Inspired by the news of Jane Eyre now being a mandatory read for teenagers in China, a contributor to The New Indian Express discusses several aspects of the novel. So, the novel asks a more interesting question. Can a person love deeply without losing herself? Jane’s answer is yes, but only on certain terms. She leaves when staying would cost her moral independence. She returns only when things have changed. Here her inheritance matters. Independence is not just a matter of courage. Money changes her position. Once she is financially secure, going back to Rochester is a choice and not a necessity. Rochester, for his part, has lost much of his earlier power. Jane’s financial independence and Rochester’s changed circumstances alter the balance of their relationship, bringing them closer to equality. This is also why the novel can be read beyond the question of female independence. Love, in Brontë’s telling, is something Jane chooses and not something she surrenders to. A young woman can ask what independence means in a relationship. A young man can ask what equality demands of him. Rochester is charming and emotionally gripping, but he is also used to having his way. He withholds the truth from Jane and tries to set the terms of their life together. The novel does make him face those limits, and it offers a useful distinction between love and possession. Still, there is a reason not to treat this as a simple feminist text. What happens to Bertha Mason? We hear Jane’s voice throughout the book. Bertha hardly has one. Rochester’s first wife is locked in the attic and described mostly through the language of madness and monstrosity. Later writers have asked what the story looks like from her side. Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea is the best-known example. It brings race, colonialism, and gender into questions that Jane Eyre does not fully examine. I will admit that for years, I did not push this question hard enough in my own classes. I spoke about Bertha, but mostly as a plot device or a symbol. It was easier to stay with Jane. That, I think, is the real lesson of my reaction to the Chinese decision. Familiarity can make us lazy. We teach a classic through the same categories each time, such as feminism, patriarchy, romance and Victorian society, and we stop looking for what is new. The text remains the same, but our reading of it need not. A classic should not enter a classroom carrying one approved meaning. Students should be free to admire Jane and also to question her. They should understand Rochester without excusing him. They should ask why Bertha is denied the space Jane gets. And they should connect the book to their own experience of family, school, work and relationships. In that sense, teaching a classic is not simply about passing on an established interpretation. It is also about teaching students how to read critically. This is important because many young people encounter ideas about love through films, social media and stories they read online. These tend to offer quick answers. Literature can offer something slower. It lets a reader stay with a complicated human situation and look at it from more than one side. That, to my mind, is the book’s real value for a young reader today. It does not hand over the right model of love or independence. It refuses to separate the two questions. Jane wants to be free, and she also wants to love. She wants equality without giving up closeness. The novel does not settle that tension. It makes it part of growing up. Nearly two centuries later, that tension still feels familiar. Perhaps that is why readers in China, India and elsewhere keep returning to Jane. And perhaps this is why a decision made in Beijing is worth a second look for teachers in Indian classrooms. My first answer was “So what?” I no longer think that was the right one. (John J Kennedy)
The Guardian takes a closer look at lighting in theatre productions guided by designer Aideen Malone. Do all directors understand lighting? “Not to name any names,” she grins, “but some are very visual, and some aren’t.” She prefers “somebody with nerves of steel who is prepared to try stuff” – like Sally Cookson, with whom she devised hit shows such as Jane Eyre and A Monster Calls. “Devised work is nerve-racking,” says Malone, “because you don’t know what you’ve got till the last week of rehearsals. You have to figure it out once you’re in the space.” (David Jays) A new production of Jane Eyre opens tomorrow, October 28, in Ottawa, Canada:
Written by Erin Shields, based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë October 28 – November 14, 2026 Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Matinee: Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Ave, Ottawa, ON K1N 7M7, Canada
Directed by Lindsay Laviolette With Lauren Reisig, Josh Sparks, Meara Gordon, Jorge Corichi Herrejón, Aili McNamara-Kilian, Sierra Sparks, Erin Hetherington, Jennifer Rowberry, Victoria Windrem, Thomas Jestin, Sharon Bernbaum, Laasya Kandula, Susanna Doherty, Sheila Burpee Duncan, Michael Clarke, Geneviève Audet, Megan Hepburn, Christina Roman, Gabrielle Dumonceaux.
Charlotte Brontë’s haunting novel comes to the stage in a new adaptation by one of Canada’s most exciting playwrights. Erin Shields brings a sharp, witty, feminist perspective to this timeless story of an accomplished, outspoken young woman overcoming the odds to rise to her potential and claim love on her own terms.
Town and Country recommends '35 Best Classic Fall Books for a Cozy Autumn Read' including Jane Eyre Jane Eyre begins on a dreary November day—“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day...”—setting the tone for the gothic novel. Autumn remains a key backdrop throughout the novel, including when she travels to Thronfield [sic] Hall for the first time (her first morning there was “a fine autumn morning”). It’s a definitive autumn classic. (Any Brontë novel, honestly, makes great fall reading.) (Emily Burack)
Speaking of anniversaries, today October 26 marks 177 years since the publication of Charlotte Brontë's Shirley.
Via The Belfast Telegraph, we have become aware of this new initiative to revitalize the Brontë heritage in County Down, Northern Ireland:
The famous Brontë sisters’ links to Co Down are to be brought to life in the former church near Rathfriland where their clergyman father preached as a young man.Although the local council took over the Drumballyroney Church building in the 90s and turned it into the Brontë Interpretive Centre, financial constraints meant it opened infrequently, leaving fans of the literary family, who travelled to the church, often disappointed to find the doors locked.However, that is about to change thanks to a local heritage group. (Anne Harper) We are a group of volunteers working to restore the Brontë Interpretative Centre as a vibrant community hub. We are planning a year- round programme of events and activities that celebrate the unique heritage of Rathfriland and the Iveagh Region. The next event they're organizing is %20(2).jpg) Halloween @ Drumballyroney Old Church
31st October, 8pm
Drumballyroney Old Church and graveyard dates back to at least the C12th. It sits atop the Hill of the O'Rooneys (bards and poets to the the Magennis Lords of Iveagh) But the bards were much more than storytellers! They were 'seers' who brought the Otherworld to life through their art, oration, and ceremony. This is a legacy which continued at Drumballyroney following the arrival of Christianity.
So what stories still linger here in this quiet, threshold place?
Join us at Drumballyroney Old Church for an evening of seasonal stories and tales of the Otherworld. You will:
Learn about the ancient origins of our Halloween traditions, and ways to protect yourself when the veil is thin!
Try your hand at some long-forgotten seasonal pass-times.
Hear tales old (& new!) of fairies, Banshees, and other supernatural beings.
Learn about of Rathfriland's famous 'Hell Fire' Club, and the story of the real 'Squire Hawkins' (was there just one?).
Sample the 'Devil's Buttermilk' - made to a recipe preserved by the very same storytellers who preserved the tales of the Hell Fire Club and it's patrons.
Learn about the role of the bard/druid/storyteller in ancient times and how they engaged with the Otherworld.
Explore the atmospheric Old Church, and hear about the ancestors buried here including the Brontë family and the Magennis Lords of Iveagh.
It will be a real night to remember!
Daily Express sings the wonders of Haworth: "The stunning village with 70 independent shops – ‘Britain’s prettiest’": Haworth has become synonymous with literary history, thanks to the Brontë sisters who produced several famous novels such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, who called it home. The village is currently decorated for autumn – and tourists who want to experience the best of it are running out of time. Anyone planning to make the most of limited time in Haworth this autumn is advised to begin at Main Street where there are a range of independent cafes, old fashioned sweet shops and other boutique stores. (...) The Brontë Parsonage Museum is one of Haworth's most popular tourist attractions. (...) Beyond the shops is beautiful surrounding countryside accessible on foot from the village. A particularly good spot to head for is the Brontë waterfall. (Alycia McNamara)
The Lancashire Telegraph helps to pronounce Keighley correctly and also talks about the city: This columnist for The Daily Tar Heel liked Wuthering Heights 2026 better than the original novel: One of the most memorable moments from my senior semester of college was seeing Emerald Fennel’s “Wuthering Heights.” I watched it on Valentine’s Day at Silverspot Cinema with my sister and six of her friends, and I liked it way more than I should have. Ever since I was little, I remember hearing, “The book is always better than the movie.” Up until I saw “Wuthering Heights,” I used to believe it too. When I read Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” my sophomore summer, I remember feeling underwhelmed. In my Apple Books review, I gave it three stars; I had hoped that book would shake my soul, and it did not. That was really sad for me, given how much I had enjoyed her sisters’ works — Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” and Anne Brontë’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.” The week after watching the newest adaptation of Wuthering Heights was really stressful for me. It pained me to admit to all my friends that I had enjoyed the 2026 film more than the 19th century tome. I mean, I really loved it. I was sobbing so hard that people were turning around and pointing. I wasn’t the only one — a couple other girls in my row were similarly shaken. I won’t name names, but you know who you are. (Anna Garziera)
CBR makes a ranking of the Brontë sisters novels: 7. The Professor Began As A Sketch For Something Greater (...) 6. Shirley Is An Industrial Novel That Got Lost Between Two Greater Ones (...) 5. Villette Is The Most Revolutionary Novel Charlotte Brontë Ever Wrote (...) 4. Agnes Grey Invented A New Kind Of Heroine (...) 3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Dared To End A Marriage And Defends The Decision (...) 2. Jane Eyre Is A Revolutionary Exploration Of Agency (...) 1. Wuthering Heights Contains Multitudes That No Other Victorian Novel Attempted (Fawzia Khan)
Verily lists 'underrated' novels to read before Sense and Sensibility: 02. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë Even more shocking than her sister’s work, Jane Eyre, Anne Brontë cemented herself in literary history with this novel about a single mother’s surprising independence among Victorian society. You’ll love this book’s equally moody setting in a mansion that seems to take a life of its own if you’re already a fan of Austen’s Northanger Abbey. And with quite an unusual main character and subject matter for a novel of this time, this work is perfect if you’re looking for something a little more unconventional than a typical ingenue caught in a boy-meets-girl. (Eliza Monts)
Whatsonstage recommends theatre in London for this Halloween: Jane Eyre is the perfect gothic novel to get your teeth into this autumn, and audiences are spoilt for choice! John Caird and Paul Gordon’s musical adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel is currently having its UK premiere in London, while a separate play is touring. (Tanyel Gumushan) Several Spanish reviews of Sense and Sensibility 2026 mention Wuthering Heights somehow: Da gusto verla: sus imágenes son exuberantes, pictóricas, pero a la vez realistas y delicadas. Recrean la Inglaterra del XVIII con buen gusto, aire clásico, luz natural y detalles de época, pero sin el preciosismo de postal de Cumbres borrascosas, de Emerald Fennell. A su vez, se mantiene fiel al texto original, a diferencia de actualizaciones como la de Greta Gerwig en Mujercitas (La Gaceta de Salamanca) (Translation)
Estéticamente es una obra que colma el ojo del espectador y toma decisiones formales muy interesantes, aunque no alcance las cotas que lograba Andrea Arnold cuando adaptó Cumbres borrascosas.(Alejandro G. Calvo in Sensacine) (Translation)
El razonamiento podría ser, más o menos: si, desde el lado de la tragedia gótico de Emily Brontë, recientemente funcionó la adaptación de Cumbres borrascosas de Emerald Fennell, ¿por qué no probar con el realismo irónico del otro gran monumento del romanticismo? No en balde, la versión en formato serie de Orgullo y prejuicio, el otro gran libro de Austen, ya está ahí también. Dicho y hecho. (...) Se echa en falta, y mucho, la divertida sagacidad del guion de la propia Emma Thompson en la película de 1995 que de manera tan delicada como precisa y extrañada dirigiera Ang Lee. Se agradece, en cambio, que la directora no se deje seducir por los desvaríos a los que se entregó Emerald Fennell en su lectura de Cumbres borrascosas. (Luis Martínez in El Mundo) (Translation)
Foro3D mentions Lilia Hassaine's JE novel. Canal 26 (Argentina) visits Haworth. More Recent Articles
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