Topic 25 of 84: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Fri, Aug 22, 1997 (12:04) |
Amy Wolf (amy2)
It's tough to decide, I know. My personal fave is JANE EYRE -- there's just something so galvanizing about Charlotte's prose, the characters, & the timeless love story. I also love WUTHERING HEIGHTS for its soaring poetry. I think I like AGNES GREY better than TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL -- it's got a very sweet feel to it. What's _your_ favorite? amy
54 responses total.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 1 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Fri, Aug 22, 1997 (12:06) * 1 lines
I hasten to mention I have not read VILLETTE or SHIRLEY yet!!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 2 of 54: Lori Schadler (EmKnightly) * Sat, Aug 23, 1997 (12:19) * 4 lines
no big surprise here... of course its JANE EYRE!
(I'm a poet and I didn't know it!) :o)
Lori
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 3 of 54: Susan (Susan) * Sat, Aug 23, 1997 (13:09) * 1 lines
My vote has to go for Jane Eyre, also. It's been a favorite since I was about 12. I am one of those who thinks Wuthering Heights is much ado about nothing, and I greatly enjoyed Tenant of Wildfell Hall. That is the extent of my Bronte reading, though, an oversight I intend to correct soonest!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 4 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sat, Aug 23, 1997 (17:14) * 2 lines
The criticial reception of WH over the years is interesting. When it first came out in 1847, it was almost universally excoriated for being "coarse," every character was detestable, etc. THEN, many yeares after Emily's death, this incredible re-evaulation took place, and she's commonly thought to be a better writer than Charlotte. I readily acknowledge she was a better POET, but I have to say, I prefer Charlotte's novel to hers. And I understand that VILLETTE is just a tour de force -- George Eliot cou
dn't stop talking about it.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 5 of 54: Elena Sheehan (rochelle) * Mon, Aug 25, 1997 (01:05) * 8 lines
Without doubt and without reservations, Wuthering Heights. Read it as simple
Romance and like Lockwood you will find yourself confounded in your attempts
to gain entry. Some people will always shudder and turn their backs on a
novel that is anadulterated power, and both has closure and yet also resists
it. I read it at the age of nine, and have come back to it every year of my
life. Like Virginia Woolf said, it is not simply a statement about "I am" or
"You are", but rather "We, the human race" and "You, the eternal powers". I
this isn't too inarticulate...and don't even start me on the poetry!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 6 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Mon, Aug 25, 1997 (11:49) * 1 lines
Elena, I see you are a big Emily supporter! I haven't read WH for some time, & I intend to do so before I go to England at the end of September. I do remember being utterly unable to put it down until I finished. It's quite a challenge, betweeen the multiple narrators, Yorkshire dialect, & multi-generational plot. What is it about the book that draws you in?
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 7 of 54: Elena Sheehan (Rochelle) * Mon, Aug 25, 1997 (22:24) * 13 lines
Amy, it seems strange, but "Wuthering Heights" has been a part of my
consciousness for so long that I haven't thought in years why it is my
favourite novel. Like the beautiful image of Cathy's dream, it has changed
the colour of my mind, like wine through water. It's not just a single
element, it's everything. The poety, the fascinating way she manipulates her
narrative and structure. The characters, of course. Even at the end of the
novel, Nelly Dean - and the reader - are still asking who or what Heathcliffe
is. And the younger Cathy, is equally vivid, even in her abscence. "Jane Eyre"
is a superb work of genius. You only have to look at the way generations of
women have responded to it as a voicing of their own journey. But "Wuthering
Heights" doesn't seem to be operating on the same plain - it transcends it.
Charlotte's is a voice of personal love and indignation and need. "Wuthering
Heights" and its characters are operating on another, eternal level.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 8 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Tue, Aug 26, 1997 (11:33) * 1 lines
Thanks. I definitely look forward to reading this again with new insight.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 9 of 54: R.L (classic) * Tue, Aug 26, 1997 (17:31) * 6 lines
Jane Eyre- my favorite book of all time. it has everything a book should have.
The characters are great (Jane, Mr. Rochester are my favorites), the plot
is interesting, and you have to think about it. I'm reading it for the second time
now and am still finding new things. Charlotte Bronte was a genius for suspense;
i never guessed what would happen in j.E but she gave you clues and foreshadowing. I just love that book. I've read Wuthering Heights, which i liked,
but it was different. it's the kind of book that should be read many times before you can understand it. Villette was also very good. i'm reading Agnes Grey now so i'll see how I like that, which I'm sure i will. After all, can there be a bad Bronte novel?
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 10 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Tue, Aug 26, 1997 (20:47) * 1 lines
NO!! I don't think so. Although THE PROFESSOR & SHIRLEY might be the least liked. Even so, I'd rather read the Bronte's lesser works than the best work of many other authors.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 11 of 54: Elena Sheehan (Rochelle) * Wed, Aug 27, 1997 (02:04) * 9 lines
There has been something of a reassessment of Anne in recent years, both of her
character and novels. This is particularly evident in "The Tenant of Wildfell
Hall", which had suffered in the past from Victorian incomprehension and Charlotte's
verdict that it was a totally inappropriate subject for Anne's character - or at
least Charlotte's interpretation of her character. Recent studies have held it to
be a pioneering feminist polemic. I'm inclined to agree. She has an edge even on
Charlotte's novels, which were daring enough when it came to education and the role
of women in the society she lived in. She also has a wonderful, dry edge to her narrative
style that is very appealing - and not dissimiler to Charlotte or even Austen.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 12 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Wed, Aug 27, 1997 (11:48) * 1 lines
I really like Anne's work. When I was younger, her extreme piety kind of turned me off, but upon re-reading AGNES & TENANT recently, I was struck by her dry, ironic humour which very much reminds me of Jane Austen. Still, there's something about Charlotte's fiery metaphoric language & passion that just engages me in a way that Anne does not. But isn't it wonderful that a single family produced at least THREE geniuses?!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 13 of 54: Susan (Susan) * Thu, Aug 28, 1997 (01:13) * 3 lines
there's something about Charlotte's fiery metaphoric language & passion that just engages me in a way that Anne does not.
I agree, Amy. And Jane's core of steel is just no match for Helen's. Not to mention that the equal of Rochester is not found in Anne's books.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 14 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Aug 28, 1997 (11:48) * 1 lines
Yeah, Mr. Weston seems like a nice guy, but he doesn't have that Byronic appeal. Ditto with Gilbert Markham in TENANT. I think Anne was actually stronger writing women, whereas Charlotte could write BOTH men & women with a flair!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 15 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Sun, Aug 31, 1997 (10:34) * 4 lines
JANE EYRE, no doubt about it! I read passages of the book almost every week, I love the Jane/Rochester dialogues, I think it is a beautiful hymn to womanhood and love. Iīve also read Villette and The Tenant. They are both quite good, even though I much prefered Villette. Lucy Snowe is a very endearing heroine. But, for me, the love story of Rochester and Jane has this strange, wonderful appeal that one canīt resist. And now that Iīve seen the new adaptation, I feel even more in love with the novel than e
er before. Let`s just say that Samantha Morton matches the picture of Jane that I have in my head.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 16 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sun, Aug 31, 1997 (19:17) * 1 lines
I just re-read the first 200 pgs.of JE today -- what a great book!! It is just so engrossing -- even though I know the plot like the back of my hand, I still can't wait to find out what happens next! And the quality of Charlotte's poetic language & metaphors just puts other writers to shame. What a genius -- we are so lucky to have four novels by her!!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 17 of 54: Susan (Susan) * Thu, Sep 4, 1997 (01:31) * 4 lines
the quality of Charlotte's poetic language & metaphors just puts other
writers to shame.
I know that's a big part of what keeps drawing *me* back...
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 18 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Sep 4, 1997 (16:50) * 1 lines
There's a real dreamlike quality to her prose in JE too. It's just a tour de force of writing -- I can't think of another novel that has this level of intensity, except for (surprise!) WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 19 of 54: Elena Sheehan (Rochelle) * Tue, Sep 9, 1997 (21:17) * 29 lines
Here's some of the Virginia Woolf critique that I mentioned before, one genius writing
about another:
The meaning of a book, which lies so often apart from what happens and what is said and consists
rather in some connection which things in themselves different have had for the writer, is necessarily
hard to grasp. Especially this is so when, like the Brontes, the writer is poetic, and his meaning inseparable
from his language, and itself rather a mood than a particular observation. WH is a more difficult book to
understand than JE, because Emily was a greater poet than Charlotte. When Charlotte wrote she said with
eloquence and splendour and passion `I love', `I hate', 'I suffer'. Her experience, though more intense,
is on a level with our own. But there is no 'I' in WH. There are no governessess. There are no employers.
There is love, but it is not the love of men and women. Emily was inspired by some more general conception.
The impulse which urged her to create was not her own suffering or her own injuries. She looked out upon a world
cleft into gigantic disorder and felt within her the power to unite it in a book...That gigantic ambition is to
be felt throughout the novel - a struggle half thwarted but of superb conviction, which is not merely 'I love'
or 'I hate', but 'we, the whole human race' and 'you, the eternal powers...' the
sentence remains unfinished. It is not strange that it should be so; rather it is
astonishing that she can make us feel she had it in her to say at all...
And so we reach these summits of emotion not by rant or rhapsody but by hearing a girl sing
old songs to herself as she rocks in the branches of a tree; by watching the moor sheep crop the
turf; by listening to the soft wind breath through the grass...How, we are allowed
to ask, can there be truth or insight or the finer shades of emotion in men and women who so little
resemble what we have seen ourselves? But even as we ask it we see in Heathcliff the brother
that a sister of genius might have seen; he is impossible we say, but nevertheless no boy in
literature has so vivid an existence as his... it is as if she could tear up all
that we know human beings by, and fill these unrecognizable transparences with such
a gust of life that they transcend reality. Hers, then, is the rarest of all powers.
She could free life from its dependence on facts; with a few touches indicate the
spirit of a face so that it needs no body; by speaking of the moor make the wind blow
and the thunder roar...
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 20 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Wed, Sep 10, 1997 (11:36) * 1 lines
I love Virginia Woolf's literary criticism -- she has wonderful things to say abut Jane Austen too. What book is her criticism of WH in? I would love to have this! Thanks.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 21 of 54: Elena Sheehan (Rochelle) * Wed, Sep 10, 1997 (19:07) * 9 lines
The source I used was the Emily Bronte book in the Penguin Critical Anthologies Series
(Penguin Books, 1973). It was originally published as an essay in the "The Common Reader"
entitled "Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights".
I don't know if you've come across this series before, but it is an excellent source for
criticism since the publication of the novel. I don't know if there is a critical
anthology for Charlotte and Anne - they are not included in the list of other titles
in the series in the book. I don't know if the book is still in print - I picked up
my copy in a second hand bookshop years ago.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 22 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Wed, Sep 10, 1997 (20:42) * 1 lines
I may have run across this series or something like it on PRIDE & PREJUDICE. I do enjoy reading literary criticism, though some academics tend to spin off wildly in support of a pet theory... Virginia Woolf, Henry James, & E.M. Forster are my favorites -- being novelists, they bring a deeper understanding to the party!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 23 of 54: Elena Sheehan (Rochelle) * Thu, Sep 11, 1997 (21:01) * 21 lines
E M Forster included this in his "Aspects of the Novel":
`The emotions of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw function differently to other
emotions in fiction. Instead of inhabiting the characters, they surround them like
thunder clouds, and generate the explosions that fill the novel from the moment when
Lockwood dreams of the hand at the window down to the moment when Heathcliff,
with the same window open, is discovered dead. WH is filled with sound - storm and
rushing wind - a sound more important than words and thoughts. Great as the novel
is, one cannot afterwards remember anything in it but Heatcliff and the elder Catherine.
They cause the action by their separation: they close it by their union after
death. No wonder they "walk"; what else could such beings do? Even when they were
alive their love and hate transcended them'
The review then goes on for a little longer.
I know what you mean about literary criticism. It caused me no end of mirth when
I was at Uni - academics that seemed to lived so cloistered that their favourite
literary works were more real to them than reality. And they all had distinct
little theories. I used to call it "pushing the wheelbarrow" - they all had their
own little theory to push along. But it so interesting to throw theories into
the air and see which ones flew.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 24 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Fri, Sep 12, 1997 (11:37) * 1 lines
Yeah, some of them are so outrageous you have to ask yourself: "Did they READ the book?" I've read some essays comparing Jane Austen to the architecture of the times; to Mozart; etc. Another review that made me laugh compared a SCIENCE FICTION STORY to a "Romansbilden"!! (excuse my poor spelling). But when a critic is really perceptive, Virginia Woolf in particular, it absolutely adds to understanding of the work.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 25 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Mon, Sep 15, 1997 (04:18) * 2 lines
Oh Amy, Iīm glad that you mentioned Henry James. I know it doesnīt have much to do with what is being discussed here, but it seems to me that he isnīt discussed enough. I mean, his books have some of the most impressive heroines ever created (Catherine Sloper, Isabel Archer) and the stories are so good. Besides they give you a lot to think about. Thereīs a lot of human understanding in those novels. I don`t find them very complicated to read, though Iīve heard the contrary. I am now reading Portrait of a
ady and I find it terrific. Iīve already seen the film and, though it was very good, it doesn`t come close to the depth of the novel. What say you (to Henry James and his writing)?
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 26 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Mon, Sep 15, 1997 (11:38) * 1 lines
I haven't read much James, but I do like him very much, especially since he was such a major fan of Jane Austen, & I think that it shows. Most of the films made of his work are just God-awful (the Cybil Shephard PORTRAIT) but I've been seeing trailers for WINGS OF A DOVE with Helena Bonham-Carter that might actually be good. I THINK this comes out around X-mas in the States...
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 27 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Wed, Sep 17, 1997 (14:38) * 3 lines
Was Cybil Shepard in a version of Portrait of a Lady? I only remember her from Daisy Miller, which is based on a very short novella of HJīs. She was very young, the movieīs probably from the 70s. I only saw the end, so I canīt judge it, but it seemed to me a very dark version. The novella is dark as well (I read it some time ago), so I guess they kept the tone, wouldnīt mind seeing the whole thing.
Actually the things Iīve read by James are on the dark side. Washington Square (which is a GREAT book) and Portrait (and Daisy Miller). Thereīs a definite tragic streak to each one. And there`s also true Austen flavour to some characters, so I recommend it to every JA fan.
But on to the Brontes! A family that never gets boring!... ;-) I`ve been rewatching SM`s (it is definitely HER version, even though Ciaran is good as well) Jane Eyre...ahhh...ŧbig dreamy smileŦ...
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 28 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Wed, Sep 17, 1997 (20:40) * 1 lines
Ah Luisa, how I envy you! I dearly hope to pick up a copy at the Bronte Parsonage next week!! And you're right -- Cybil was in DAISY MILLER (did her then-b.f. Bogdanovitch direct her in it?) She wasn't very good. I am really intrigued about the new Bonham-Carter H. James adaptation -- the trailer looks great, & I will definitely go. It will be something to cling to over Christmas when we're being assailed with more TITANICS & FLUBBERS.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 29 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Thu, Sep 18, 1997 (06:12) * 2 lines
Yeah, Wings of The Dove should be something to look forward to. HBC plays a baddie, it seems. I think she is a very good actress, from what Iīve seen, so Iīm also very curious to see it.
On to another thing that doesn`t have much to do with the Brontes, but I have to ask: have you by any chance heard of a BBC TV adaptation of The Mill on the Floss with that actress from Breaking the Waves?
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 30 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Sep 18, 1997 (10:54) * 1 lines
Yes! I just saw a Coming Attraction for it on PBS, and it looked great!! The scenery was absolutely beautiful. I have no idea when this is slated to air, but I assume it's next season?? They were promo-ing TENANT at the same time, & I am really excited to see this!!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 31 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Thu, Sep 18, 1997 (18:54) * 5 lines
Well, Iīll probably have to buy Mill through the Net, cause I donīt see them showing it here. But no matter.
Amy (or anyone kind enough to help me), I have a favour to ask. Did you know that thereīs a new Jane Eyre page at A&E`s ? Iīve trying to get in, but everytime I go there, my computer shuts down and I donīt get to see anything. I wonder, could anyone give me the gist of what is said in the Samantha Morton interview (maybe even mail the interview to me...)?
Thanks,
Luisa
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 32 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Sep 18, 1997 (20:14) * 1 lines
So it's finally up! I was wondering when they would do this. Sure, I would be more than happy to e-mail you the text of her interview!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 33 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Fri, Sep 19, 1997 (07:32) * 1 lines
Thanks, Amy, you`re a pal! ;-)
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 34 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Fri, Sep 19, 1997 (11:29) * 1 lines
Luisa, I made the journey to the A&E Web site, but was foiled! I didn't see JANE EYRE anywhere -- they still have "The Making of IVANHOW" & "Emma On Location." Please give me the URL & I will go back & get that interview for you. Sorry!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 35 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Fri, Sep 19, 1997 (11:30) * 1 lines
No really, I do know how to spell IVANHOE -- it's one of my favorite books. It is very very early here....
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 36 of 54: Elena Sheehan (Rochelle) * Tue, Sep 23, 1997 (23:25) * 2 lines
It is interesting that Scott had an influence on all the Brontes, perhaps most
markedly in Emily.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 37 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Wed, Sep 24, 1997 (12:08) * 1 lines
Yes!! Charlotte once commented to Ellen that any novels written after Scott weren't worth reading. I understand that the landscape of Gondal & even of WH borrows some features from Scott's Scotland?? Here's a bizarre theory, but do you think that Emily was influenced by the Ivanoe/Rowena/Rebecca triangle in IVANHOE, which she may have employed for the Cathy/Heathcliff/Edgar one in WH?
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 38 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Wed, Sep 24, 1997 (13:32) * 1 lines
Amy, sorry I couldn`t get back to you sooner. I guess you donīt need that URL anymore, since I saw the interview at Ramble. Thank you. I just wished the reporter had asked a bit more about her plans, her life as an actress, etc, than about what it was like to "be" Jane Eyre. I mean, she answered what you would expect: what`s it like to be anyone else? But the questions seemed repetitive to me. I read it all, but I was tired at the end.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 39 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Wed, Sep 24, 1997 (16:17) * 1 lines
Is that on the Republic of Pemberley "Ramble" Board? I would like to see that. Thanks.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 40 of 54: Elena Sheehan (Rochelle) * Wed, Sep 24, 1997 (20:13) * 16 lines
Amy, that's quite an interesting idea, and one that hadn't occured to me. Offhand, I
can't recollect any discussion of "Ivanhoe" as a potential influence on Emily. Most
usually mentioned are "The Black Dwarf", "Old Mortality" and "Waverley". TBD has a
character called "Earnscliff". I don't think there's a direct correlation between
the "Ivanhoe" triangle and WH, although there may be a more general influence.
One of the strongest candidates for a literary source for WH is "The Bridegroom
of Barna", published in "Blackwood's" in 1840, which bears a lot of plot similarities.
indeed, John Hewish suggested that "One feels that had Simmonds read WH he might
have charged Emily Bronte with plagiarism". Not that it is in any way on a parr
with WH. I haven't read "Ivanhoe" in while, however, so I'll pick it up again and
see if it strikes me as a potential source. I think there might be some similarities
with some of the Gondal plotlines (at least as far as anyone can determine the
Gondal plotlines).
Speaking of Gondal...it's no secret where those deer wandering around on the hills
and characters like "Flora" and "Douglas" came from!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 41 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Thu, Sep 25, 1997 (13:35) * 1 lines
Amy, the interview with Sam Morton is indeed on the Ramble board, I thought YOU had put it there, thatīs why I didnīt give you the URL (as well as for the tiny reason that I don`t know how to give links).Anyway, the Jane Eyre thing is in Behind the Scenes at A&E`s.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 42 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Sep 25, 1997 (19:10) * 2 lines
Thanks Luisa! That is so strange -- every time I got to the A&E website, I see IVANHOE & EMMA, but no JANE EYRE!!! Could you give me their URL? Maybe I can accessing an old one. Thanks!
Elena -- IVANHOE rules, though it is much more of a traditional swashbuckling Romance than WH, that's for sure. Ivanhoe himself is bold & noble; Rowena is pure; Rebecca is pretty darned interesting though -- an intelligent, ethical woman who puts the Templars to shame. I don't know what Scott would have thought of WH -- he might have been a little shocked!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 43 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Fri, Sep 26, 1997 (16:23) * 7 lines
Amy, I sure hope this helps you! Here goes:
http://www.aetv.com/scenes/janeeyre/
Is this what you meant by URL (sorry, Iīm completely ignorant)?
I can now access the pages with the interviews without interruptions, which is great. I`ve devoured everything that`s there... ;-) Anyway, hope you can get there without further ado.
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 44 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Fri, Sep 26, 1997 (16:24) * 1 lines
Oh, I didn`t think this would create an immediate link! How great! ;-)
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 45 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sat, Oct 11, 1997 (23:22) * 2 lines
Thanks Luisa! I did manage to get to the JE page before I left for England.
I'm glad that they acknowledge the book to such a large extent, and all of the information about is actually ACCURATE (at the Parsonage in Haworth, they have the pub. date of JE as being 1848 instead of 1847!). oh well...
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 46 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Thu, Oct 16, 1997 (15:09) * 1 lines
So, you did buy the new Jane Eyre? Have you seen it? ;-)
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 47 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Oct 16, 1997 (21:32) * 2 lines
I did, and then promptly LOST it, can you believe that? In fact, I had bought a ton of stuff at the Parsonage gift shop -- books, the new JE, the new TENANT -- and my bags somehow got lost on the way from Yorkshire to London to Munich to Sussex! Oh well...at least it airs this Sunday & we can tape it. My fiance does have the TENANT though and we watched it a bit -- looked pretty good. I especially liked Toby Stephens as Gilbert -- he really fit the part. Though Tara Fitzgerald initially came off very
harsh as Helen, which was not my mental picture of the character from the book....
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 48 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Sun, Oct 19, 1997 (10:44) * 3 lines
Yes, I know what you mean. I thought she looked a bit of a cold fish at first. But my heart kinda went out to her with the development of the story and at the end I thought it was quite a performance. I mean, with the kind of things she has to go through, itīs obvious why she builds this wall around herself and her son. Gilbert is her only hope for a little happiness. Toby Stephens is great as Gilbert, IMO. I liked him (and his beautiful, rugged accent!) from the start.
BTW, Amy, let me once again wish you all the best for your wedding. I do hope you`ll be very happy! :)
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 49 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sun, Oct 19, 1997 (13:42) * 2 lines
Thanks Luisa!!! I really apreciate that. My Tim is coming out from England on 11/8, & he's going to be staying with me here in L.A. for 5 weeks! Then we both go back for his graduation (he just got his M.A. from Loughborough Univeristy) & spend X-mas in England. THEN, we're hoping for the wedding to take place in January!! As far as TENANT -- I too was really impressed with Toby Stephens. His look & performance were just superb. As far as Fitzgerald: I never had a mental picture of Helen being so har
-bitten & cold initially, just sort of stand-offish with the nosy neighbors. Even so, I liked Fitzgerald better as the character warms up to Gilbert... JANE EYRE is tonite on A&E!!! It's at 5 P.M. & 9 P.M. PST, and they're re-running it on Tuesday. Get those VCR's ready!!!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 50 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Thu, Oct 23, 1997 (19:14) * 1 lines
Guess your enthusiasm kinda fizzled out after the first five minutes or so of Jane Eyre, huh, Amy? ;-)
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 51 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Thu, Oct 23, 1997 (21:28) * 1 lines
I don't even think it took that long, Luisa! The Red Room sequence was so ludicrous & overdone that I knew we were in trouble! It was like a Fun House at a carnival, was it not? It seems that most of the ladies on the Austen Board hated this version too, so we are not alone....
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 52 of 54: Luisa Barros (Luisa) * Sat, Oct 25, 1997 (06:34) * 1 lines
Well, Iīm glad YOU are not alone, Amy, cause, for my part, I thought the new adaptation had lots of good in it. But Iīve already said enough on this score. The novelty is starting to wear off. ;-)
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 53 of 54: Amy Wolf (amy2) * Sat, Oct 25, 1997 (19:26) * 1 lines
Yeah, I know what you mean. Now that I've ranted & raved across 2 boards, I think I've gotten it out of my system. BTW, TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL airs on PBS this Sunday, 10/26, at 9 P.M. PST!!! I saw a bit of it in England & it really looked good!
Topic 25 of 84 [bronte]: What's Your Favorite Bronte Novel?
Response 54 of 54: Heulwen Rankin (Heulwen) * Sat, Sep 19, 1998 (15:49) * 7 lines
My favourite Bronte book would have to be Wuthering Heights. I love that entire book. After Emily I like Anne Bronte's books. And then Charlotte.
IMO Charlotte overused her tortured love story, although telling it from the male perspective was interesting in The Professor, but then in Shirley, with the pupil - student (although that was more in the background), and in Villette, and in Jane Eyre (although I found that one fairly good) I also found that the begining of Shriley really good, and then once she'd lost her family it was very predictable towards the end. (That's all just my opinion) Although it would have been interesting to see where s
e would have gone with Emma.
I really liked Agnes Grey, I found the passage where she drops the rock on the birds very powerful.
I've loved the Bronte books forever though, although all of them are due for a re-read. I should really finish my book of unifinished novels by CB.
bronte conference 
Main Menu