United by Pop interviews writer Laura Wood about her latest novel, Agency For Scandal.
Can you share with us why you decided to call those who work at the Aviary, the Finches?The idea for the Finches came originally from the Jane Eyre quote that features in the book – “I am no bird” – and the fact that in the Victorian period it was common to keep birds like finches in these very beautiful, ornate cages. To me that felt like an obvious metaphor for the world that Izzy and her friends live in, one where women were trapped, their wings clipped, put on display – even if the cages were gilded ones, they were still cages. (Tackie)
The Herald reviews the English translation of My Soul Twin by Nino Haratischwili.
Now a Hamburg resident herself, but originally from Tbilisi in Georgia, Nino Haratischvili riffs heavily on Wuthering Heights in this novel, which was originally published in 2011 and has now been translated into English following the success of her subsequent book, The Eighth Life.Like Cathy and Heathcliff, Stella and Ivo were brought together as children, when Stella’s father, Frank, had an affair with Ivo’s mother, Emma. With Emma dead and her husband in prison, Frank ended up adopting Ivo, the two children forming an unbreakable, and toxic, bond. When their mother moved to the US, Stella and her older sister Leni chose to stay with their father in Germany: Leni to punish their mother for leaving, Stella so that she could continue living with Ivo. [...]Even if it does spend much of its length re-treading the same ground, My Soul Twin has an undeniable power and strong ideas. Given its obvious Wuthering Heights inspiration, it reaches gothic levels of emotional angst which, however much they may suit Stella’s tortured, masochistic conception of a relationship and her helplessness in the face of her own overwhelming passions, frequently feel overblown. But, despite its flaws and missteps, it’s still an affecting work, examining love, guilt and overcoming trauma through a couple’s touching need to heal their broken childhood. (Alastair Mabbott)
A contributor to Literary Hub discusses romance novels.
George Eliot felt even more strongly, and penned “Silly Novels by Lady Novelists,” a lengthy essay that makes liberal use of the word “drivel.” These views have persisted into the modern era. Shortly after hearing she had won the Pulitzer Prize, Jennifer Egan gave an interview in which she referred to the chick-lit genre as “derivative, banal stuff.” Curtis Sittenfeld proclaimed that she had stopped reading romance novels because “most […] are badly written.” Ironically, Sittenfeld was being interviewed in order to promote her novel Eligible, a modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice.How, then, would writers like Sittenfeld classify the works of Jane Austen? Would Egan have told the Brontë sisters to aim higher, and to focus on matters unrelated to human emotion? Who is granted the authority to determine what is “literary” and what is mere fluff? (Katie Fustich)
Character Media discusses period dramas à la Bridgerton.
Until very recently, most films and TV shows featured entirely white casts—think back to “Emma” (1996), “Pride & Prejudice“ (2005) and 2011’s “Jane Eyre.” From a purely historical standpoint it makes sense, as the Regency period refers to the years between 1795 and 1837, and most stories written during this era followed the upper, white class of English nobility.As the industry has progressed in recent decades to include more performers and creators of color, on-screen diversity has begun to appear even within these typically white period pieces. Casting characters without specifying race or ethnicity is often referred to as “color-blind” or “non-traditional” casting. (Jasmine Nguyen)
LAist recommends the 'Best Things To Do This Week In Los Angeles And SoCal' and one of them is going to see Emma Rice's Wuthering Heights. L'Occhio (Italy) and Hoja de Ruta Digital (Mexico) feature the film Emily.
