was already an option for literature in translation classes. The fact that it has become compulsory, it is being made clear, is out of concern for teenagers’ love lives. “The innocent, budding stage of first love is a crucial period for shaping a well-rounded personality,” Beijing Daily, the capital’s Communist Party-run paper, told students by way of explanation. “Rather than letting fragmented information occupy a child’s mind, it’s better to help them establish a value system by reading a timeless literary classic.” There is a logic to the choice by leading educationalists, who have been standardising the literature curriculum across provinces. Local authorities still have a degree of autonomy in what they teach, in separate maths and English language curriculums, but President Xi’s regime is deeply concerned about national morals, particularly among the young, and keeps a close eye on all cultural influences. Young Chinese people are going through two fads, both of them seen as problematic. One, as seen in many societies, is their reluctance to pair up, get married and have children. China’s birth-rate is unsustainably low, in part because of young women’s determination to stay single, pursue careers and eschew motherhood. The second fad is a passion, particularly among the same young women, for gothic romantasy novels, many of them gay-themed. Xi, despite the theoretically egalitarian and revolutionary underpinnings of Communism, is a strong promoter of traditional marriage and family values. (Richard Spencer)
A couple of recent master's theses: by Sarah Hopper, Campbellsville University, 2026
by Matej Mlakar, Univerza V Ljubljani Filozofska Fakulteta Oddelek Za Anglistiko In Amerikanistiko, 2026
This thesis is the first comprehensive look at the entire range of American and British radio adaptations of Wuthering Heights, the only novel written by Emily Brontë and originally published in 1847. The first chapter focuses on background information about the author and the novel, including the possible inspirations for the characters and locations presented in the story. This section also provides a brief summary of the novel and an overview of the existing adaptations across all media. The next chapter provides the theoretical framework for radio adaptations, including the history of the medium and the main characteristics of radio drama. The primary elements that constitute a radio drama are also considered, as well as classifications of these elements that have been proposed by authors such as Lance Sieveking, Andrew Crisell, and Dermot Rattigan. The following two chapters are dedicated to the analysis and comparison of all English-language radio adaptations of the novel. The thesis mainly discusses significant alterations to the plot and scenes, but it does not address minor changes that are inconsequential to the narrative as a whole. As several radio dramas closely follow the critically acclaimed 1939 motion picture instead, a brief description of the film has been included. Several adaptations whose recordings are unavailable are also included and briefly discussed using existing listings in newspapers, magazines and historical schedule data.
The Telegraph and Argus reports on the conversation with playwright and screenwriter Miram Battye which was part of this past weekend's Brontë Women's Writing Festival. A new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre is in the works, promising to be the most faithful yet. It is set to be a five-part series, written by playwright and screenwriter Miriam Battye, and produced by Working Title. Ms Battye shared insights into the project during a talk at the Brontë School Rooms on September 27. Ms Battye said: "It is going to be a limited series, but less limited than perhaps a film adaptation." Each episode will run for an hour, allowing more time to explore the novel’s characters and themes. Ms Battye said: "I give enough time to feel for every part of the book that you need to feel for and for the characters. "Some of those are moments that I don't think have been adequately seen on screen." She described the BBC as "incredibly supportive, warm collaborators" and confirmed that she has written two of the five planned chapters so far. Ms Battye said: "The unique selling point of the upcoming drama was it was going to be one hundred percent faithful to the novel." "I want the adaptation to include a huge amount of Charlotte Brontë's dialogue." The writer revealed that she created the adaptation with actress Amy Lou Wood in mind. Ms Battye said: "There really wasn't another vision in my head. "Amy is an actress of kind of quite staggering talent." Ms Battye reportedly approached her before anyone else was cast. She said: "I went to the BBC and I said, Amy is the pitch. "Essentially, it is me and Amy." Ms Battye also addressed questions about whether there was any pressure to sexualise the adaptation, especially in light of Emerald Fennell’s recent version of Wuthering Heights. Answering, "No, there’s no pressure. "I believe that sexuality is a part of the book. "I've never felt pressured to make anything overt that isn't already there." The first episode will focus entirely on Jane’s childhood, which Ms Battye described as "almost a third of the book." She said: "The fist episode is going to be about a ten-year-old girl. "It's actually not going to be about Amy Lou Wood's performance of it." She also intends to present a more nuanced view of Lowood School. Ms Battye said: "Occasionally in adaptations it's seen as just a place of privation and sort of horror. "I’ll debate this, but I also think I'm so interested in the joy at Lowood School. "The idea that it's the first place a young girl discovers the idea of a home." Ms Battye first read Jane Eyre at 15 [...] "There was a time when I was reading it every year so I’ve clocked in at least a good nine or ten readings." (Amelia Short)
The New York Times features the fact that Jane Eyre is now compulsory reading for ninth graders in China. Nearly two centuries after “Jane Eyre” first defied the conventions of Victorian England, China is requiring a new generation of teenagers to read her story. The British classic has long been popular in China and was already recommended reading for schoolchildren. But this fall, ninth-grade students across the country are being required to read the novel in full, according to Chinese state media. One report in an official newspaper held it up as an anti-materialistic love story that young people could learn from. The book, in which the young orphan Jane Eyre works as a governess in the household of the wealthy but elusive Mr. Rochester, is widely celebrated in China for its themes of independence and equality between women and men. A Chinese translation appeared as early as 1925, and there have since been numerous translations and adaptations for stage and screen. A British film adaptation was shown in Chinese theaters in 1979, just a few years after the end of the Cultural Revolution, as China was reopening to foreign culture. Ping Zhu, a literature professor at the University of California, San Diego, who researches Chinese feminism and literature, said the novel is compatible with the Chinese government’s vision of women’s equality — one that can coexist with traditional gender roles and the heterosexual nuclear family. Its inclusion in the ninth grade textbook comes as China struggles with population decline and the government encourages young people to marry and have children, she said. “‘Jane Eyre’ is about an independent woman, but she’s not too outrageous in her challenge of patriarchal power,” Ms. Zhu said. By the end of the novel, Jane has married Mr. Rochester and had a child. “All these things are what the Chinese government wants the younger generation to do,” Ms. Zhu said. Published in Britain in 1847, “Jane Eyre” was striking for its depiction of a poor young woman insisting on her independence, dignity and equality in a society in which women — particularly married women — had severely limited legal and economic autonomy. The novel has long been celebrated in China for its feminist themes, with state media often quoting Jane’s declaration to Mr. Rochester: “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart!” (Yan Zhuang and Li You) (Read more)
Arts Professional has an article by creative director of Bradford 2025 Shanaz Gulzar on ' the courage it takes to build a lasting cultural legacy'. The first two-thirds of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights features a region and its people stripped of confidence. But by the end, the fluttering moths on the quiet moors serve as a beautiful allegory for regional reclamation, as City of Culture did for Bradford. The imagination, creativity and ability to shapeshift is still here: it created the opportunity for industry and now creates a new culture-led renaissance. [...] Brontë Parsonage Museum is an interesting example of cultural infrastructure development: a tiny house at the top of Haworth village, known across the world. The Brontë Society had a long-held ambition for a presence closer to the heart of Haworth. Buoyed by their growing confidence as partners of Bradford 2025, delivering capital projects such as Changing Places toilets, access ramps and a partnership with Pa Gya! literary festival in Ghana, they bought three buildings in late 2025. This provides a unique and much needed additional space for their archives, exhibitions and team members – a visionary example of ensuring investment is used to enable a substantial future impact for the village and organisation. [...] Emily Brontë uses the metaphor of physical foundations, comparing an unyielding, eternal love for Heathcliff to “the eternal rocks beneath”. The businesses, the cultural sector, the communities, the audiences – all have fed into and created this solid foundation. It’s essential to build on that and recognise the transformation that they bought into. Wuthering Heights is a blueprint for regional renaissance; even when a place looks empty, dark or aggressively stereotyped by the outside world, the real investment is the one the community makes in itself.
The garden takes its inspiration from the exposed landscapes of the Yorkshire uplands: dry-stone walls, moorland planting and the way plants and wildlife respond to sometimes unforgiving conditions. [...] Mr Roberts, founder of Patterned Earth, a garden and landscape design practice in Netherton, said: “I wanted to take a little piece of the landscape I know and love in Yorkshire to Belvoir. "The moors, dry-stone walls and plants that somehow thrive in quite unforgiving conditions have always fascinated me. “Weathering Heights was a playful nod to Wuthering Heights, of course, but the ‘weathering’ was important too. "The garden was really about how landscapes, plants and wildlife respond and adapt to the conditions around them.” (Steve Teale)
A contributor to Her Campus suggests Cathy Earnshaw as one of '15 Niche Pop Culture Reference Halloween Costumes'. Catherine Earnshaw From Wuthering Heights If you want a costume that is actually pretty and makes you look like you stepped directly out of a dramatic period film, Catherine Earnshaw is calling your name. Think flowing dresses, romantic hair, moody makeup, and enough Victorian drama to make everyone wonder whether you’re about to run across a windswept field screaming someone’s name. It’s especially fun if your friend dresses as Heathcliff. Just remember: the more dramatic your photos are, the better. A normal smiling selfie simply will not do. (Danielle Okogho)
Spanish writer Espido Freire writes about women writers for Artículo 14 (Spain). Este pasado cuando, como todos los años, visité con mis viajeras de las rutas literarias que organizo Haworth, la casa de las hermanas Brontë estaba llena. Coincidía que un festival de literatura femenina se celebraba a escasos metros, en las instalaciones en las que Charlotte Brontë hubiera deseado abrir una escuela. Por eso o por el día soleado, había visitantes que se detenían ante la mesa de la cocina, la cama en la que murió su hermano Branwell, sus recuerdos, como si los objetos conservaran todavía una parte de la energía de quienes los tocaron; algunas lectoras se conocían de memoria episodios de Jane Eyre o de Cumbres borrascosas, (como siempre, Anne es la gran ausente en esta casa) y personas que habían viajado hasta Yorkshire porque querían ver dónde había vivido aquellas mujeres, dónde habían subido aquellas escaleras custodiadas por un reloj de abuelo y dónde habían escrito allí algunos de los libros que formna parte del patrimonio sentimental de generaciones enteras. La posteridad puede ser muy generosa con las escritoras, aunque no sea más que para compensar con lo cruel de sus vidas. Lo sabemos todas, Charlotte, Emily y Anne Brontë publicaron primero como Currer, Ellis y Acton Bell, nombres ambiguos en un mundo que, si bien acababa por aceptarlas, si eran exitosas, desconfiaban de una mujer con ambición literaria. Dos siglos después, pagamos una entrada para visitar su casa, examinamos sus diminutos manuscritos, reconstruimos sus horarios y costumbres, admiramos su coraje, escogemos una preferida y convertimos en santuario aquello que, mientras ellas vivían, no eran sino cuatro paredes opresivas. (Translation)
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