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r/brontesisters

▲ 12 r/brontesisters

Anne Bronte "Agnes Grey"

Have read "Agnes Grey" written by Anne recently. That's a gorgeous, quite overlooked novel, well-nigh comparable to other novels of that epoch (Osten's or Gaskell's ones, for instance). Agnes is an inspiring, sincere character, indeed. She is a dignified pattern of a person who endeavours to be devoted in spite of her condition and preserve her dignity.

Anne Bronte's approach to writing was particularly mature despite her age. I do appreciate other Brontes, but we ought to say a word for Anne Bronte.

(Sorry for my awkward English, it isn't my mother tongue, indeed)

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u/lopdonnnn — 23 hours ago
▲ 34 r/brontesisters

Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Okay, I know I am only on chapter 6 but this book has honestly blown me away so far with the beautiful, witty writing. It's so good and so underrated! I really think I'll have it finished by the weekend. What's everyone's - spoiler free - thoughts on it?

u/OnceUponAComment — 1 day ago
▲ 67 r/brontesisters

An amusing toy commercial about the Brontë sisters

This video is a fake toy commercial about the Brontë sisters created by Phil Lord and Chris Miller in 1998. It was created as a part of series of educational shorts about action figures based on historical figures. It never aired on TV and instead posted on Youtube.

Source: Brontë Sisters Power Dolls commercial

u/AdobongSiopao — 3 days ago
▲ 153 r/brontesisters+22 crossposts

The Hobbit is losing to Harry Potter!

There is currently a best book vote between Harry Potter 1 and The Hobbit. Guess what? The Hobbit is currently losing!! Help me vote for it so that it can surpass Harry Potter.

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u/-Jactop- — 4 days ago
▲ 20 r/brontesisters

Wuthering Heights - Designing the House?

Something a bit different! This is definitely new for me, but I realized that in order to draw proper backgrounds for some of the art I’ve been planning, I’d need to figure out how the layout of Wuthering Heights actually looks. I want to remain accurate to the book, so I’ve taken note of as many details as I could find about the interior and exterior layout. I’ve also looked into a few other sources on Georgian houses, but I really know almost nothing about architecture, nor do I live in the UK, so any input on my potential floor plans is very welcome. 

As a starter, I’ve gone and drawn the front exterior of Wuthering Heights, as Lockwood describes it on his first visit. (The windows, I'll grant, are too wide for Wuthering Heights, but they fit well with the composition.) The doorway ornamentation is inspired by some of the designs pictured in Louis Ambler’s The Old Halls & Manor Houses of Yorkshire, particularly that of High Sunderland Hall. I knew I should have some ornate carvings/sculpture of this sort, based on Lockwood’s description of the name and date hiding “among a wilderness of crumbling griffins and shameless little boys.” I’ve kept the griffins, since they fit the animal theme and birds are symbolically significant in this book (and Earnshaw does mean “eagle wood”), but instead of lion-eagle hybrids, I’ve rendered them as leopard-eagle hybrids. (Though I suppose there was something evocative of leopards there already, since “leo”-pards were once believed to be part-lion hybrids.) Also in reference to my character designs, I’ve featured a bear and wolf as statues. Hareton’s and Hindley’s species (and perhaps we might imagine that the original Hareton who built the house was also a bear) are both culturally significant animals which are extinct in the UK, so there’s a sense here of the Earnshaw family having a long history but being a sort of dying breed, as they will cease to occupy Wuthering Heights. (Yes, bears were already extinct long before 1500, but the metaphor still stands… and griffins are also representative of antiquity, so there’s a connection there.) As Lockwood says, the statues are crumbling, so I couldn’t resist nicking the bear’s ear in reference to my Hareton design.

As for the interior layout, this is something I’m still trying to figure out. My main focus is on the sitting-room/”house” and the kitchen. The latter is sometimes referred to as the “back-kitchen,” but I’m assuming this is not separate from the regular kitchen (which is the case in some of the 18th-century floorplans I’ve seen) since the descriptions seem pretty consistent; thus, I’m taking it to mean that the kitchen occupies the rearmost area of the building, while the sitting-room occupies the front. The ground floor also seems to contain a small apartment with a fireplace which is later converted into a “parlour” for Linton. Many of the farmhouse floor plans I’ve seen include a dairy or pantry, so I’ve added in another small room to serve one of those purposes (probably a dairy, which is briefly mentioned in the book).

My main considerations with the layout of the sitting-room and kitchen were:

  • The east chimney is connected to the kitchen. (I could’ve had the building face east based on the fact that Nelly describes a guide-stoop pointing westward to Wuthering Heights, but that would’ve made it very difficult for me to situate the east chimney over the “back”-kitchen; Ambler’s book says that sitting-rooms typically faced south or east, so I’ve gone with the former.) So I must place the kitchen fireplace distinctly further east than the fireplace in the sitting-room, unless the fireplaces are back-to-back and both connected to the east chimney.
  • The door from the sitting-room to the kitchen is situated near the hearth, on the opposite side of it from the dining table; Heathcliff is separated from Isabella’s position on the hearth by a settle, and throws a knife from the dining table at her, after which she runs through the kitchen door.
  • The stairway to the upper story is accessed through the kitchen.
  • The stairway to the cellar is accessed through the sitting-room.
  • From outside, the sitting-room can be accessed by a front doorway from the court (as on Lockwood’s first visit), or from another doorway through a paved yard with a wash-house (as on Lockwood’s second visit).

Did Emily Brontë have a complete and cohesive mental image of how this building was supposed to be laid out? Do I entirely understand what’s going on? I don’t know. But many of the descriptions seem pretty consistent, and I think I can make this work. As stated, though, I have very little knowledge of architecture and interior design, so there are probably many considerations that have not occurred to me; I’m mostly working from the novel. Feel free to put in your two cents.

u/PanthalassicPoet — 3 days ago
▲ 11 r/brontesisters

Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heightd

Both of the novels are extremely popular.I am not asking which is better(I love both),but which left a bigger impact on you and why.For me ,it was Jane Eyre cause I really loved Jane's character and it helped me during a hard point in life.What about you all?Which of the two novels left a bigger impact on you and why?

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u/Clean-Cheek-2822 — 5 days ago
▲ 5 r/brontesisters

Villette, Charlotte Brontë research; chapters 1-2

So I have been reading this book and only read like 7 pages but I have so many ideas about it and no one who is a professional to ask. I finished Highschool and aspire to study lit in university. I desperately search for someone experienced in the field with fervour for the subject so that I may inquire about the work. My ideas cannot be discussed with AI because it will never say I’m wrong and I don’t trust its sources. Can anyone who knows about Brontë sisters contact me?

I am also studying Wuthering Heights and I have an urge to discuss it, but I have no one to do it with!

If anyone wants to discuss any books that are classics let me know I have so many ideas and also want to hear other ideas too!

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u/NoCookie3074 — 7 days ago
▲ 91 r/brontesisters+1 crossposts

BBC Joins Working Title's New "Jane Eyre" TV Adaptation starring Aimee Lou Wood

According to Deadline Hollywood website, BBC will be involved in developing a new "Jane Eyre" TV adaptation starring Aimee Lou Wood. It will likely be aired on the BBC in the future. The new series is being developed ahead of the celebration of 180th anniversary of the novel, which will take place in 2027.

deadline.com
u/AdobongSiopao — 9 days ago
▲ 44 r/brontesisters

Charlotte Brontë's struggles with her sight

Hi all! I've written a blog all about Charlotte Brontë's deteriorating sight during her writing of Jane Eyre.

The link is here if you'd like to read it: https://thegoosebooks.substack.com/p/charlotte-brontes-blindness?r=8jjfqm&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer

Thank you so much for all your support!

The image is from an 1897 copy of the novel that was illustrated by F.H. Townsend.

u/The-Goose-Books — 8 days ago
▲ 3 r/brontesisters+1 crossposts

Villette, Charlotte Brontë research; chapters 1-2

So I have been reading this book and only read like 7 pages but I have so many ideas about it and no one who is a professional to ask. I finished Highschool and aspire to study lit in university. I desperately search for someone experienced in the field with fervour for the subject so that I may inquire about the work. My ideas cannot be discussed with AI because it will never say I’m wrong and I don’t trust its sources. Can anyone who knows about Brontë sisters contact me?

I am also studying Wuthering Heights and I have an urge to discuss it, but I have no one to do it with!

If anyone wants to discuss any books that are classics let me know I have so many ideas and also want to hear other ideas too!

reddit.com
u/NoCookie3074 — 7 days ago
▲ 1 r/brontesisters

Villette… 546 pages?

I just bought a copy of Villette to replace the one my puppy destroyed… It feels thicker than the last copy I had, and when I counted the pages, it has 546 of them… Is that normal? I just want to make sure I’m getting the whole story. I don’t want anything cut out.

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u/Past-Dark4350 — 7 days ago
▲ 4 r/brontesisters

My next Brontë read

I'm currently going through every book released by the Brontë sisters — I've read Jane Eyre (which is my fav), Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Which Charlotte Brontë book would you recommend for me to pick up next? I've already bought The Professor but I've read mixed reviews about it and I'm worried I'll not enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed every other book from the Brontës that I've read so far.

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u/colesborrasca — 9 days ago
▲ 21 r/brontesisters

Patrick Brontë: Irish Father to English Genius

I have put together quite an extended piece on Patrick Brontë as there is not much accessible literature available on him. Hopefully this may be of interest to some of you and it contains a number of interesting tidbits about the girls upbringing. I understand this thread is dedicated to the works of his far more famous daughters, so please feel free to remove if not considered relevant.

open.substack.com
u/Comfortable-Diet5119 — 10 days ago
▲ 4 r/brontesisters

More things to question! Did Nelly benefit from Catherine's death? Did Edgar withdraw from the world because his reputation was tarnished?

With Catherine's death, Nelly became governess and the only woman in charge at Thrushcross Grange, answering only to Edgar and no one else. She reached the maximum power someone of her social standing could attain. Also, unconsciously, Nelly may have wished for Catherine's death because, from her perspective, Catherine's behavior ruined the Linton family.

Nelly said: "'She's either unconscious or dead,' I thought: 'either way better. Far better that she should be dead than lingering a burden and a misery-maker to all about her."

Nelly recounts it as if Edgar became reclusive because of the great pain of losing his wife, but what if it wasn't as she says and there were other social reasons for his seclusion?

Since Mr. Lockwood didn't speak to anyone else in those parts, he was left with only one version of what had happened, without knowing how the people there viewed it.

At that time, the betrayed man faced profound public humiliation. The severity of the damage depended on how he reacted. If he accepted it passively, he became a laughingstock. Edgar probably became a cuckold in people's mouths. The situation would become a social and psychological nightmare for a man with Edgar Linton's proud and reserved temperament. The betrayal exposed his inability to control his wife, seen as his natural subordinate, and his complacency generated widespread mockery in popular culture and a loss of respect in gentlemen's circles.

Edgar could have sued Heathcliff civilly for "damaging and trespassing on his property" (legally, the wife was considered the husband's property), but he chose not to do anything, which to society showed weakness and would generate a strong, veiled ostracism since it would be expected that he would take immediate legal action to clear the name of his class.

The fact that Edgar cut ties with the community and abandoned his position as a magistrate, which had given him social prestige, suggests he became a laughingstock.

This also explains why he isolated his daughter from everything to prevent her from learning about her mother and being ridiculed and ostracized in the community.

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u/Altruistic_Bag2884 — 11 days ago