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Thursday, July 13, 2006

Travelling the Moors, Jane Eyre: The Musical for Falmouth, MA., and Jane Austen and the Brontes as Medieval Scottish Freedom Fighters

News has been relatively slow this week. The wire is packed with summer reading lists. It looks like everyone is reading Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights this summer. There is another meme as well which lists 100 books one should read in one's lifetime- including JE and WH. Each blogger makes a notation next to the titles detailing, if they have read them, what they thought of them, or in some cases why they didn't finish them. This has made some interesting reading...

If you are still thinking about your summer reading list, why not try Agnes Grey or Tenant of Wildfell Hall?

There are a few items today:

Falmouth, Massachusetts is preparing for a performance of Jane Eyre: The Musical, produced by the College Light Opera July 18 to 22, according to this article about the troup's other works.

JULY 18 – 22 AT 8:00 THURSDAY MATINEE AT 2:00 Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë’s classic 19th century novel provides the story for this 2000 musical tale. With an original score of twenty songs by Paul Gordon and book by John Caird, the show is perfect for an ensemble cast. The show captures the soul of this epic story of triumph and beauty and brings it to life as it was truly meant to be seen and heard.

Highfield Theatre, 50 Highfield Dr., Falmouth. 508-548-0668

I could not find a poster but there's a photo montage from the entire current season, photos of the production should be in there somewhere, although I haven't been able to pick out any (although I would like to think that the one of a man lying on the floor with a bride leaning over him is probably our dear Bertha and Rochy).

The Boston Plan for Excellence, in conjunction with Boston Public Schools, awarded the educators with travel grants from the Fund for Teachers foundation:

Another grant recipient, Danielle Murray, has taught at Brighton High School for the past five years. Her focus has been American Literature, but plans on teaching English Literature for the first time this year. Murray feels the best way to grab her student’s attention is through connecting the literary works with real world places and people. "It gives them something they can relate to," she explains.

Murray said she hopes to add a real world perspective with the help of her trek through Europe, where she will visit England, Ireland and Scotland. She said she hopes to witness the remnants of Shakespeare’s culture as well as other authors who lived between the 1400s and 1800s. Murray said she is especially excited to see the moors that inspired Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.


And lastly:

I read somewhere that you're a big Jane Austen and George Eliot fan. Some people might be quite surprised to hear that.

I've kind of outed myself recently with that. What I hate is that when we think of Jane Austen, George Eliot, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, people think about Emma Thompson and costume dramas and people talking in these stupid *CENSORED* voices. But it was *CENSORED* all like that. They're England's equivalent of Braveheart: Scots dressing in *CENSORED* tartan. It's edited exploitation for the American market. People wouldn't have talked like that, they wouldn't have looked like that, dressed like that, they wouldn't have acted like that, flounced around like that. It's *CENSORED* offensive *CENSORED* marketing, to sell to gullible Americans.

...Exceedingly diverted, that's me.

ETA: Ah, missed one. Should be family-friendly now.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

he-he; that last post made me giggle a little- the part about people relating certain authors to Emma Thompson, and those period drama voices. My father hates period films; he had dubbed them,"those stupid films where people talk in those whispery voices and drink tea with their pinkies in the air." He wont watch them because,"they whisper all the time! I cant understand any of it! Its stupid!" Now he thinks all british authors are stupid and 'whispery', including the Brontes; and when I try to tell him that he's confusing them with Jane Austen he's quick to reassure me that, "he doesn't care, there all stupid." Ah, its funny how blinded by silly stereotypes people can be!

Brontëana said...

Mandy, that is when you tell him that there are pirates in Jane Eyre. It works every time. I have a degree in Classics- and I can tell you that one of the unshakable truths of those timeless works from ancient times is that everyone loves pirates, and that pirates will get people to read anything.

Tell him there are pirates, then have him watch the 1973 version of Jane Eyre. He'll see the whole thing because he'll be waiting for the pirates that don't show up. And then, while he's asking you where the pirates were you can say 'see, they didn't whisper!' and he'd have to admit that this is true.

And then you can watch Pirates of the Caribbean too, so it works out really well, I think.

Anonymous said...

I suppose Mr.Mason can pass as a sort of pirate from the West Indies. And give Mr.Rochester an eyepatch at the end of the novel- and turn Pilot into a mimicky parrot (who always happens to be chirping,"What the duece?!"), then I think I might be able to sell it to my dad. Incidentely, my dad has recentley enjoyed the new Pirates of the Carribean movie, and if Jane said "Arrggh matey, I married him, savvy?", I think he might hiegh-ho right throught the whole novel!

Brontëana said...

Well, you know Mr Rochester does sing a Corsair song! ;)

Before I saw it, some of my friends referred to Ciaran Hinds' portrayal of Mr Rochester as 'pirate!Rochester'. I'm not entire sure why, but he does sort of 'aaaaaaaaaargh!' a lot which is sort of like 'aaaaaaar' I guess. And at one point he leaps off of a wall so he's a bit... Okay, I really don't know why he does that (it's when Jane returns from Gateshead. He doesn't meet her at a stile- he leaps off of this archway that Jane has just walked through).

Unknown said...

Hello!

I just found myself on your blog, and, thus, found your Bronte blog as well. I am Danielle, and I did travel to Haworth last summer. Love the blog and thought Id say hi!

If you want any info/pics let me know! Danielle@murrayfam.net

Unknown said...

Wow. its really annoying that my name comes out as lesbian. Its supposed to be lesbianmitm (mom in the making) oh well!