The Squeee

Got an email a while back about a new Brontë biography that's out now. The email didn't say too much about it (like a title), aside from that it "rocks major myths surrounding the family", but there was a link to a YouTube video. Thought I'd share it and see what you reckon. Video description reads: More than just a biography, 'Charlotte Brontë's Thunder' is for readers who love a good detective story or a dark, haunting murder mystery. This shocking and controversial biography proves that Charlotte wrote all the Bronte novels. Why did she use 3 male pen names? Charlotte was desperate to protect herself and her sisters Emily and Anne from a few corrupt and dangerous men whose crimes she was secretly recording in her writing.

If you would like to see some footage from See Film Differently's Jane Eyre premiere at Haddon Hall, there's a little film here: Both the Squeeze and I completely managed to evade being captured on film, apparently, despite me wearing my "Team Edward Rochester" t-shirt. Nice to see the bit with Cary Fukanaga (doesn't he kinda remind you of Johnny Depp?), as that seemed to be cut off when we were actually there, due to some terrible lag in the system. Also, there's an event on next Saturday, which I'm hoping to attend. And yes, I know, I still need to type up about the screening. Things got in the way, I'm afraid. Considering making it a Sunday Matinée post, which means it's still a few weeks in the future, as it's currently occupied by the German travel diary. Or maybe I'll reschedule. We'll see. P.S. If you want to live in a place that inspired Charlotte Brontë, Thornton Hall in Thornton near Bradford is up for sale , for th...

In the review of Jane Eyre (2011) , I mentioned that there were a few things I would have a separate rant about. This is that post. It will contain lots of spoilers, it will be ranting. Readers of a delicate disposition might want to look away now, even though I don't use the F word once. This is in some sort of chronological order and might be edited if I can think of more things after posting. Ready? Here we go.

So, we finally made it to North Lees Hall outside Hathersage in north Derbyshire. ( Previous post about this day is here , by the way.) We drove up to the house, parked on the side of the field where other people were parked, tried to get an overturned sign to stay up in the wind (it wouldn't), and walked up to the old house. First impressions, aside from fangirly glee of being somewhere where Charlotte Brontë had been and been so inspired by, was that the house itself is rather on the small side, but wow, the views of the Derbyshire hills from there are extraordinary! How's this for a view? The reason behind going to North Lees Hall in the first place is of course that it's one of the buildings that inspired Charlotte Brontë to write about Thornfield in Jane Eyre . In fact, the description of Thornfield Hall does ring true with North Lees (which also, as it happens, was the ancestral home of the Eyre family), with a tower and turrets and the surroundings, nestled...

I love the richness of detail in Jane Eyre . Charlotte Brontë weaves Jane’s inner life and her outer surroundings into a tapestry of emotion, physical sensation and contrast. The themes that run throughout the story are both subtle and strong, resulting in a coming-of-age / gothic horror / love story / portrait of integrity that I return to again and again. One theme is that of insight and blindness. Brontë describes many of her characters’ eyes in great detail. Take this quiz to see if you can match the eyes with the character. Who has:

The Awl has posted a list of 111 Male Characters Of British Literature, In Order Of Bangability . (Thanks for posting about it in the forum, rhubarbsmom!) First of all, let's correct the image they use to illustrate the article, as they've chosen number THREE on the list as opposed to number one. Can't have that now, can we? There we go. MUCH better. Order is restored. Ta-daaaah!! Mr. Rochester of Jane Eyre made number one! :D Congratulations on your impeccable taste, Carrie Frye! Of course he is the most bangable character in British literature. Here are some reflections on selected parts of the rest of the list:

We interrupt the regular broadcast of FanstRAvaganza 2 in order to have a rant about some mucking fuppets I just came across online and want to scream about for a bit. If you're the sort of person whose religious prejudices get in the way of, oh I dunno, education , you should really give this post a miss, or you're likely to be tremendously offended. Don't say I didn't warn you. The first one, Jane Eyre: Oblivious or Needy? tries to make some kind of point of Jane being oblivious for not realising there was something shady going on at Thornefield. "No one can be that oblivious" it says, and also goes on to claim that Jane was needy for ... St. John wanting to marry her? Does not compute? How can Jane be blamed for being needy when it's not as if she encouraged St. John's attentions and in fact, when he asked her to marry him, she flat out refused? If she was needy, surely she would have accepted his proposal and ignored his jibe about her being ma...

Originally posted 25 January 2010 on a different blog. Wow, that header sounds like a 50s/60s band! :) Work has begun on a second scene, set in Edward Rochester's childhood, where we get to meet not only him but also his older brother Rowland. From what I can tell, there's no names given for their parents, nor does it say what the age difference between the brothers is, or indeed what Rowland eventually died of. This means, I suppose, I'm at liberty to make these things up as I go along, which is both exciting and scary. I want to be following Charlotte Brontë's original text as closely as possible, so if I do come across a reference that actually mentions these things, I'll go by the book. Now, I don't think there are that many years between the boys. Doubt it's more than five. Haven't exactly decided on what, but on the other hand, I haven't even decided how old Edward is supposed to be in the scene, or exactly what happened, but I have an in...

Originally posted 23 January 2010 on a different blog. Handwritten draft, exactly as it was written on paper, so no corrections more than the ones on the paper itself. Just typing it down makes me want to change stuff around, add things, remove repetitions, and realise that there are a few instances of where the text gets rather confusing, or even goes to innuendo town...

If you thought Charlotte Brontë only wrote Jane Eyre , you are mistaken. Her second published book was Shirley , and good ol' BBC have made an adaptation in six parts of it. For radio, not TV. Oh well, you can't have everything. If I understand the website correctly, it was first broadcast in September 2007, so it's not actually new new. Part one was broadcast this morning at 10 am (thanks for the tip, BrontëBlog !) and part two is tomorrow at 10 am, and the rest follow at the same time in the rest of the working week, with the final two parts next Monday and Tuesday. Linkage: Charlotte Brontë's Shirley on BBC Radio 7 - part 1 is available on BBC iPlayer for 7 days.

I know the article "Mr. Rochester is a Creep: A List" by Edan Lepucki is just plain linkbait, and that by posting about it here, The Millions is/are (whatever) getting linklove, but I'll ignore that for now. As a "somewhat" obsessive Jane Eyre fan and definite "Team Rochester" member, my temper has been roused and will not be settled will less than a passionate rebuttal. While the webcomic that the article links to is one I've seen before and used to have as a wallpaper on my computer (although it completely ignores the fact that Anne wrote more than just Tenant ), calling two of the finest authors of the English language "deeply weird" is not on! Charlotte and Emily weren't weird. Heathcliff, fine - asshole, psychopath, creepy and duplicitous are all words that can be used to describe him. I can think of a few more to add to the list as well. But Rochester?! (The author hasn't read Wide Sargasso Sea yet - it's going to...

by Charlotte Brontë; script adaptation by Amy Corzine, artwork by John M Burns, lettering by Terry Wiley (Classical Comics, 2010 [1847]) "I scorn your idea of love and the counterfeit sentiment you offer. And I scorn you when you offer it." This Charlotte Brontë classic is brought to vibrant life by artist John M. Burns. His sympathetic treatment of Jane Eyre's life during the 19th century will delight any reader with its strong emotions and wonderfully rich atmosphere. Travel back to a time of grand Victorian mansions contrasted with the severest poverty and immerse yourself in this love story. It is presented in full colour graphic novel format wonderfully illustrated by legendary artist John M. Burns. It meets UK curriculum requirements. Teachers notes/study guides for KS2/KS3 available. There's not a lot to say about the graphic novel version of Jane Eyre more than "it's the most faithful adaptation I've come across". It even got th...

Question posed a while back was: who's your preference, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice , or Mr. John Thornton from Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South ? 1. John Thornton - 39 votes - 88%  2. Fitzwilliam Darcy - 5 votes - 11% Thank you to the 44 voters, the results are perhaps not that surprising, considering I'd say the majority of the readers of this blog (love you all!) are fans of Richard Armitage. ;) On the other hand, Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, he was the first introduction I had to the wonderful world of period drama, and my first cravat crush. (The 2005 version of P&P just doesn't work for me at all. Colin Firth is and always will be the perfect Darcy.)

While trying to find a photo to go with part two of Country Roads , I came across this: It was three stories high . . . a gentleman’s manor-house . . . battlements around the top gave it a picturesque look’ In 1845 Charlotte Brontë stayed at Hathersage vicarage with her friend Ellen Nussey and regularly visited the locally important Eyre family at North Lees Hall.  Charlotte’s letters reveal Hathersage as the village Morton in Jane Eyre (published 1847). The landlord of the George Inn was a Mr Morton at the time Brontë stayed here and she borrowed the Eyre family name for her heroine.  There’s a reference in the novel to ‘Mr Oliver’s needle factory’ in Morton, and there were several needle mills in Hathersage then. The novel’s crenellated Thornfield is clearly based on North Lees Hall. Robert Eyre is said to have built seven houses for seven sons and you can still see North Lees, an impressive Tudor manor just a short pleasant walk from the village. ...

Sadly, they're not real... but oh (wo)man, they should be! :D

The people we bought the house off had left behind an empty photo frame. Possibly because it was a bit wonky. I finally found a use for it, the other day! :) When the Squeeze and I went to London in mid-March, we popped in to the National Portrait Gallery (I insisted, because I really wanted to see the Brontë portraits in real life). You weren't allowed to take pictures there (boo!), so I had to settle for getting some postcards instead, and the frame came in really useful now - so, from the top: Charlotte Brontë (by George Richmond), Emily Brontë (by Branwell Brontë), the Brontë sisters (also by Branwell), and a self-portrait of Jane Austen. All except the Richmond one were on display at the museum. Maybe that one was as well but we didn't see it. So there you have it, my collection of inspirational female authors! :) Now I just have to figure out where to put it... haha.

Isn't this a great picture, btw? It's so like the original! Another Brontë-based blogging event/theme! This time, it's not a challenge or anything, just a collection of bloggers who like posting on the subject of the Brontës and their works and have a collective squee, which sounds like a good plan. The bloggers behind it are Beth and Melissa at Eggplantia and they say you can participate even if you're not a blogger. Posting about the Brontës is something I'm likely to continue doing after Laura's Brontë Challenge is through, even if  it will most likely not be as often. Or, it might be that I'll post more over at E•F•R rather than here. We shall see. Either way, I intend to keep reading, keep watching, keep listening, keep writing and keep blogging about these remarkable sisters and their wonderful works. :) P.S. If anyone would prefer an Austen-Along, Beth & Melissa assures us there will be one of those as well, just keep your eyes open.

Been busy with stuff recently... and at the same time, not more than usual. Oh well. On the Squeee front... Couldn't help myself, so I've started on North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell... Think I'm on chapter six so far, and from sneaking a peak, I think it's in the next chapter (i.e. 7) where she first encounters dear Thornton. I've watched Jane Eyre '73 and been ogling some spin-off books on Amazon (waiting to get a voucher to buy them). Also been reading some... I think I've read past the shoelace scene. It's somewhere around when Blanche et al are at Thornfield anyway. Saw the Heroes and then the Heroines episodes of the documentary Reader, I Married Him yesterday, and for the first time, found myself disagreeing with Daisy Goodwin. Something she was saying about Rochester "marrying a mad woman for her money" had me exclaiming, "Oi! He was tricked into that marriage! He didn't know she was mad, and he didn't marr...

It's always fun to go places where they've filmed things, especially if it's something you're really into. For instance, I think I'd die and go to fangirl heaven if I were to go to Minyip in Australia (the town of Coopers Crossing in The Flying Doctors ). Australia is a bit far to travel, but Derbyshire isn't, it's just next door. :) "the most complete and most interesting house of [its] period" Growing up, every summer, we used to go on family holidays in the caravan and travel around Sweden and go to museums, old houses, glass-blowing places and a number of other things. It wasn't just swimming and eating ice cream, no, we got to do Boring Cultural Things. At the time, I wasn't perhaps not very appreciative of it, as I never had any stories in class that quite measured up with my classmates who went to Crete or the Canary Islands for their holidays. What had I done? Gone gallavanting up a boring mountain up north somewhere and seen so...

Aye, I'll jump on the bandwagon too! :) Although, instead of pictures of RA, I thought I'd show some pictures I took this morning, as I wanted to try out the camera on my new old mobile phone. (I don't buy mobile phones anymore, I just use the Squeeze's old one when his contract gets upgraded. I didn't want the previous one, so haven't had an upgrade for quite some time, so yay, the new one is pretty damn cool!) This is Daisy. It's not a very good picture, admittedly, with the light coming in through the window and all, but hey, we'll ignore that. She's about 10 years old or so, but we don't know for sure. She was a stray originally, who one day just appeared in the cellar of a friend's house. They advertised and went to the police and things but she wasn't chipped and no one came forward to claim her, so they kept her. Three years later, I came along and wanted a cat, and seeing as how the new-born stable kittens (of which I was to get...