Brooding with the Brontes - Interview with N.B. Roberts

Before I present my post, I need to acknowledge that today is a very special day - it's the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Bronte's birth!  Happy Birthday Charlotte!

For Brooding with the Brontes, I reached out to a lovely author, who wrote a fantastic Jane Eyre inspired novel called "Halton Cray" (which I reviewed on my blog), for her Bronte related thoughts, since I found her novel so fascinating and was curious about her experiences and thoughts on the Brontes.

Her follow-up novel to "Halton Cray" - titled The 13th Baronet, is coming soon, and the author was kind enough to share the cover and a teaser from the second book with my blog!  Check it out below.  And thank you so much for your time Nicola!

Q. With your novel Halton Cray being inspired by Jane Eyre, I know you are a big fan of Charlotte’s novel, but what are your thoughts on the other Bronte novels you’ve read?

What’s so striking to me is how different the Bronte books are from one another; the authors had distinct styles, and I love their works in different ways. Wuthering Heights is my second favourite and I’m particularly fond of those first few chapters, with Mr Lockwood grasping a cold hand through the window: it’s a chilling discovery that kept me reading this intense, fiery tale. It’s full of dislikeable characters, but who I enjoyed reading about. In that sense, I found it as brutally honest as the ruthless climate, and ultimately not a romance at all, but a tragedy. I appreciated the story much more on reflection than during reading, probably due to the extreme and contrasting dialect used to show the class divide, which is vital to the story of Cathy and Heathcliff, but ultimately creates a bit of work for the reader. I’m no stranger to broad northern English accents (my father is from the north, my mother from the south), but I struggled with some of the northern vernacular. I really wanted to immerse myself in the unfolding of such a stormy and engrossing tale, but the stop-start of constant translation took me out of the flow a little. It was only once I had a complete picture that I could admire it for the excellent work it is.

Continue reading →

Brooding About the Brontes

Today kicks off the Brooding About the Brontës event hosted by Girl With Her Head In A Book!  This week on Susie's blog you can find the schedule, book reviews as well as guest posts from some of the participants.  The event has daily topics for bloggers to talk about, but for me, I decided to answer all of the questions in one post, as I have a few other posts planned for this week.  To begin:

Why do you love the Brontës?

The first Brontë book I ever read was Wuthering Heights, which was a strange novel.  One that I didn't really empathize with, but one that I found very fascinating and difficult to put down.  I can't say I really liked Wuthering Heights though, but I decided to give that other Brontë book a chance.  And so I read Jane Eyre, and I was lost forever.  Of course, now I've read all the novels by the sisters, and find them special for different reasons and I think it's because they are varied, and emotional and intense (except Agnes Grey haha) that I love the Brontës' work so much.  The atmosphere, drama and the characters appeal to me.

Pick your favourite Brontë novel

Jane Eyre.  I guess check out my review of Jane Eyre with Gifs if you are interested in more thoughts!

Do you have a ‘favourite sister’?

Charlotte Brontë!  Most because of Jane Eyre.  It's just hard for me to find the other sisters more dear because the mind that would create such a story as Jane Eyre, must be someone I can identify strongly with.  Charlotte seemed the most fun too - snarky, sharp, witty.  I feel like I could have really talked to her.

Pick your favourite Brontë-related book (fiction or non-fiction)

This is hard for me to choose, but I guess I'll go with my favorite retelling of Jane Eyre called "Jane_E: Friendless Orphan" by Erin McCole-Cupp.  It's a futuristic retelling, and it's not very well known, but I think it did a fantastic job of bringing the same amount of emotion to the characters.  It's a more straightforward retelling too, compared to others I have read.  Which I don't necessarily prefer, but it worked well for me in this case.

Are the Brontës being forgotten?

I don't think so - at least not Charlotte and Emily.  Anne has always been overshadowed by her sisters which is unfortunate, but she is often remembered in connection with her sisters.  With it being the 200th anniversary of Charlotte's birth this year, there are even more events and attention being paid to the Brontës lives now which is wonderful.  I'm looking forward to a BBC drama coming out later this year called "To Walk Invisible" all about the Brontë sisters.

Which Brontë fictional heroine (or indeed leading man) do you most closely identify with?

Jane, Jane, Jane.  I love her for her intelligence, her passion, her resiliency, and her morality.  I don't know if I am very like her, but I feel like I often aspire to be her.  I should get a bracelet that says WWJED (What would Jane Eyre do? :D)

Brooding About the Brontes Announcement

New event alert!  :) In April I'm participating in this fab Bronte centered blog event hosted by Girl With Her Head In A Book (check the link for more information and to sign up!)


I will be sharing a guest post on Susie's blog, as well as having some Bronte themed - okay, who am I kidding - mostly Jane Eyre themed posts on my blog during that week.  I haven't yet solidified everything I'll be posting but I will be writing a post about my favorite Jane Eyre adaptation, and featuring an interview with an author who's work is inspired by the Brontes!   I'm very much looking forward to sharing these posts with everyone!

If you are a Bronte fan, it would be lovely if you would join in on the fun!  Discussion posts, book reviews, and anything related is welcome!

The Refined Reader (11) Austen vs. Brontë - A Contemporary Debate

The Refined Reader aims to take a look at the journey to where we are as readers today.  It's part history, part commentary - providing a brief, conversational summary of various aspects of our bookish past and comparing it to how it has affected us in modern times.  I love history, but I am no historian, and while I plan to do my research, if there are any errors, please let me know!  This is as much a learning venture for me as I hope it is for my blog visitors!

Source (Although it erroneously labels Charlotte as her sister Emily)

Jane Austen vs. Charlotte Brontë.  An age-old debate.  If you are familiar with my blog, you will doubtless know to which camp my heart belongs to (hint: Gothic governesses FTW!) but for this post I wanted to examine what their peers would have said on the subject by looking at reviews of their work; reviews that were written in their time.  Basically if this debate was happening in the 1800s who would win?  With only three talking points to compare them on for this post.  (Obviously Austen and Brontë were not exactly contemporaries of each other so a direct comparison is difficult.  But I'll do my best!)

Morality

In the 19th century, morality was often a hugely important aspect of literature.  Because people were more religious and more concerned that novels set a good example,  I think any debate of the time would consider a good moral center to be a necessary attribute of a superior novel.  And it was definitely discussed in contemporary reviews of the authors.

For Charlotte Brontë it was said:
"We are painfully alive to the moral, religious, and literary deficiencies of the picture, and such passages of beauty and power as [are contained in Jane Eyre] cannot redeem it [...]"

Granted, that was from the notoriously most harsh review of Jane Eyre by Elizabeth Rigby, but it echoed much of what critics would say about the novel at the time.  Jane Austen faired a little better because her novels were seen as realistic and plausible - I've seen some reviews praise lessons learned (for example in the elopment of Lydia) but others find fault in Austen's lack of instructive morality.  All things considered though, I think most people at the time would find Austen's novels more strictly moral than Brontë's passionate "undisciplined spirit" so on this point I think the winner would be Austen.

Winner: Jane Austen

Writing style/Plot

Austen and Brontë had very different writing styles - each as eloquent and expressive as the other, but with different aims - Austen's use of irony and wit was a highlight, adding to the realism in her work, while Brontë's ardent prose highlighted emotion and individual thought.  But which was better received by contemporary readers of the day in terms of enjoyment and relatability?

Sir Walter Scott said of Jane Austen's novel Emma that it "[copies] from nature as she really exists in the common walks of life, and presenting to the reader, instead of the splendid scenes of an imaginary world, a correct and striking representation of that which is daily taking place around him." 

Of Jane Eyre, the Westminster Review praises "the natural tone pervading the narrative, and the originality and freshness of its style."

It seems like a natural style is praised for both, with more originality praised in Brontë's work because Austen is much more "correct."  I think both authors were well received in how they brought their characters and plot to life, but for Charlotte Brontë, the drama in her narrative appealed more than Austen's "common sense and subtle shrewdness." (that quote is from a letter Brontë wrote!)  Certainly there seemed more enthusiasm for Charlotte's prose given her popularity which I'll go into in the next paragraph.

Winner: Charlotte Brontë

Popularity

I was surprised to find that Austen was not very popular in her time.  It might be due to the lack of sensationalism in her books that made this so, something Charlotte Brontë could not be accused of and sensationalism was fashionable at the time - books that made people gossip and talk sold well.  And Jane Eyre was very popular after it's release since it was reprinted three times, while none of Austen's novels were, in the immediate period after her death.  So in terms of popularity I think Charlotte is the winner.

Winner: Charlotte Brontë

Technically I think the "writing style" section can be argued for either authors, but I do feel like since Brontë was much more popular in her time, it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that she would have won this debate.  Obviously Austen is much more appreciated now, and rightly so, so when it comes to these debates it is mostly fun to discuss but it doesn't prove anything.  Both authors are amazing.

Now I'm almost afraid to ask this - How do you weigh in?  Are you more of an Austen or Brontë fan?

(I realize that for most of this post I compared reviews of Jane Eyre specifically to reviews of Jane Austen novels generally, but it was difficult to find reviews of Charlotte Brontë's other novels for some reason!)

Sources:
Wikipedia
1813 Review of Pride and Prejudice
Pemberley.com
Victorian Web
Brooklyn College
Excerpt of London Quarterly Review

Jane Eyre: A Review in Gifs

Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë

If you haven't read this book, I must warn you this review has spoilers!  I love this book so much, and I think gif reviews are fun, so I wanted to use them to celebrate my favorite story! (And it gives me an excuse to use all these gifs from my favorite fandoms!)  This isn't so much a review as a silly lovefest, mostly for my own amusement.  Sorry!

Now it's time to enter:

Continue reading →

Touring Jane Eyre Country

1973 adaptation with Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston

If you've followed my blog for a bit of time, then you know I'm kind of a big, ridiculous, adoring fan of Jane Eyre.  And my trip to England last month wasn't about London sightseeing (though I did do some of that!), but meeting up with a small group of like-minded fans; people who I've talked "Jane Eyre" shop with for years, and seeing the places that we've been reading about and seeing in films for years.  And I can't tell you how much fun it was! Although this trip was definitely too short (there are so many Jane Eyre-related places to see!) it was a great overview trip, and if any other Jane Eyre fans out there wanted to make a similar pilgrimage, absolutely go for it!  It's fantastic to see these places!

To begin, us group of fans have a favorite adaptation.  It's from 1973 and starred Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. In many ways, this trip was about celebrating this adaptation.  It is the 40th anniversary of the miniseries this year.  And the first part of our trip was having lunch with the actor to play Mr. Rochester in this version, Michael Jayston, who I met a few years ago (and that was amazing and kind of incredible).  Our lunch contained "a few" Jane Eyre related questions and comments and really just lovely conversation with an incredibly kind and talented actor.  I think it fantastic we started off this trip talking to (an actor who played) Mr. Rochester!

Um, people actually live here! There's a gorgeous library with a TV IN IT.

The next day, which was also Midsummer Day (the day Jane gets engaged to Mr. Rochester in the novel!), we headed to Renishaw Hall - about 2 1/2 hours drive from London.  Renishaw was Thornfield Hall in the 1973 adaptation.  Driving in England, especially if you are not familiar with the streets, can be pretty confusing.  The road signs are small and somewhat oddly placed.  So after stopping at our Sheffield hotel to drop off our luggage, we took a long Sheffield Detour (we got lost) before finally arriving at the Hall, literally minutes after the tour of the Hall had begun.  Luckily they are so nice there and let us in right away so we could learn the history of the estate.  It is doubtful any of the 1973 adaptation was filmed inside Renishaw Hall, so it was really the outside of the house and grounds that was the major draw for me.  We walked around snapping pictures and recreating a few scenes from the book - I am glad to think that the Hall was closing in an hour so no one (?) was around to see our silliness!  But we were so excited to be there we couldn't help ourselves.  Or chalk it up to midsummer madness.  And it was so lovely to walk around the gardens - it's beautifully cultivated with so many scenic views.  And cows at the bottom of it for some reason.  If one is going there by public transport, you might have a bit of a walk up to the Hall or chance an infrequent bus, but there is a Super Tram close by that takes you directly to Sheffield and that was really convenient.

The next day was devoted to Haddon Hall - film Thornfield in 3 adaptations of Jane Eyre - 1996, 2006,

I lurked in the hedges waiting for Jane or Rochester to come out.  No luck.

and 2011.  Not only the outside, but the inside as well, so I was very excited to explore this place!  And this time we only took public transport - a bus took us from Sheffield to the nearest town of Bakewell and from there another bus took us right to the gates of the Hall.  But since the distance from Bakewell to Haddon Hall was only a mile and a half we decided to walk it and imagine Jane walking home to Thornfield and coming upon it's view.  But Haddon Hall is set quite a ways back from the road, so there really wasn't a clear view until you're nearly upon it.  But what a view!  So imposing and beautiful! (a little like Blanche Ingram in that way I guess)  And walking into the main court was just like seeing the films unfold before me.  As one of our group pointed out, Haddon Hall is rather too grand to be the Thornfield of the book, but the numerous associations I have with it to Thornfield because of the films, meant many times I saw scenes from the novel in different parts of the grounds.  The long gallery where Jane teaches Adele, or the chapel where you know what happens, running in from the rain through the courtyard, seeing the main room, the stairwell, the bridges and the gardens - a flood of scenes washed over me!  That day the Hall had a Tudor wedding event going on where reenactment actors dressed period and went about preparing for the wedding.  It was really fun to watch them in character and it was a very well done event (though a little jarring for my 19th century mindset) so I have to recommend visits to the Hall as a fun outing if you are in the area.  And Bakewell is known for the Bakewell Pudding - which was such a delicious pastry!  Perfect for my sweet tooth!  They don't overuse sugar in England like they do in the States...

         

And me! 2013

2011 adaptation, Michael Fassbender

The final stop of the Jane Eyre tour was the home of the author - Haworth.  I had been once before, but that was only a day trip and now I had two days in Haworth to do so much more.  It's incredible to walk the steeply cobbled street to the Parsonage where the Brontë's lived and created such iconic works of fiction.  The Parsonage museum has done an amazing job of preserving the house and their legacy, and seeing the Brontë's clothes, locks of hair even, and tiny hand-written books was so emotional for me.  I wish I could express how much it means for a fan like me to be there but there are no words.  Our group did joke about pooling our resources and moving there to start a B&B/shop because although the place is isolated, the stark beauty, history and the shadow of the Brontës made Haworth intensely appealing.

On our second day in Haworth, I headed to the Parsonage again because I had made an appointment online with their Research Library to view some of their archives.  Namely anything to do with the 1973 adaptation (because I maintain a website for the miniseries here).  And for the Parsonage to even offer this opportunity to regular people is wonderful of them, and the whole experience was smoothly run.  The box of materials was already out for me to peruse and I could make photocopies of whatever I wished for a small charge per page.  I wish I had more things to research, it was so nice to be in their library.  And I got to walk through the kitchen exhibit!  I am just so in love with the Parsonage!

This is probably what Heaven looks like. Just with angels.

After the library visit, a group of us went for a ramble on the moors, a place near and dear to the Brontës.  We took the walk to the Brontë waterfall - a place the Brontë siblings would often visit, and thankfully a walk that was not too daunting for a resolute sedentary like me.  The walk is pretty clearly signposted, but a map is recommended - you don't want to get lost!  And fortunately we had an experienced navigator in our group to keep us on track.  There are sheep roaming the moors, absolutely breathtaking views (it's so foreign for a Californian to see how very green it is in England), and very interesting ruins and rocky pathways.  And stiles for those who know the significance of that from Jane Eyre!  It was a lovely day (for Haworth) sunny, but with cloud cover and a bracing wind to keep one from overheating.  And this was a great way to end our tour - walking the paths the Brontës' might have walked, and getting a fresh perspective on the scenes from Jane Eyre where she wandered the moors (we did lay on the moors for the experience!)  But this whole trip was about getting a fresh perspective on the novel and experiencing what we have been experiencing in our imagination for so many years.  A truly wondrous vacation for this book lover and a great experience to share with other fans of the book.  I mean, I have no one at home here to whom I can quote the book and make references that they would understand!  I just felt so comfortable with these wonderful people, in these wonderful places that the whole trip was such a joy.

To round off my tour, in London I visited the National Portrait Gallery to see the original 'Pillar' portrait of the Brontë sisters painted by their brother Branwell.  And boy did I gaze at that picture a long time!  Then I went to the British Library where I believe they have an original fair copy manuscript of Jane Eyre written in Charlotte's hand, but it was not on display in their Literary Treasures room.  Oh well.  I think I had a wealth of luck for this trip already (especially when it came to the weather!) that I didn't mind that so much.

Special thanks to my friends from all over the world who went on this trip with me - Birgit, Eva, Kristine, and Ligia.  Thank you for making this trip amazing! (And here's to doing it all over again in 2017!)

And one last picture from Sheffield.  They have a couple streets with the name of Eyre, and I was surprised to see the phrase in this sign - "Streets Ahead".  I thought that was just a catch-phrase from Community!

*all photos were taken by me or a friend, except for the two from adaptations of Jane Eyre

Tune in next week for my review of Jane Eyre the novel (it won't be my usual style of reviews) and for a Jane Eyre inspired book - Eyre House by Cait Greer.

Review: "Selected Letters"

Selected Letters

by Charlotte Brontë

About:

These letters give an insight into the life of a writer whose novels continue to be bestsellers. They reveal much about Charlotte Bront:e's personal life, her family relationships, and the society in which she lived. Many of her early letters are written with vigour, vivacity, and an engaging aptitude for self-mockery. In contrast, her letters to her "master", the Belgian schoolteacher Constantin Heger, reveal her intense, obsessive longing for some response from him. Other letters are deeply moving, when Charlotte endures the agony of her brother's and sisters' untimely deaths. We learn also of the progress of her writing, including the astonishing success of Jane Eyre, and of her contacts with her publishers, including the young George Smith; and we recognize in her letters the life-experiences which are transmuted into the art of her novels. Contemporary society is brilliantly described in her letters from London, when she writes of her encounters with famous writers and with critics of her novels. We hear too of her visits to art galleries, operas, and the Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace. Dramatic letters written in December 1852 convey the "turbulence of feeling" in the Haworth curate Arthur Nicholls's proposal of marriage to her and in Mr Bront:e's violent reaction to it; and we subsequently hear of her secret correspondence with her suitor, her father's eventual consent, and her tragically brief happy marriage, cut short by her death in March 1855.

Review:

This was a great overview of Charlotte's life through her letters. I loved that there were footnotes after each letter (instead of having to turn to the back) and those footnotes were very helpful. Reading this book gave me a new insight into what Charlotte might have been like, and has made me think about her novels in a new light. Especially in how so many of her characters are based on people she knew.