A recent article on Wuthering Heights adaptations:
by Mariana Chajon Oliveros Pivot: Literary Journal, 11(1), 20-25 (2026)
Abstract This is a brief personal essay that critiques Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights, provides a brief overview of the field of classic novel adaptation over the past thirty years and proposes questions that go outside of the well-known, “how do we create interest?”. In this essay, I consider what the future of film adaptation looks like, and how Hollywood can move towards capitalizing on universal aspects of classic novels, as well as how it can utilize modern systems of knowledge, such as psychology, critical race theory, sexuality and gender studies, to provide an added layer of meaning, or represent what goes unsaid in many works of classic literature. Fennell’s adaptation serves as a jumping-off point to assess the current challenges of literary adaptations, and the novel Wuthering Heights is used as an example for creative ideation.
À travers le destin d’Antoinette Cosway, personnage de Jane Eyre – dont les initiales, J. E., résonnent dans le titre –, Lilia Hassaine explore les mécanismes de l’effacement, de l’enfermement et de la reconquête de soi. En Jamaïque, en 1831, Antoinette Cosway s’éprend d’Edward Rochester, mais l’élan amoureux cède peu à peu la place à la domination et à la violence. Celle que l’histoire a reléguée au silence entreprend alors de reprendre possession de son propre récit. Harper’s Bazaar : Quel a été le point de départ de JE ? Lilia Hassaine : J’ai découvert Jane Eyre de Charlotte Brontë à l’adolescence. À l’époque, j’y ai lu exactement ce qu’on m’avait appris à y voir : l’histoire d’amour entre une jeune orpheline devenue gouvernante et le maître du manoir anglais où elle travaille. Mais au moment du mariage, elle découvre qu’une femme est séquestrée dans ce manoir et que cet homme est déjà marié avec celle-ci. Lui affirme que son épouse est folle, dangereuse, qu’il l’a enfermée pour son propre bien ; en somme, il se présente comme la véritable victime de l’histoire. Et puis je l’ai relu il y a deux ans, et je n’ai pas lu le même livre. Mon regard de lectrice s’était complètement déplacé. H.B. : Dans quel sens ? L.H. : Je me suis demandé ce qui avait changé pour que je ne voie plus que cette femme, au point qu’elle devienne une obsession. Elle occupe très peu de place dans Jane Eyre. Elle est décrite comme une créature sauvage, menaçante, avec des traits qui relèvent parfois d’une représentation profondément marquée par les préjugés raciaux de l’époque. À la relecture, de nombreux éléments m’ont mise mal à l’aise. J’ai eu envie de comprendre cette femme, de lui redonner une histoire. Qu’avait-elle vécu avant d’être réduite à cette figure monstrueuse ? Cela a fait naître une autre réflexion. Si mon regard avait changé, c’était sans doute parce que mes propres expériences avaient transformé ma manière de lire. Mais ce déplacement tenait aussi à quelque chose de plus collectif : l’époque elle-même avait changé, et avec elle les questions que nous posons aux textes. H.B. : Vous écrivez : “Cette œuvre ne fut pas l’œuvre d’un seul homme ; il faut toute une société pour rendre possible une telle entreprise.” Cette phrase semble entrer en écho avec des réalités très actuelles. Aviez-vous cette dimension contemporaine en tête dès le début de l’écriture, ou s’est-elle imposée progressivement ? L.H. : Lorsque j’ai écrit JE, les affaires Bruel ou Lyhanna n’avaient pas encore éclaté, mais cette question me révoltait déjà. Pour moi, les affaires Epstein et toutes les autres n’ont jamais été des cas isolés : elles révèlent un problème systémique, profondément sociétal. On les a longtemps réduites à des histoires d’intimité, au nom de la vie privée, comme si s’y intéresser relevait de l’intrusion. Or c’est à l’échelle de la société qu’il faut penser ces violences. Elles ne peuvent exister sans une forme de complicité collective : il y a ceux qui savaient, ceux qui se sont tus, ceux qui ont préféré regarder ailleurs. Aujourd’hui, nous comprenons mieux certains mécanismes de ces violences, mais il reste beaucoup à faire. (Florine Delcourt) (Translation)
Collider has ranked 'The 10 Saddest Books of All Time,' and Wuthering Heights makes it to #8. 8 'Wuthering Heights' (1847) Some people might try telling you that Wuthering Heights is a romantic novel, but sometimes, some people are wrong. There are feelings of longing and desire here, but the passionate stuff is also destructive, and Wuthering Heights is more focused on looking at the lingering effects of trauma, alongside exploring prejudice, class, inequality, and all sorts of other things that aren’t particularly romantic. There are some adaptations of Emily Brontë’s source material that lean into romance, or have things play out as a love story of a bittersweet nature, but in the book, there is not much love, traditional or otherwise. In its place, you do get a ton of sadness in Wuthering Heights, and it’s remarkable how much of that emotional devastation still packs a punch close to two centuries on from the novel’s publication. (Jeremy Urquhart)
A contributor to Her Campus suggests '10 Literary Halloween Costumes For The Book Lovers,' and one of them is 9. Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre For those who want their Halloween costume to look like it belongs in a moody period drama, say hello to Jane Eyre. Jane’s wardrobe is understated, which actually makes this a pretty easy costume to recreate. Look for a long black, gray, or dark-colored dress with a high neckline and simple silhouette. Add a book, a ribbon, or an old-fashioned-looking bag, and you’re ready to wander around Halloween parties looking like you’ve just escaped Thornfield Hall. (Danielle Okogho)
And finally, an article on 'Why the rise of Christianity is not what you think' in The Critic begins as follows: As I stood, packed into a sea of commuters, a man in full tweed, thick-rimmed glasses and freshly polished brogues stepped onto the tube/bus beside me and pulled out a battered, Penguin vintage paperback. It could have been a novel such as Jane Eyre, but instead he pulled out the Holy Bible. (Iona Lowe)
From the Ivory Coast:
by Ouana Alassane Sekongo, University Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire, Wandja Fatoumata Tuo, Université Alassane Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire, Omar Ndiaye, Université Cheik Anta Diop, Sénégal, Ataféї Pewissi, Université de Lomé, Togo Revue Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée, de Littérature et d’Education, Volume 9 Numéro 2 – Juin 2026
This paper investigates the complex interplay between love, trauma and revenge in EmilyBrontë’s Wuthering Heights, focusing on the character of Heathcliff. It shows how desire forvengeance against the offenders intertwines with strong love. Through a psychoanalytic lens and close reading of the text, the investigation demonstrates that Heathcliff’s trauma and self-immolation – both emotionally and physically – serve as a manifestation of his obsessive longing for Catherine. Ultimately, the study found that revenge, rather thanbeing a mere act of malice, can be a misguided attempt to reclaim lost love, highlightingthe tragic consequences of intertwining passion with vengeance. It indicates thatvengeance against those who hate us does not attract human heart, but it only leads toone’s own destruction. Therefore, the article upholds that patience, redemption andmutual understanding remain the bedrocks of any truthful and lasting human relationship.
Many sites are featuring the premiere of Jane Eyre the Musical in London. From Playbill together with some new pictures: John Caird and Paul Gordon's 2000 musical version of Jane Eyre is getting a long-awaited U.K. debut at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, and Playbill has a first look at the new production. Performances began August 28 and continue through October 24. Opening night is September 8. (...) The new staging is co-directed by Caird (Les Misérables) and Megan McGinnis, reuniting after the latter starred in Caird's Daddy Long Legs musical. The production is being produced by Adam Blanshay Productions in partnership with the work's original Canadian producers, David and Hannah Mirvish. The cast is led by Charlie Burn as Jane and Ashley Gilmour as Rochester, with Claire Greenway as Abbot and Grace Poole; Melad Hamidi as St. John and Lord Ingram; Connor Wood as John Reed and Vicar; Jonathan Andrew Hume as Brocklehurst and Mason; Izzi Levine as Agnes, Leah, Jane's Mother, and Mary Ingram; Hannah Lindsey as Scatcherd and Bertha Mason; Isabelle Methven as Helen Burns and Bessie; Gemma Page as Reed and Fairfax; Eve Shanu-Wilson as Blanche and Sophie; and Poppy Jason and Emily-Rose Samuel as Young Jane and Adele. Casting is by Sarah-Jane Price. The musical premiered in Toronto in 1996, ultimately making it to Broadway in 2000, bringing Brontë's classic gothic romance to the world of musical theatre. The work would go on to earn five 2001 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. A starry concert production brought the musical back to NYC with a Manhattan Concert Productions performance at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall starring Erika Henningsen and Ramin Karimloo. News of this production also comes just after the launch of a new chamber revision of the musical with theatrical licensor Music Theatre International. Having premiered in 2024 at North Carolina's Theatre Raleigh with a smaller orchestration, reduced casting needs, and changes to the lyrics and book, this edition likely served as the basis for the U.K. premiere at the 310-seat venue. “I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to explore a new version of Jane Eyre in the beautifully intimate Southwark Playhouse Elephant," said Caird in an earlier statement. "It's always a pleasure to work on this timeless romance but all the more exciting to be collaborating with the brilliant and innovative Megan McGinnis as co-director." “Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece is not only a landmark portrayal of a strong female protagonist, but a story that sends audiences out of the theatre feeling better about their own lives than when they walked in," added Gordon. The production features choreography by Georgina Lamb, music direction and supervision by Ben Kubiak, set and costume design by Morgan Large, sound design by Andrew Johnson, and lighting design by James Whiteside. (Logan Culwell-Block)
Manchester Evening News recommends an autumnal trip to Haworth by describing it as 'The 'witchy' Yorkshire village with cosy pubs and cafes that's straight out of Gilmore Girls, perfect for autumn', which seriously couldn't be sillier.
Glam features Charlotte Brontë and some quotes. Clara (Spain) recommends Wuthering Heights among other classic novels written by women. The Brontë Sisters UK posta a video sharing a walk across the windswept Haworth moors with her daughter and dogs, exploring why this wild landscape meant so much to the Brontë family.
A Bangladesh Brontë-related bachelor thesis: by Sajal Hossain Dhaly BRAC University 2026
The purpose of this research is to discern whether Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea and Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Paradise are “writing back” to the English and European colonial empires and their literary canons, specifically to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Foundational postcolonial literary theories from books and academic journals provide context to the efficacy of Rhys and Gurnah’s writing back: such as Edward Said’s Orientalism, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s idea of the Subaltern, and Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of mimicry. Furthermore, the research also relies on Chinua Achebe’s theory of abrogation and appropriation of the English language as a means of resistance and taking back agency by the colonised subjects. Upon assessing these books, book chapters, and articles, the research finds that Rhys and Gurnah are in fact not writing back to any colonial empire or writer; Rhys writes for a feminist Creole identity, and Gurnah writes to help establish the African literary tradition.
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