Tenant of Wildfell Hall to be Released on DVD

Many thanks to Sarah Barrett for the news! Anne Brontë's Tenant of Wildfell Hall will soon be out on DVD at last! Details on the region 2 DVD can be found here. This is indeed the 1996 version with Tara Fitzgerald as Helen Graham.

List Price: £15.99 Our Price: £11.99 You Save: £4.00 (25%)
Release date: March 13, 2006.
Not yet available: you may still order this title. We will dispatch it to you when it is released by the studio.
Edition Details: • Region 2 encoding (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt). Read more about DVD formats.• PAL•
ASIN: B000CIWXG4 •
Catalogue Number: BBCDVD1922

ETA: Here is the DVD's synopsis:

Synopsis: Based on a little known 1848 novel by Anne Bronte, Tara Fitzgerald stars as an enigmatic young woman who moves to 19th Century Yorkshire with a young son. Distancing herself from everyone in the village and their prying questions, she remains totally aloof until a charming neighbor farmer gets her to reveal her past through his persistence. Only then does she reveal she is hiding away from a womanizing, belittling husband. - This three-part BBC adaptation of author Anne Brontë's novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall features Tara Fitzgerald as Helen Graham, a pensive woman seeking a way out of her miserable marriage to Arthur Huntingdon (Rupert Graves), a rakish alcoholic who tricked Helen into marrying him before his bad behavior became outwardly evident. Meanwhile, farmer Gilbert Markham (Toby Stephens) becomes increasingly attracted to Helen, whom he is led to believe is a widow.

Branwell: A Novel of the Bronte Brother

Last night, quite unexpectedly, I recieved an email from Mr Richard Nash, publisher from the Soft Skull Press in Brooklyn, announcing the publication of Branwell: A Novel of the Bronte Brother by Douglas A. Martin. In addition, I have some news about the Canadian distribution of the novel. Mr. Nash informs me that Torontonians should look to This Ain’t The Rosedale Library for plenty of copies, and for those interested in the latest, look out for a review in the Eye Weekly.

I was more surprised to find a lengthy excerpt attached to the email- the first 24 pages of 'Branwell'. Although it does appear to be the first 24 pages, I cannot believe that this is so. It is a strange excerpt and rather difficult to describe. It is not the beginning of a novel, it is not the introduction to one, and it is not a synopsis but it appears to be something leaning towards all and none of these things. I believe it is a rough work, whatever it may be. I suspect that I may have been sent something else by mistake. It resembles a verbal depiction of images in a trailer for a film, more than anything else.

From what I can tell from this, the novel should wrestle with the fill spectrum of Branwell's history. I cannot say much more than this. The text is a series of observations, in various tenses and sometimes bad grammar (hense my belief that this is not actually the finished work). The sections nearer to Branwell's adulthood seem to become quite interesting. Overall, there's not much to glean from this. I do have one comment to make, however, and it is a troubling one. It appears that Anne comes in for some rough treatment of some kind or another. She is mentioned twice, I believe, and both times it is only to mention her 'lisp' or 'lisping' and 'trying to catch up' to Branwell and Charlotte:

Ah, now all seriousness would disappear from the magazine now that Charlotte's taken over. They'll have smiling faces everywhere.
She says it's not true.
Charlotte is going to write a story about the Little King.
He is spoilt and lazy, imperious, unreliable.
He commits violent, unpredictable acts.
And Branwell leaves his shirt open at the neck, to show how he's a poet. Anne only lisps and stutters trying to keep up with him and Charlotte and the fights they have over their little Town.

The text excerpt ends, in fact:

Young Soult could be melodramatic, like Byron, Charlotte says.
Branwell and Charlotte love Byron. And Emily loves him, too.
He drinks too much. And he gambles.
Captain Budd gambles, and it would be the end of his brilliant career.
The Glass Town poet's clothes hung off him, his socks had holes, his shoes were all worn out.
Does Branwell know how to spell the lisp Anne talks with. [sic]
Does he have any idea. [sic]

I am definately interested in seeing what comes of all of this, but I cannot believe that this is actually the way the novel is written.

La Jolla Jane Eyre Part Two

And here's the rest of the show! I hope you all enjoy it.

Disc Two

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And...

Disc Three*

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*I remember one of my friends trimmed a few tracks so that the whole thing fit onto 2 discs. If anyone would like the trimmed version let me know. I think it cut off the applause and things like that.

La Jolla Jane Eyre

Happy Holidays to all! Just in time for Christmas, and thanks to Lillie, Santa's special Jewish helper, I bring you one of my favourite recordings of the Jane Eyre musical. Well, disc one so far. There are two in all. This comes from roughly half-way through it's professional growing pains and just before the Broadway version (confused?). Just enjoy it. It has come to my attention that this has been for sale on ebay recently. My personal feelings on selling these unofficial recordings is that it's not on. I think if they were not professionally released then they should only be shared, as I am doing. It seems only fair, and it helps to spread appreciation for the show. This recording features Marla Schaffel as Jane Eyre and James Barbour as Mr Rochester. The show is substantially different from the earlier Toronto version and the Broadway version, although there are also a lot of material shared between all three. For example, 'The Governess' is a hold over from Toronto, but 'Adele's Opera' is now a spoken scene which continued into Broadway. And lastly, there are parts which are unique only to this recording, such as the song 'Child in the Attic', and the ...terrible 'The Chestnut Tree'. One last note, this recording was made from the sound boards so the effects are very loud and sometimes strange to the ear.

As always, these will be available for a week only.

Disc one

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The Lamps of Monsieur Heger

This summer a friend helped me buy a copy of The Belgian Essays, edited and translated by Sue Lonoff. I intended to write a paper about the 'Athens Saved by Poetry' devoir written by Charlotte, to be submitted for a Classics conference but I never got around to it. The book is very well arranged with the English translation followed by the original French on the facing page. The notes and corrections of Charlotte, Emily, or M.Heger are also shown. There is also a brief discussion of each devoir (essay) and some information about Heger's method of teaching.

In the course of the book the most favourite sayings of M.Heger are recalled by a former student of his from some time after Charlotte and Emily had returned home from their stay at his school. These sayings were called his 'lanterns'. Before writing, his student claims that he would begin by having them 'put off the shoes' by having a student speak the following:

Spirit of Wisdom, guide us: Spirit of Truthfulness, teach us: Spirit of Charity, invigorate us: Spirit of Prudence, preserve us: Spirit of Strength, defend us: Spirit of Justice, enlighten us: Comforting Spirit, soothe us.

The remainder of the 'lanterns' are more straightforward advice about writing. This first one is preparation for entering into a solemn act- writing. Some of them seem to require a little more explaination:

One must give one's soul as many forms as possible.

One must never employ, nor tolerate the employment of, a literary image as an argument. The purpose of a literary image if to illuminate as a vision, and to interpret as a parable. An image that does not serve both these purposes is a fault in style.

One must not fight with a difficult sentence; but take it for a walk with one; or sleep with the thought of it in one's mind; and let the difficulty arrange itself whilst one looks on.

One should not read, before sitting down to write, a great stylist with a marked manner of his own; unless this manner happens to resemble one's own.

Another Audio Adaptation of Jane Eyre

Yes, I am still here. I have not had a minute to do any transcribing since my last post but I will soon have all the free time I can handle, certainly more than you can shake a stick at if you'd want to try doing something like that. It's finals time, the holidays, and time for the family business to go bankrupt. But the Brontës go on.

Here, for example, is what has been termed 'anything but a decent adaptation' of Jane Eyre, brought to you by Biedroneczka from LERO, who has also provided us with at least two or three other audio adaptations! This time we have Sophie Thompson as Jane Eyre, and Ciaran Hinds as Mr Rochester. I did listen to part one of this when it aired on the BBC. It was awful indeed, but as for the rest, I cannot say. ;) I think I heard once that this production predates Mr. Hinds' stint as Mr Rochester in the A&E adaptation. I am bound to express myself... I think his portrayal is terrible but I cannot tell how much blame goes to the director. There is a scene where he actually drags Jane down the stairs after he tries to blame her for the whole thing ("I was prepared to committ bigamy for you because I knew that marriage was important to you!"). Notwithstanding, he still seems to strut and shout his way through nearly all of his scenes without much variation. He reminds me of the kind of Mr Rochester Charlotte feared she might see on the stage, actually. All grimaces and strutting.

Jane Eyre with Sophie Thompson and Ciaran Hinds

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

As always, these will only be available for about a week. I wish I had a copy of their adaptation of Shirley. That one really made me laugh. In fact, I couldn't help writing a parody of each installment! The accent of Mr Moore was very amusing.

Jane's Journey, Part one...

I have begun the laborious task of transcribing several items relavant to the Jane Eyre musical. So far I have finished one interview with John Caird, which I believe has not been made available online before. It is only one segment of a program which covered the pre-Broadway opening rehearsals. The interviews include John Caird (most famous for his work on Les Miserables), Paul Gordon, Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre), James Barbour (Mr Rochester), Mary Stout (Mrs. Fairfax), and Elizabeth de Grazia (Blanche). (Incidentally, these internet broadway database pages are in serious need of updating!).

Broadway Beat 2000 (sometime in 2000, before December 3rd).

John Caird (Additional lyrics, book, co-director): Well it is a- it is very much a woman's work. It's written by a woman about a woman writing the story of her own life. And so it's- it's a multi layered piece of work. But it is almost entirely seen from the female point of view. And, indeed, our version of it is rare in the respect that it has nine women in the cast and only five men- which is extraordinary for a Broadway musical. Ane, really, there are only two or three important male characters in the work and there are ten or twelve important female characters in the work. And Charlotte Bronte's world is very woman-oriented. You know, she sees the world through a woman's eyes. And as well as Jane you have Mrs Reed, Mrs Fairfax, you have Blanche Ingram the beautiful aristocrat, you have the mad woman in the attic. You know, you've got an extraordinary panoply of female characters to draw from.

Richard Ridge: Why do you think this story is so timeless? I mean, my eleven year old neice just read Jane Eyre. You can ask anybody and they'll say 'Oh yes, I know that book.' Why do you think it has endured so much over the years?

John Caird: I think because Charlotte Bronte was a great literary and philosophical genius. And in Jane Eyre she's written, not the story of one deprived and brutalised little girl and how she grows into a proper human being, but she's told the story of all girls, and how they grow up to be women. It's a quite extreme story, Jane Eyre, but any woman who remembers her childhood- and I suppose all women do- will- has something to associate themselves with Jane Eyre- that's Jane's journey is- Jane's journey from early childhood to maturity as a woman.

Stop that! ...It's silly!

I think this is the first full-length musical parody I've come across. Jane Eyre the Musical 'Decomposed' It's very cute. There have also been many fan fiction parodies of the novel, of course. Some of these have since vanished. The only one I have on hand, in fact, is my own. I think I have mentioned it before. There is a story called 'Whose Lair is it Anyway?' in which all of the various representations of Christine Daae and Erik from Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera appear in the same place at the same time. A friend challenged me to do with same with Jane Eyre- especially since I have seen an obscene number of JE adaptations! Only I know how many.. actually, I don't even know how many. I call it 'Something Betweeny in the County ___shire". Some excerpts from the latest installments:

“Name’s Rochester, Dalton!Rochester.” Nods all around. “I’ve plans of Thornfield Hall on a microfilm in the bronze pin of my cravat.” He removed this item and carefully inserted it into his shoe. It beeped quietly. He continued his speech while he walked over to one of the horses. “There has been a lot of interest lately in biscuits and brandy-” he gingerly tapped the pommel of his horse’s saddle and continued talking while part of the back and haunches of the animal made a smart ‘click’ and flipped up to reveal a row of twinkling indicator lights, a turntable and a monitor.

I must confess that writing for Orson Wells-Rochester was so much fun!

"The what?!" Gasped the deep-chested man, only the gasp betraying his heightened agitation... his eyes already staring as wildly as humanly possible. It was difficult to discern what this outburst portended. Jayston!Rochester certainly didn't know.

"The British Broadcasting Corporation. Sir, why is your cloak still stirring- there's no wind-"

"Never ask about that!" Thundered the staring man, before calming again. "Never... never ask about that. It is too awful."

"Is it?" Jayston!Rochester shook his head after taking one glance at the flapping cloak. "Ah, you're Mr. Welles."

All of them are fun- the Janes as well, especially Bruce-Jane who is "teh crazypants" as they say.

"Nyrrrrrrrrrrraaaaah!" He whirled around just in time to catch Bruce!Jane in mid-air, in mid-pounce. She knocked him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him in the process but he soon recovered. Somehow he managed to meet her attack but not before she had planted a heavy right into him between his head and shoulders.

"Good Lord!" exclaimed Welles!Rochester. "It's Gateshead all over again!" Desperate was the struggle. Several times Hinds!Rochester managed to wrestle her into a bear hug as she muttered something incomprehensible in her rage- something like 'buz-za-puh!'. Once he was whipped in the eye by one of her curls, but lucky for him he had closed his eyes in time.

The others were just as fun to write for, don't get me wrong!

"It's fear- poor man's terrified out of his wits by that titaness yonder- a veritable daughter of Lilith and the most pernicious of primordial giants."

"What a lovely voice you have!"

"I'm from the Shakespearian stage."

A Brontean Dream Vision

One of my friends has brought to my attention a very strange little book published in 1904. It is called Henry Brocken: His Travels and Adventures in the Rich, Strange, Scarce-Imaginable Regions of Romance, by Walter J. de la Mare. I call it a dream vision because it seems to me something akin to this medieval genre. I have not read it all the way through, but at first glance it seems to be a travel log of his journey through various literary 'romances'. How he has taken 'romance' I am not yet certain. Chapter three of this strange book is called 'Jane Eyre'.

In chapter three, Henry has somehow, inexplicably, finds himself at Ferndean- apparently. It is, as he says in the title, 'strange'. I cannot say that I can recognise Mr and Mrs Rochester in his prose. Mr Rochester is something very odd in this book- both hyperbolically transcendent (his guestures at dinner apparently all denote a 'smoldering power' something like 'storms, winds of the equinox, the illimitable night sky'), and yet he speaks of having a 'shell' that he's quite content to stick himself into- while brooding and stumbling around outside... When Jane isn't trying to lock him inside. Yes, she keeps locking him inside- locking the gate and the doors. Her husband asks her why she keeps doing that, and she then enunciates some very fine, very confusing, and totally unhelpful poetry back at him. No wonder he excused himself from dinner to stand outside- until Jane snatched him again.

And the strangeness doesn't end there. Mr Rochester has grown suddenly very touchy about strangers- which he attributes to his blindness. Pilot has also been mentally disturbed, apparently- the poor dog has no feelings it seems but just stares eerily and blankly at Mr.Brocken. In fact, everone at Ferndean MUST speak in elaborate, poetic passages. These are, really, often very nice pieces of poetry but are really obnoxious before long. This is not the same as saying they are melodramatic- as the early stage productions of Jane Eyre.

The strangest part of all, perhaps, occurs when Mr Rochester has left for awhile and Mr Brocken and Jane are alone. She wants to know about what is left of her. What part of herself he has taken from the book. It is unclear whether she is supposed to be the 'real' Jane Eyre living inside the novel- in a sort of Plato's realm of the ideal- or if she is the Brocken's Jane Eyre. Again, there's some interesting, but very cryptic language here. Something disturbs his sleep. And he is soon off on his journey. Here are a few extracts from chapter three:

"It is indeed a strange journey," she replied. "But I fear I cannot in the least direct you. I have never ventured my own self beyond the woods, lest--I should penetrate too far. But you are tired and hungry. Will you please walk on a few steps till you come to a stone seat? My name is Rochester--Jane Rochester"--she glanced up between the hollies with a sigh that was all but laughter--"Jane Eyre, you know."

I went on as she had bidden, and seated myself before an old, white, many-windowed house, squatting, like an owl at noon, beneath its green covert. In a few minutes the great dog with dripping jowl passed almost like reality, and after him his mistress, and on her arm her master, Mr. Rochester.

There seemed a night of darkness in that scarred face, and stars unearthly bright. He peered dimly at me, leaning heavily on Jane's arm, his left hand plunged into the bosom of his coat. And when he was come near, he lifted his hat to me with a kind of Spanish gravity.

"Is this the gentleman, Jane?" he enquired.

"Yes, sir."

"He's young!" he muttered.

"For otherwise he would not be here," she replied.

"Was the gate bolted, then?" he asked.

"Mr. Rochester desires to know if you had the audacity, sir, to scale his garden wall," Jane said, turning sharply on me. "Shall I count the strawberries, sir?" she added over her shoulder."

"Jane, Jane!" he exclaimed testily.

***
"There! hush now, here he floats; sit still, sit still--I hear his wings. It is my 'Four Evangels,' sir!"

It was a sleek blackbird that had alighted and now set to singing on the topmost twig of a lofty pear-tree near by; and with his first note Jane reappeared. And while we listened, unstirring, to that rich, undaunted voice, I had good opportunity to observe her, and not, I think, without her knowledge, not even without her approval.

This, then, was the face that had returned wrath for wrath, remorse for remorse, passion for passion to that dark egotist Jane in the looking-glass. Yet who, thought I, could be else than beautiful with eyes that seemed to hide in fleeting cloud a flame as pure as amber? The arch simplicity of her gown, her small, narrow hands, the exquisite cleverness of mouth and chin, the lovely courage and sincerity of that yet-childish brow--it seemed even Mr. Rochester's"Four Evangels" out of his urgent rhetoric was summoning with reiterated persuasions, "Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre, Ja ... ne!"

***
"And am I indeed only like that poor mad thing you thought Jane Eyre?"she said, "or did you read between?"

I answered that it was not her words, not even her thoughts, not even her poetry that was to me Jane Eyre.

"What then is left of me?" she enquired, stooping her eyes over the keys and smiling darkly. "Am I indeed so evanescent, a wintry wraith?"

"Well," I said, "Jane Eyre is left."

She pressed her lips together. "I see," she said brightly. "But then, was I not detestable too? so stubborn, so wilful, so demented, so--vain?"

"You were vain," I answered, "because--"

"Well?" she said, and the melody died out, and the lower voices of her music complained softly on.

"For a barrier," I answered.

"A barrier?" she cried.

"Why, yes," I said, "a barrier against cant, and flummery, and coldness, and pride, and against--why, against your own vanity too."

Tenant of Wildfell Hall Month!

I am sure I have fallen behind the times, and become neglectful of announcing the LERO Brontë book reading months. I believe Wuthering Heights month has just passed us by- but I am in time to spread the word for Tenant of Wildfell Hall! If you haven't read the novel yet, there is no time like the present. I was introducted to the novel when I enrolled in the Victorian seminar at my university- which happily that year was explusively on the Brontës. We read Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Shirley in that order. By the end of the course, Tenant had been declared the best of them all by the majority of the class, and a request was made for the instructor to include Agnes Grey as well, and to replace Jane Eyre with Villette the next time the course is taught. I read it with some unfortunate expectations. I was curious to know why Anne is so often treated slightly by academics and critics. She is certainly not the less loved than her sisters are by the readers! It would have been best not to have these ideas at the back of my mind, but I could not help it.

I was baffled. There was nothing lacking, in my opinion, in Tenant. There's a peculiar power which is evidenced in the work of all three sisters. I forget that I am reading sometimes. I intend to read it again as soon as I can find the time (not this month at least. As you have no doubt noticed, I have been quite busy lately). It seems to me that it begins strong, and remains a very engrossing book until near the end. There is something not quite solid about it on first glance. This might not necessarily be a criticism. Often when I stumble over something it more often than not points the way to something deeper happening beneath the surface of the narrative somewhere. A second reading might clear this up. Does anyone else have similar issues with the ending?

Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the only work by Anne Brontë to be adapted for film. In 1996 it was made into a three hour television movie. I believe it is currently out of print, which is a real shame. I have a first edition of 'Charlotte Bronte and her Circle'. The chapter on Anne is really unbelievable in the way it completely discredits her as a writer. I do not have it on hand, but the editor claims, in the introduction (it may even be the first sentence...) that it is a certainly that if it wasn't for her sisters, she and her works would be forgotten. In my humble opinion, an easy test of this claim is to imagine what we truly would have thought of her works if she had not had her sisters' works to compete with. Would they really be so uninteresting, so skilless?

Here is an interesting, although far too brief, article on the Critics of Wildfell Hall by Glen Downey.

Rose Ann Heslip and the Living Cousins of the Brontës

Today we have a very special guest post here at Brontëana. Without further ado, here is an article written by Kate Bower, to give us all more information on Rose Ann Heslip and the modern descendants of the Irish Brontës- who are not quite so scarce as it seems. (It probably suits the mystique of the Brontes to think of their extended family fading away but such is hardly ever the case). Thank you, Kate, for taking the time to write this for Bronteana.

The commemorative event for Rose Ann was held on 6th October and the sun shone, it turned out to be a glorious day. There was a dinner held at Healds Hall Hotel attended by family members including Rose Anns’ 89 year old great grand daughter Olive Emily, members of the Bronte society and SpenValley Civic Society, and the Deputy Mayor & Mayoress and the Deputy Sheriff of Yorkshire.

“Healds Hall was one of the most fashionable residences in the district when built in 1764. It was the largest house in Spen Valley. The Hall first became famous through links with the Bronte family when it was owned by the Reverend Hammond Roberson, immortalised as the Reverend Matthew Helstone in Charlotte Bronte's novel "Shirley".”

www.healdshall.co.uk

After a very good meal and a ‘photo opportunity’ session, the party (slowly!) made its way to Dewsbury to the church of St Luke with Whitechapel. Flowers were laid on the grave and the local press were there in force – we all felt like minor celebrities for the day! Then into the lovely church for a memorial service (forgive me for saying so, but it has to rate as one of the dullest services I have ever attended). This was followed by a reading of some of Emily Bronte’s poems and a posy was presented to Olive.

Rose Ann was a very special lady I think. She was the kind of indomitable woman beset by tragedy and hardship you often find in a certain kind offiction. She was born in 1821 in Ireland and therefore lived through the famine - she must have seen some terrible things in her life.

Her parents were Sarah (nee Bronte) and Simon Collins and she was the only one of their ten children to marry. She had five (perhaps six) children only to watch them succumb one by one to consumption. Only one daughter, Emily, lived to marry. Emily, and her husband Hugh Bingham emigrated to Scotland where all their five children were born. Then Hugh moved down toYorkshire to take up work as a foreman at a gas works. By this time Emily was sick with consumption herself and her widowed mother aged over 70 came over to nurse her dying daughter.

Together the elderly lady, the sick daughter and five small children made the long and arduous journey by road from Scotland to Yorkshire. Aged just 33 Emily died and was buried at St Lukes with Whitechapel. Rose Ann stayed to look after her son-in-law Hugh and her grandchildren. What a sense of love and duty she must have had to stay in late Victorian industrial Yorkshire after the open spaces and close knit network of family and friends she had left behind in Ireland. It must have been a very grim place indeed.

“Salthorn was a deserted, forlorn place, surrounded by black pit-hills and standing amidst swamps and pools on the rough uncultivated common – at night lighted up by the lurid flames which belch from the furnaces at Low Moor and Bowling.”

Heckmondwike Herald, 24th August 1893

Eventually Rose Ann seems to have developed some kind of dementia and was admitted to the infirmary at the local work house. Full of character to the end, she climbed over the wall and made her way back home on the back of a cart on at least two occasions, according to family tradition. She lived to94. I would have loved to have known her.

Her eldest grand daughter, Mary Jane – my great grandma also died in her thirties of breast cancer, leaving three children – Leonard, Ernest andOlive Emily. But the younger grand daughter Elizabeth Anne lived to a grand old age, and I can just about remember her as a very old lady who smoked imaginary cigarettes (having been banned them by the doctor) and who frightened me very much when she once threw the ‘stub’ into the grate and asked me “Did it go in?”. I wasn’t used to grown ups behaving like this and I had absolutely no idea what to say to her! This aside, my mother and aunt tell me that she was a lovely lady, and ‘Aunty Annies’ sponge cake’ is a recipe which is still used in the family.

I have known that we had a Bronte connection for as long as I can remember. When I was around 16 I wrote to the Bronte Society to try and confirm this particular family tradition. Sadly, they were not really very helpful. They confirmed that Emily Heslip had married Hugh Bingham, but stated that they had no record of any children of the union. It was clear from the tone of their letter that, as far as they were concerned, the matter was closed.

It was only this year, when Imelda Marsden of the present day Bronte Society, ‘found’ us as the present day descendents of Rose Ann. She is researching a book on the relations of the Brontes and she is particularly interested in Rose Ann. This provided the first concrete proof that we did have a blood connection with the Brontes. After the brush off I had previously received, I wondered if Mary Jane and the others were perhaps Hugh’s children from a previous or subsequent marriage.

Because of this I can trace an unbroken maternal line back almost 250 years to Eleanor (Alice) McClory, born around 1759/60, the mother of Patrick and Sarah and the grandmother of the Bronte sisters and Rose Ann. Since I have a particular interest in womens’ history, and tracing a female line is usually quite difficult, this has been a source of special satisfaction to me - even without having famous cousins.

Marginalia...

It is always a good idea to write things down once you have thought of something. It has taken me many years to get over my horror of writing in books. It still horrifies me, but now I have certain copies devoted to scribbling my observations in. It is hard to lose track of them this way. Previously I wrote my commentaries on separate sheets. I have lost most of these, and other times the notes loose their meaning. I often draw pictures of what I want to express in my essay as well. These are also very... interesting afterwards.

I came across an interesting note, which would have been completely forgotten if not for a quirkly turn of events last semester- and indeed, this one. The publisher I study with invited us to write poetry for a book we are publishing. The bulk of the manuscript is from another class, and it is not necessary for us to write something ourselves. I had decided not to give it a try, but today he passed around a book of photographs which inspired me so strongly that I went home and wrote two and a half drafts. I wrote them in a certain notebook I have. The first time I used it was last semester. After I took a class on the Brontes, the following semester I studied Restoration literature including a work by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. The coursework demanded a 10 research paper. At that point in the year I did not feel that I had another research paper in me. Something prompted me to suggest an alternative. I ended up writing the research paper in verse.

I had forgotten that I also jotted notes down in the process of writing the poem. When I finished writing today, I flipped back and found them tucked in the back of the poem (perhaps it was for revision? I don't remember why I wrote it). Anyway, the interesting point is the last:

'Rochester's seduction of Anne Temple'

This is puzzling for more than one reason! Not only did I not write about Miss Temple, it further deepens the mystery of just what is going on between Wilmot and Mr Rochester. Sadly, I have no more notes- or at least I cannot find them! I recall reading about her, but I cannot remember any of the details of their relationship.

Another Brontean note about this notebook of mine? I've written a few inspirational notes on the inside covers. On the back I've inscribed the 'lamps' of Monsieur Heger, although I have never given them a try. I ought to someday!

Whatever Next?

It occurred to me that although some people have already heard of Jasper Fforde and his novel, The Eyre Affair, perhaps not many are aware that the other books in the series are likewise Bronte-infused, although not to the same degree. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, why here is the back cover copy from the British/Canadian edition of The Eyre Affair I have right here:

There is another 1985, somewhere in the could-have-been, where Thursday Next is a literary detective without equal, fear, or boyfriend. Thursday is on the trail of the villainous Acheron Hades who has been kidnapping characters from works of fiction and holding them to ransom. Jane Eyre herself has been plucked from the novel of the same name, and Thursday must find a way into the book to repair the damage.

She also has to find time to halt the Crimean conflict, persuade the man she loves to marry her, rescue her aunt from inside a Wordsworth poem and figure out who really wrote Shakespeare's plays. Aided and abetted by a cast of characters that includes her time-travelling father, Jack Schitt of the all-powerful Goliath Corporation, a pet dodo named Pickwick and Edward Rochester himself, Thursday embarks on an adventure that will take your breath away.

It's a truly delightful book. Just a lot of fun, especially for someone like me who loves intertextuality. Fforde has created, in the 'Thursday Next' series, a world where the world of fiction is as real as anything else. Where 'backstories' are created and sold in 'the well of lost plots' inside 'the book world' (our world is the 'Outland'). When these two worlds collide, Mr Rochester can save the day in more ways than one, fictional characters can try to take over England, and... platypodes (-pi, if you like) are revealled to be fictional. Escapees, you know- 'pagerunners'. Nothing that silly looking can possibly be natural.

There are three other books in the series: Lost in a Good Book, Well of Lost Plots, and Something Rotten. If memory serves, there's something in all but the last book to delight Bronte fans. Even small references are enough to make me smile (just a hint, keep a sharp eye for the Gondal reference!). You'll get no spoilers here, you'll simply have to read the books yourself!

Oh, but that's not all! The books have inspired some fan tributes at Jasper Fforde's website. One of these is a cute little tale called 'The Brontes at Home' by Jon Brierley.

Oh dear.

Everyone has heard of the short hand textspeak version of Jane Eyre by now- it has been reported on several times at bronteblog for instance and google news is full of nothing else (when it comes to Bronte news). However... why hasn't anyone else caught this yet?

PlainOrfanJaneBcumsGuvunes"Thornfield. J&MrRochster(eventuly)Fal4EachOtha. Bt,DayOfWedin,ItTurnsOutHeAlredyHasAWyfInThAtikHuIsMad. MadWyfSetsFyr2Haus. YrsL8aJFyndsMrR-Blind&WidowdAftaFyr. TheyGetMaryd .

Jane returns about a year after she left Thornfield- not "years later" (for those who stumble over the elegance that is textspeak).

*sigh*

This took me awhile to find. It is the product of a form online which will turn any text into textspeak. (NB: 'OMG' = 'oh my god', 'LOL' = 'Laughs out loud', and 'WTF' = 'what the f*ck'. Ye be warned!). I had tried to bury it in the deepest oblivion, but it survived somehow:

"DO U THINK I CAN STAY 2 BCOM3 NOTHNG 2 U?!????? OMG LOL DO U IM AN AU2MA2N-A??!!?? OMG WTF LOL MACHIEN WITHOUT FELNGS?!??!!!!? OMG WTF LOL AND CAN BAR2 HAEV MAH MORSEL OF BRAAD SNATCH3D FROM MAH LIPS AND MAH DROP OFLIVNG W8R DASHED FROM MAH CUP??!?? LOL DO U THINK B/C IM POROBSCURA PLANE AND LITLE IM SUL3S AND H3ARTLES?!?!??!! WTF LOL U THINKWRONG-I1!!1 OMG WTF HAEV AS MUCH SU AS U FUL AS MUCH HEART!!111111 OMG WTF LOL AND IFGOD HAD GIFTAD M3 WIT SOME BAUTY AND MUCH W3ALTH I SHUD HAEVMAED IT AS HARD FOR U 2 LAAEV MA AS IT IS NOW FOR M3 2 U1!!1!1 LOL IM NOT TOKNG 2 U NOW THROUGH DA MEDIUM OF CUS2MCONV3NTIONALITEIS NOR 3VEN OF MORTAL FL3SH-IT IS MAH SPIRIT TAHTADRASAS UR SPIRIT JUST AS IF BOTH HAD PASED THROUGH DA GRAEVAND WA S2D AT GODS FET EQUAL-AS WE AER!1!! WTF LOL"

*This was actually posted early this morning (about 1 AM) but for some strange reason it disrupted formatting on Bronteana.

Brontë Sisters Links

This resource is truly amazing- a labour of love comprising aproximately 3 000 links to websites, articles, etc. all about the Brontës. The list dates all the way back to March 15th, 2005! And I see that there have been 337 links added this week alone. For easy reference here, I've listed them according to their subdivisions but (as soon as I work up the courage to tamper with my links list again- doing so has deleted posts on Brontëana in the past!) the group's main page will recieve its own place of honour on the Brontëana links list.

The Links:

About the Victorian Era (570 links)
About the Brontes (1230 links)
Rev. Patrick Bronte
Maria Branwell
Maria and Elizabeth Bronte
Charlotte Bronte
Branwell Bronte (Patrick Branwell Bronte)
Emily Bronte (Emily Jane Bronte)
Anne Bronte
Elizabeth Branwell
Relations of the Brontes
Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls
Friends of the Brontes
Bronte places

Photo is of the Bronte waterfall, taken by Martha, the list owner. I've scare seen anything more lovely! Thank you for sharing this treasure with us! :)

'Cottage Poems' by Patrick Brontë

At last! The Cottage Poems have been published by Project Gutenburg! Click here to read the full texts. They were released on november 16th. Could 'Maid of Killarney' be far behind? How very exciting! Other Bronte texts available through the Project include:

A, C, and E Brontë: Poems by Currer, Ellis and, Acton Bell
Anne Brontë: Agnes Grey, Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre, Villette, The Professor.

Il y a <<Jane Eyre ou Les mémoires d'une institutrice>>, le roman en Francais aussi. Je ne sais pas qu'est le traducteur de cet roman. C'est tres intéressante. Je pense qu'il est comme lire la roman encore- pour le premier fois. Il a un peu plus ...de melodrame. Ou plus de poésie, peut-etre. D'accord. Chacun langue chante son poésie. And, no, there is no text for Shirley! Shame, shame! (Nothing for Branwell either).

Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights.

Also: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell: The Life of Charlotte Brontë volume one and two.

A friend of mine is responsible for Really Slow productions of Shakespeare. People volunteer to record their lines, and then this is all pasted together with the magic of the internet into... a really slow production of Shakespeare. Some of my other friends and I were then inspired to try a really slow production of Jane Eyre the Musical. The trouble here was that all of my friends are ladies (the ones who sing, at any rate). And so, we had a soprano Rochester and myself who plays St.John Rivers (also a soprano, although I can sing alto as well). I forget how Brocklehurst came out... Our Jane was a certain classicist from Nova Scotia. Alas, before we ever even took our little horrendous productioni seriously, she ran away to a religious order.

And now, she's back! And she's not a nun. She found true love... in the religious order. I am astounded and amazed, and it is beautiful. She is no longer my soon-to be nun friend who despaired of leaving behind her copy of Villette. I now have a deliriously happy non-nun friend who can have as many books as she likes- and the true love thing is rather nice too.

ps. Don't worry, Martha- I got your email! I think this deserves a post of its own :)

The Stratford Playscripts

I am not sure when these two plays, both by Reg Mitchell were written, but for those interested in perhaps staging a Brontëan play, information regarding obtaining reading copies of the scripts and performance rights can be found here. From the same source, here are their brief synopses:

The Thorp Green Scandal

The Brontë children were, for different reasons, unable to hold down any job. Charlotte failed as a governess, Emily as a school teacher and Branwell wasted his talents in several positions. The exception was Anne, the youngest of the family, who managed to retain her second appointment as Governess to the daughters of the Robinson family. She joined them at Thorp Green, near York in the summer of 1840. Returning home to the Haworth parsonage, Anne fell under the spell of the new curate, William Weightman, who had something of a reputation with the ladies. He died of cholera. Two years later, Branwell joined his sister as tutor to the young Edmund Roninson, but became besotted with Mrs Lydia Robinson, seventeen years his senior. They had a three-year affair before Branwell was dismissed by her husband. Anne resigned her post, writing that she had some very unpleasant and undreamt-of experiences of human nature during her five years at Thorp Green. Branwell took to drugs and drink, fell into a decline, eventually drinking himself to death at the age of thirty-one. He died in his fathers arms.

The Bell Brothers

The Brontë children were unemployed. Charlotte had returned chastened from her teaching post in Brussels, Emily had left her teaching post in Halifax, and Anne had resigned her position as Governess to the Robinson's daughters. All except Emily had suffered the pangs of unrequited love. When Charlotte came across Emily's poems she had the idea of publishing a selection of their poetry, which they did under the pen name of the Bell Brothers. Although a failure, their three novels became instant successes, taking the literary scene by storm. But success was followed by tragedy with the death of Emily from tuberculosis. Anne also fell to the disease a few months later leaving Charlotte the only surviving child of the Rev Patrick. During the publication of three more novels, she became the toast of the London literati, whilst her relationship with her young publisher blossomed, only to be later doomed to failure. Against her fathers wishes, Charlotte married his curate, Arthur Nichols.

The Phantoms of the Royal Alex?

In my ongoing quest for material on the early versions of Jane Eyre the Musical when it played at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto for its world premiere, I ran into this interesting website. Apparently some people believe the theatre may be haunted by ghosts. However, the team of investigators were only able to find one shiny thing near the stage, and a few reflections from the lamps. Thinking the theatre was haunted might make a performance of Jane Eyre quite interactive! To the right is a picture of the theatre circa 1906.

Another Janian connection- Orson Welles once appeared upon the boards there. An excerpt from their brief (and seemingly credible) history of the theatre:

Designed by John M. Lyle and commissioned in 1906 by on of the richest millionaires of the time, 21 year old Cawthra Mulock , the Royal Alexandra Theatre was to be Mulock's grand vision as the "finest theatre on the continent". Mulock purchased the King Street lot on May 8, 1906 and wasted no time in utilizing the talents of John M. Lyle telling Lyle that no expense was to be spared in the building and detailed completion of the theatre. Taking Mulock for his word, Lyle was to find the best of the best to install in the theatre. Such elegance as fine marble, hand-carved hard woods, silken wall coverings and crystal chandeliers were purchased for the project. A little over one year later in August 1907 the Royal Alexandra opened her doors to the public.

The "Royal Alex:" as it has become affectionately known, boasted a seating capacity of 1525, which was later reduced to 1497 when the seats were enlarged. It is the only theatre in North America to be deemed 'royal' by charter of King Edward VII, whose wife, Queen Alexandra; it was named for (the great-grandmother of Elizabeth II).

In my experience, Canadian Edwardiana tends to be not at all mysterious. I grew up in an Edwardian model town built by a gentleman I call 'the Whiskey Baron'. He bought all the land, and was effectively king there for a good while- giving his name to the environs. The main church there is actually named for his wife! he forbade any other churches within his dominions. I digress... the manor house is now a park, and was quite close to my home. I used to hear stories about its secret passageways, and- bestill my heart- a hidden library! I also remember being told about how an insane slayer of children lived in one dark stone building-

it was the church, actually...

Canine Conflations...

It is a sad thing to see a good article go bad, to sink into absurdity. I speak now of 'Canine Familiars of Masculinity in Three Brontë Novels'. Things are going quite well, it seems, until the argument is made that the dogs symbolise male power- always- in all of the novels. The leap from dog as companion to dog as extension of power leads down some very very strange roads indeed... Mr. Ben P. Robertson sites the 'wanning' symbolic masculine power of Pilot- Mr Rochester's dog, and exemplifies this wanning with Jane's assistance with Mr Mason.

Now, if Mr Rochester should call on Pilot to give Mr Mason volatile salts and sponge his wounds... as much as I love Miss Bronte, I would have to agree with the critics saying the novel was 'untrue'!

The horror! A fearsome black and white Newfoundland- some modern Newfoundland's are a little stockier than their Victorian counterparts.

"Do you need help, Sir?"
"All's right, all's right, Miss Eyre- Pilot has the situation under control."

Oh dear... "Rochester begins to accept Jane as a replacement for Pilot". Okay, so she's clever but can she play fetch? This is the crutial point to be decided in the third volume! Now that's drama... He also implies that Rochester views Pilot as his son. Didn't know things were quite so disturbing at Thornfield, did you?

And it could have been such a good article! It sadly also suffers from one of my academic pet peeves- that of not proving the main point but simply restating it preceeded by some variant of 'clearly,' 'surely,' 'undoubtedly' etc. It is true that the men in the Bronte novels are associated with dogs. And at least in jane Eyre we are encouraged to see this connection- Mr Rochester draws attention to this at least twice, and Jane sometimes refers to him as reminding her of a sheepdog.

Yet another area of interest for me just happens to be the dogs of the Bronte novels, surprise, surprise. This began when a friend pointed out how there seemed to be correspondences between the dog breeds used in films of Jane Eyre, and the relative instability of their masters. Usually the dogs are fearsome creatures when their masters are glaring, striding types who wear capes perpetually flapping in the wind- martial marches blaring as they walk across the lawn... Michael Jayston gets an upgrade from a dog to a wolf-hound; far more impressive looking perhaps but incredibly docile. Mrs. Fairfax leans on him at one point, as though he were a bench, while she talks to Jane. At the end of the film, as he gets up to greet Jane, he takes some of the carpet with him. Never utters a sound. There is also this:

That's Mr Rochester on the left. I wonder if Pilot is brooding too. Hard to tell.

Some more ...shall we say, pertinent observations can be made, in the case of Pilot for example. Charlotte is very clear that he is a Newfoundland dog. Being from Canada, I'm familiar with these and with their immanent identity as a breed. Newfoundland dogs are immediately associated with rescue. They have a peculiar desire to assist people- especially people drowing at sea. This association goes back at least to the period of the Brontes when paintings of black and white Newfoundland dogs- in particular- were so commonly painted by the painter Lanseer that the dogs of this colouring are now known as Lanseers. Pilot is a black and white Newfoundland. Other characteristics that are significant are that they often exhibit exactly the behaviour we see of Pilot in the novel- when unable to assist (ie, Hay Lane) they instinctually seek help from others (Jane).

From my perspective the most interesting aspects are that they demand a certain type of master. They are not easy to train- they are sensitive dogs and need to be won over to a degree. They are especially sensitive to tones of human voices. It takes a great deal of sensitivity and care to gain the loyalty of a Newfoundland. Once you have their trust, they are extremely loyal companions. In the Victorian era they were also considered ideal companion dogs for children, despite their imposing size. It does debunk, in a subtle way, the idea that Rochester is a cruel man- a view sadly common in articles I've come by.

John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester film to be released in North America.

This post from Brontëblog reminded me that there is soon to be a film released that marginally pertains to Brontë studies. The film is called The Libertine, starring Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. The film itself was made sometime last year, I believe, but until now it has been very difficult to track down and hasn't been released in the theatres in North America at least.

Briefly, there is much to be discussed regarding to what extent Lord Rochester provided material for the character of Edward Rochester. Clearly, the relationship isn't as profound as that of a model per se, at the very least he is his namesake. There are several important similarities, however, which do indicate a conscious decision to utilise certain aspects of Wilmot's life. Many of these are symbolic resonances: names, and places in Jane Eyre such as St.John (the name of one of the Earl's relatives), Elizabeth- the ancestress of Mr Rochester- is also idenitifed with one of the Lord's relatives, and the battle in which Mr. Rochester's fictional ancestor Damer de Rochester was slain is the same in which the first Earl of Rochester was created. During this battle (of Marston Moor), one of the generals in the conflict was named Fairfax. Other key elements, a little more profound, are the Lord's penchant for 'drawing out' ladies while in disguise, his poetry (he is best known for being a poet, and a rakehell) is often bittingly cynical about the human race- in his Satyr on Reason and Mankind, he refers to Reason as being an ignis fatuus leading into error- a motif appropriate for Jane Eyre in which he is lead into error (and much is made, of course, of the similarity between 'eyre' and 'err').

Not much work has been done on this subject so far, but it will certainly be rewarding. I've already written on it, and there really is more to it I'm sure (If I had but time!). We must alo keep in mind what Charlotte had to say in Mr Rochester's defense:

Mr. Rochester has a thoughtful nature and a very feeling heart; he is neither selfish nor self-indulgent; he is ill-educated, misguided; errs, when he does err, through rashness and inexperience: he lives for a time as too many other men live, but being radically better than most men, he does not like that degraded life, and is never happy in it. He is taught the severe lessons of experience and has sense to learn wisdom from them. Years improve him; the effervescence of youth foamed away, what is really good in him still remains. His nature is like wine of a good vintage, time cannot sour, but only mellows him.

One last interesting point is the casting of the film. The plot deals somewhat with the affair between Rochester and his mistress Elizabeth Barry, played by Samantha Morton. For those readers unaware of what is so interesting here, Samantha Morton played the part of Jane Eyre in the latest film (A&E 1997). The picture above shows her and Johnny Depp in a production photo from http://imdb.com

The film opens: November 25th, 2005 (LA/NY); January 13th, 2006 (expands). The trailer and other information can be found here.

Wow... it's true... (ie, Jane Eyre at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto).

Yes, another post about Jane Eyre the Musical. I have finally been able to download the three CDs of demos and performance audio from its early days. And, well, I think I will be busy for quite a while, despite any notions the U of T might have against studying musicals- I defy them! So there. Besides, I already have spent a year on this. And what a year it has been- very strange indeed. I'm not truly someone who is terribly fond of musicals. I don't follow them, I have never been to a Broadway show. I do enjoy some of them, but it isn't something I normally indulge in- I'm certainly more inclined towards classical music. But this show is different. I think I found out about it when I mentioned in my personal blog how much I enjoy Jane Eyre. A new friend of mine then asked if I had heard of the show. I said something about how I knew of it, and that I should go and see it some day- thinking it was still playing in Toronto! ...When it closed there nearly 10 years ago. She directed me to this website, and so it began.

I believe all musicals tend to go through a wild, chaotic journey on their way to the big stages of the world. It is also my understanding that they never stop changing. Each venue alters, even the most seemingly perfected shows. Again, this show is different... it changed drastically, and often. That first conversation about the show laid the groundwork in my mind for viewing the different versions: the earliest- Toronto- was "like a musical version of a BBC drama" while Broadway was far less comprehensive in scope. This is a positive way to view it. I've read many of the reviews, which tend to be extremely negative: the dense, vibrant Toronto show was nominated 'bloated' and critics complained that it seemed to include 'everything from the novel'. many others simply didn't like Jane Eyre to begin with, and criticised the show on that ground.

I am meandering a little. What I wanted to say is that, now that I have heard most of these early drafts, I guess they ought to be called, I have to agree: it is like a musical BBC drama. In fact, it is better than most dramas, which is remarkable. How difficult it is to compress the novel into a 3 hour production is one thing, but how about with the demands of a live audience and staging concerns? I would think it would be a nightmare, an impossibility. But, it worked... splendidly. More than once! I have far too much to comment on at the moment, but there are a few things I would like to note now, about the Toronto production (with Marla Schaffel as Jane Eyre and Anthony Crivello as Edward Rochester):

The scenes concerning Jane's youth are excellent. It is a shame that these were seriously compressed in the later versions. The pacing is just right, while covering everything it seems: Jane sings of her reading in Bewick's before the Reeds come in, taunt her for being: ugly, poor, dependent, and ungrateful. John strikes her, she fights back and is thrust into the Red Room where she is haunted by fears. Julia Severn is singled out at Lowood- only the second time, in the history of such adaptations I think. There are problems- mostly with sections at Thornfield. By comparison with her earlier life, and her time with the Rivers', Jane's relationship with Rochester is rushed. It also seems like Orson Welles was a model for this early conception of his character- his appearances and lines sometimes are accompanied by loud, rumbling, dramatic cues.

Listen to the Gateshead scene here.

Probably the most surprising element of the production, at least from an audio point of view since this is all I have to go on, is the inclusion of John Eyre as a speaking character. After Jane reads his letter, we hear- at least- him singing:

John Eyre:
I had a dream of a child;
tossed in the world, bereft and alone.
I wish to share with this child
the life that I've lived, the fortune I own.
And now, in my twilight years, I long to see her face...

Listen to this scene here.

Several moments made me smile, or surprised me. Mr Rochester's first entrance at Thornfield was delightful. It recalled the passage where Mrs Fairfax explains that they always keep the house in readiness because she had 'observed' that Mr Rochester was 'put out' to find the house swathed up, and a bustle of activity when he arrives. Well... now we get to see what Mr Rochester is like when 'put out':

Mrs. Fairfax:
The master is coming! Quick, air out his room!
Send for the steward, the butler, the groom!
Must I do everything by myself?
[...]open the [sluice?]
the longer he waits, the [...] the excuse!
[...] don't you know?
Look for Adella and see that she's dressed!
Get her out of her pinafore, into her best!
Send for the baker, [...]
Must I do everything by myself-

Mr Rochester: *with byronic fanfare*
THIS HOUSE!
THIS HOUSE WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!!!
WHAT FATE WAS IT MADE ME RETURN to pace this [...] miserable place?
I could be in Paris, or-

And then, I believe, the partially deaf Mrs Fairfax assures him about finding him some pheasant for supper while he tries to get her to understand that he hates pheasant. It is futile. I wonder if she has gone deaf from the dramatic music? But it ends on a subdued, comic note:

Mrs Fairfax:
[...] Just leave it to me-
I see you appear to have injured your knee!

Mr Rochester: ...My ankle, woman.

Listen to this scene here. Be sure to go to Paul Gordon's website here to hear his latest work!

Another favourite scene of mine... 'why the deuce should you journey so far? What good could it do her?'

ETA: And here is you may listen to the scene with Julia Severn.

Downloads, and more downloads...

My friend thisbeciel has been kind enough to upload the files from our favourite audio version of Jane Eyre- with Megwynn Owen and Patrick Allen.

1.http://s26.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3SSKGF1LCGNX33J9EQCJ5PKGUC
2.http://s22.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0MJJ84MBMKWUQ30LCRYPF4LDO0
3.http://s22.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=39F4ZFG7OX2OZ28KZO0ZOPS0N3
4.http://s22.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2RNSH3GBE5MP30E0I9N3TW2SKY
5.http://s22.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3HK9NL9IT9XST0ITR7OM4CHJP2

This is quite a time for downloads! She also bought recordings from the very early days of Jane Eyre the Musical! Links for those will be up shortly as well- but one thing at a time. At the moment, I am listening to clips from a preview in Wichita, Kansas and transcribing as I go. When I finish the transcription I will probably set up a website for it, and others- since there's a lot of matierial that hasn't been transcribed before! Most of it never made it beyond this stage of rough draft, I think. But some of it was surprising. For example:


Female chorus 1: My mother took the same infection from my father and died within a month of him.

Female chorus 4: Thus was I brought as a tiny infant to the house of my uncle-

Male chorus 4: John Reed.

Female chorus 4: At Gateshead Hall.

Female servant: Excuse me sir, but there's a letter for you. And something else that you should know about too.

John Reed Senior: I'm trying to read, could you please be more discreet?

Female Servant: Excuse me, sir but there is someone you should meet...

Chorus: What do we do with her? Never even knew of her! God has forsaken this child! We give to charity with great regularity but why should we take in this child?

Mrs. Reed: How can I cope with this new hungry creature? [With eyes that look] weary and worn?

John Reed Senior: [I hear] she's the poor orphan girl of my sister. My love and protection are sworn.

I haven't yet marked which lines are sung and which are spoken, and at a few points the performers are singing or speaking so quickly that the words are mumbled and hard to make out. I've put my best guesses in square brackets.

Villette Audio Adaptation

Right here: starring Catherine McCormack as Lucy Snowe, James Laurenson as Monsieur Paul Emanuel and Joseph Fiennes as Graham Bretton! Thanks to Biedroneczka! However am I going to study for the Classics midterm now?Life is good, notwithstanding that distressing review of Polly Teale's Bronte. ;)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Marguerite MacIntyre goes Gothic and a National Tour for Jane Eyre: The Musical?

How frustrating... I somehow managed to delete an entire post wherein I transcribed this very interesting article, sent to me by Esther. For ease of transmission I will transcribe it again, when I get over the disappointment of it all. For now, here is the image itself. Thank you for your contributions, Esther! Details about the early versions of Jane Eyre: The Musical are very difficult to find, so every allusion is significant. I have even had difficulty in finding images to illustrate the text with. I have nearly 2 000 files on Bronte related subjects and only 3 or 4 suitable images.

Marguerite MacIntyre played Bertha Rochester, Miss Scatcherd, and "Claire Dent." From what I can gather from various sources, doubling (or tripling, in this case) seemed to increase with each new version of the show. Originally I believe there were only a few doubled roles, which led to the show having a huge cast (especially since the earliest cast list I have obtained lists just about every character from the novel. Even John Eyre makes an appearance!) The doubling, then, was originally not wholly for the sake of economy. The show is designed to reflect Jane's narrative retrospection. The later versions increase this conception to the point that the show is extremely oeneric. Anyway, regarding doubling, the only positive doubling in the early versions that I know of is that the same actors played Jane's father, and Mr Rochester; and Jane's mother, and Miss Temple. A clue to why this choice was made is Jane's opening speech (sung by members of a chorus as well as Jane- / marks a change in voice.):

"My name is Jane Eyre./ My story begins, gentle audience, a long age ago/ in the home of a poor clergyman/ and his wife;/ my parents./ There is my father, as I now imagine him,/ and there my mother./ And there I am; Jane Eyre, a baby in my father's arms."

Lastly, there seems to be hope that Jane Eyre: The Musical will at last go on its first national tour, according to its creator, Paul Gordon.

At last! JE 1973 to be released! (and Nanowrimo).

Thisbeciel's work to spread the word on the BBC version of Jane Eyre from 1973 has finally paid off. She recieved this unsolicited email today, which answers all of our hopes:

Greetings,

I’m writing to let you know that Acorn Media is finalizing an agreement with the BBC to release the 1973 adaptation of Jane Eyre on DVD for both North America and the UK. No firm release date has been set as that will depend on the details that are being finalized, but it will most likely happen in 2006.

Best regards.
Donald Klees
Director of Program Planning
Acorn Media
U.S.

I am informed that Acorn Media often include extras on their DVDs- dare I hope for such things? Considering how acurate the production is, relative to the text (for example, we finally get to see little Julia Severn at Lowood) and in other respects (Rochester actually rides off from Hay Lane with his injured foot hanging out of the stirrup!) any little bit more would be appreciated. There are two surviving homemade copies of the show- one made in America and one in Canada. The Canadian version includes the first episode which was sliced off of the American broadcast for whatever reason. Part of the dialogue in the Hay Lane scene was also cut (in this production Rochester says 'the deuce' even more than in the novel!). In short, this version makes me giddy and blissful, and this is very very very very very good news.

(The first scene of the American version: "Hitherto I have narrated..." Adult Jane is about to break away from her life at Lowood.)


More information on the 1973 production can be found here, from the Internet Movie Database, and there are lots of images, sound clips, and information at Thisbeciel's website, which is listed on the side bar.

It's that time of year again... nanowrimo: national novel writing month. During the month of Novemeber, thousands of insane people around the world attempt to write a 50 000 word novel. I have attempted to write a "nanovel" twice, and both times I very nearly lost my mind. It caused me to resort to speaking in very short sentences. It is not for the faint of heart... nor anyone who would be pained by writing truly awful prose. This is relevant for the Brontëverse because my last year's attempt was a reworking of The Professor. It didn't get beyond two chapters, but parts of it were pleasing. Strangely my 'OC's (Original Characters) took over the story. One of them was a governess named Miss Smyth(e). She was supposed to be entirely incidental, but the moment I said so, she suddenly stole the plot entirely and I had to send her away into the backstory before she did something crazy like marry one of the main characters (or that tutor... I don't know what he was up to). She wasn't the favourite amongst my readers... It was an interesting experiment because my readers had not read The Professor and didn't know which characters were entirely mine, and which were my imitations of Charlotte's. The favourite character by far ended up being the poor 'shuffling' little spinster Miss Sedler! (I conjured her up to work for Mr.Hunsden).

Is a third attempt in store for me? Will Miss Sedler get her own novel or will Miss Smyth strike again? Well, I'll give it a try. Anyone else up for a Brontë-inspired nanovel? If I can survive until I reach chapter three, I think I will count it a great victory!

Details on Nanowrimo can be found here: http://www.nanowrimo.com

Another limited time offer.

A dear friend of mine has recently bought a CD full of theatrical tidbits that someone had collected over time. In it there are some lovely video clips from the Jane Eyre musical when it was on Broadway. I haven't seen most of these- my computer is still not up to the job, but that's no reason not to share the links! They will be up for less than a week.

Several are promotional trailers from Broadway.com (avid fans will recognise the Proposal clip from James Barbour's website):

"Secret Soul"
"The Pledge"
"The Proposal"
"The Kiss"

These are apparently longer video clips. I haven't viewed them so I cannot comment on where they might have come from:

You examine me Miss Eyre
End of the Gypsy Scene
The Proposal
"Secret Soul" performed in the studio

There are also some audio files and photographs. I haven't listened to these, either, but apparently the lyrics are different from other renditions: Sirens, Secret Soul. I've posted some of the photos throughough this post btw (or I will do when Blogger will allow it...).

I have been silent lately, due to more than one crisis at home, which are now resolved, God willing. Exam week is over, I have survived it with only minor damage and the addition of a new hobby- crochet. All of this has nothing to do with the Brontës and so, I'll move on to something I read this morning which struck me as very odd.

From the Liverpool Daily Press article on Polly Teale's Bronte:

"A fine actor like David Fielder is expected to play the sisters' father, the dull curate who becomes Charlotte's husband, Charlotte's tutor and the fictional Mr Rochester. It's not always easy to know which one he is playing at any moment."

That really must be confusing. I'm thinking especially of the Patrick Bronte and Arthur Nicholls crossover. Just how is that supposed to work? I can't help but think that it would make one of them seem totally nuts. "That soundrel! I don't ever want to see him in this house again!" "Oh please, let me stay-" "No, I say!" Or something more accurate and meaningful but along those same lines. Still, it is a shame I cannot see this. Mr Rochester is easier to work in since he is a composite of imagination and experiences of character like most fictional creations. There could be a little of ..most of them (Mr.Nicholls excepted) in his character. It would probably come across as though there had only ever been one man in Charlotte's life- at least he doesn't also play Messrs. Smith, Williams, Taylor, and Thackeray too.

More pretty pictures...

I had to return most of the Brontë books I took out, alas. I did renew the ones by Juliet Barker because they're so interesting 'light' reading! I'm going to try once again, to continue my project to share all of the illustrated Brontë lovliness I have hoarded away on my PC. These are some of my favourites, illustrated by John Huehnergarth in 1954. The glorious Kristin sent them to me, along with other things to keep up my obsession- I mean... collection.









I have collected a lot of illustrations but have only come across two like the one on the left, which illustrate Mr Rochester's affairs on the continent. The other is from the 1940s. The edition is one of my favourites. There are many beautiful illustrations which cleverly comment upon the action in the text itself. These are good examples, but there are several ways he goes about this. The expressions of these illustrations are what speak for the accompaning text.

The one on the right is straight-forward, it seems. But if you read more into it, the illustrator has answered the question a few readers might have- would Mr Rochester make a good father? The other is more tricky. He certainly seems rather ridiculous, and flattered I think, by Celine's vivacious clinging. In the context of Mr Rochester's narrative, this image has strong ironic overtones.

Jane Eyre by Telegram.

Yes! You read correctly. Jane Eyre by telegram... I am being buried now, beneath piles of exams. I marked a good many today, and I have an exam to proctor tomorrow as well as one to sit! I will take the time now, while I can catch my breath and save for future reference, some of the more amusing pastimes of a few Brontephiles- namely me, and my friends. Projects like Jane Eyre by Telegram, but other projects suggested include a blogged version of Wuthering Heights (with journal entries by each of the characters), and there's also a huge Jane Eyre comic book that I made, and half of one of Villette.

Jane Eyre by Telegram was first proposed by Aidan, on august 18th 2005 at 2:56 PM. We didn't get very far because we all got so excited! But there was one telegram that arrived far too early:

"Jane stop Jane stop Jane stop Mr Rochester stop."

Others never made it at all:

{This telegram was never sent- having slipped into a crack of the post office floor.}jane eyre stop i love you stop mr rochester stop

Here's a selection of my favourites from all parties:

dear doll stop i am here at school stop i have met a very nice girl who does not despise me stop i am sending you a telegram because i am so cold i can not speak stop i hope we have something good to eat this morning stop love jane

dear God stop kill me know or let me at least run away stop sob sob sob stop yes i will run away and live again in europe stop i know that i'm not crazy even though i am sending a telegram to God stop it's better than carrying out this suicide attempt stop speaking of which i should put these pistols away now before wife gets them stop again stop yours agonisingly edward

"God is currently busy and cannot take your call please hold *sounds of Greensleeves*"Dear St John,We're writing in regard to your latest shipment of beef. It never showed up and we're running low on supplies. We need fresh meat otherwise we will surely go out of business. Please provide some.Yours sincerely,Rhajid Bhaskar,Manager of The Calcutta Grilling Co.

Hahahahaha stop Thornfield is mine all mine stop Hahahahha stop have died suddenly stop Rowland Rochester

mamma stop i am having a frightfully good time here in town stop everybody likes me and they are always getting up gambling parties just for me stop i need more money though stop send me by wire stop your own rapscallion john

dear god stop your favourite son here stop all these children are dying and people are blaming me stop help stop they are actually going to start feeding them stop please strike down the unbelievers stop awaiting your divine wrath stop brocklehurst stop

dear jane stop my husband's great stop however I just won't ever write to you again stop he doesn't let me have contact with any of my close friends stop send help stop i mean i am perfectly happy with married life stop the former miss temple

0948 stop a woman came in and said the code word stop but not the rest of it stop she did not seem to know anything stop however there really was a letter for J.E. stop can not be a coincidence stop advise following the woman who headed towards lowood stop postmistress stop

Agnes Grey stop thank you for your reply stop but we have already secured a governess stop have a nice life stop mrs. fairfax stop

dear mademoiselle jeanette arrete je suis very happy to have a governante arrete i mean governess stop i have stopped jumping on the matresses in the third story stop may i now have some cake stop Adella Varens

what the deuce is to do now stop mr rochester stop

for once i wish someone would care about my welfare in these situations stop mesrour stop

To Theatrical Equipment Proprieters, Millcote sir stop you have sent me the wrong costume stop i wanted a female gypsy outfit stop the skirt must have a wide waistband stop nevermind what it is for stop just send it to me stop mr. rochester

john stop please get the gardner to fix up the lawns stop miss eyre has created ruts in the grass with all of her pacing stop it looks awful stop mrs. fairfax stop

john stop go out and purchase a doll and a dress or whatever for adele stop i could not be bothered to get anything for her when i was abroad and now she is bugging me stop mr rochester stop

...This is not funny! Not funny at all!

http://www.brontecollege.com/

If only it were that simple! (In fact has nothing at all to do with the Brontës). George Elliot appears to be extremely popular in Canadian academia nowadays, but courses on the Brontës are scarce. I've found one so far and it has been cancelled.

*sigh*

Robin Chapman on Jane Eyre (1973), more than one Bway JE (?), and some confusion...

The New York TimesJuly 18, 1982, Sunday, Late City Final Edition
SECTION: Section 2A; Page 3, Column 1; Arts and Leisure Desk
HEADLINE: TELEVISION WEEK
BYLINE: By Eleanor Blau

A New Jane

'Jane Eyre,'' the Charlotte Bronte novel, arrives on Channel 13 in four parts starting Wednesday evening at 8, offering a new look at a much-filmed heroine. Jane, hired as a governess at that mysterious house, Thornfield Hall, headed by the romantic and tyrannical Mr. Rochester, has inspired at least three pre-talkie films and two with sound: in 1934 (with Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive), and in 1944 (Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles). There was even a Broadway version in 1958 (Jan Brooks and Eric Portman) [Hmmm...] and a 1971 television movie (Susannah York and George C. Scott).

In this BBC version, starring Sorcha Cusack (daughter of the actor Cyril Cusack) and Michael Jayston, Jane will tell her own story - as she does in the first-person novel. According to Robin Chapman, the novelist and playwright who did the adaptation, ''usually when people dramatize 'Jane Eyre' they take away the narrative voice-over of Jane herself and this turns the book on its head.

''I think Charlotte Bronte was an early feminist,'' Mr. Chapman said last week speaking by phone from England. ''She debunks the Byronic glamour associated with Rochester.'' The first view we get of Rochester is a typically romantic, macho one, riding a horse - but he falls, Mr. Chapman noted. And by the time Jane is reunited with him at the end of the novel, ''he is reduced to a human being.'' He has been blinded but some of his sight is being restored. ''It's very much a parable,'' Mr. Chapman said.

And now, for the confusion:

Putting on Eyres

Please help me, I have drained my memory cells.

I would like to know the name of a movie featuring George C. Scott. He was married to an insane woman and kept her locked in the attic.

He was in love with another woman. His wife set the house on fire and, in the rescue attempt, he lost his sight.

His character's name in the movie was Rothchild.

I thought it was "Wuthering Heights," but after seeing it on TV recently, I found out it was not.

My friends cannot recall the name, and some of them wonder if it is a movie.

I told them I could never think of such a plot. I'd be a writer if I could.

"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte is a virtual sister volume to Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre." The sibling Gothic novelists and their works are often confused. George C. Scott and Susannah York starred in the 1971 British TV-movie version, the third filming we can find. Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive starred in a 1934 rendering, and Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine played the leads in a famous 1944 feature showcasing a very young Elizabeth Taylor. By the way, Bronte's brooding hero is named Rochester, not Rothchild.