Do you ever feel like everybody else must be living a way more exciting life than you?  It was bad enough when it was just friends and coworkers who always seemed to have crazy stories of their adventures to share, but now I have an entire blogosphere of people talking about all the wonderful, amazing and astonishing ways they spend their time.

And don’t other people always seem to have an awful lot more time in their day?

During the week, my life pretty much consists of sleeping, having a couple of meals, working and getting stuff ready for the next day. Weekends are largely taken up with household chores and running around doing errands. If I’m lucky I get to squeeze a bit of socializing in there. Sometimes the socializing has to be done in conjunction with chores and errands. (i.e.: “Hey wanna come over for dinner? I have to cook for the kid anyway and to work up an appetite you can lift the furniture so I can vacuum under it!!”)

 After my exhausting weekend, I go read some blogs and find out other people are having parties every weekend or going to parties every weekend or hanging out in clubs on weeknights, going to concerts, plays, galleries, festivals and other events. Or they’re busy saving the world by going to protest marches or knitting sweaters for the homeless. Some even have time to write books, paint pictures, play in bands, sing in choirs, perform with mime troupes,  take classes or build stuff.

And then there are the mommy bloggers who not only have a household to maintain and kids to raise, but also seem to find time to have home businesses, chair committees, bake pies, have piles of fun with their hubbies and extended families — and still find time to blog!

And what about those bloggers who are always talking about the trips they’re taking?  Some people are off on one sort of vacation or other 4 or 5 times a year. A weekend in New York, a couple of weeks in Rome, a few days in the Caribbean, a week at the cottage, business trips to “the coast” and a quick trip or two out of town in between —  just to unwind.

In case you haven’t noticed, I almost never blog about how I spend my time. Because … well…who cares?  Would anyone want to read about how I tried to get into my workplace with my MetroPass instead of my building access card this morning? There I was wondering why the door wasn’t opening, when “D’uh!” It hit me! Har har har. I was using the wrong card. Ah me oh my. Poor dopey me. Did the Commissionaire and I ever have a chuckle about that one. Yup. And what a great blog post that would have made!

See? I often feel like poor old Emily Bronte who lived almost her entire life in the same house in which she was born. She rarely spoke to anyone outside her immediate family. Went to school only for a brief stint.  Lived a short, dull life and yet managed to produce a novel. And not even a novel about how lame and boring her life was – nope. She produced a pretty freakin’ amazing novel, actually.

(Not that I’m comparing myself to Emily Bronte in the literary sense, [not even a little bit,  because she's one of my literary heroes]  just in the writing-stuff-in-an-excitement-vacuum sense)

So, anyway, now you know. That’s why my blog posts are about a lot of random stuff instead of about what I’m doing. But please, ya’ll, keep writing about your own raucously zany lives so I can live a raucously zany life vicariously, through you.

And if you’ve never read Wuthering Heights, why not give it a whirl?

As a writer myself, I almost feel a little sorry for Stephanie Meyer… Although, on seconds thoughts, it’s more pity than anything else. I don’t think she ever thought that her work would create a cult following, and with that, the level of backlash that it has received.

While I’m not really a fan (although, in all fairness, I did enjoy the novels to some degree – and the movies slightly more, but that has more to do with the perv factor than anything else), it would be unfair to say that her works have not contributed to literary society.

Without insipid Bella, and ‘moralastic’ vampire, Edward, journalists, reviewers, social commentators, teenage girls, and everyone else in the world, would have had very little to discuss over the past 3 years or so. Or at least since the publication of the final Harry Potter installment.

I don’t know of a single author who sets out to do what Harry Potter, Twilight, and even The Da Vinci Code, managed to do. It’s clearly just a bit of luck – picking a subject matter and a storyline that appeal to a wide group of people, and are controversial enough to receive backlash from other minority groups – rather than a case of excellent writing skill.

And now, in modern society, where the opportunity to cash in on every aspect possible is more prevalent than simply providing a “good read”, the publishers are taking a new look at the classics.

Wuthering Heights is being released with a new cover, reminiscent of Twilight, in an attempt, I suppose, to introduce a classic text to a new generation.

I read Wuthering Heights when I was 12, and all I really remember from it, is that it was a struggle. I haven’t picked it up since my first reading, although I would like to, I’ve just never gotten around to it. Considering how voraciously I churn through texts, I tend not to re-read very much, which is the main reason I haven’t looked at Emily Bronte’s work in the last 17 years.

I’d like to think I’m fairly intelligent. And the reason I attempted Wuthering Heights at age 12 was because I was fairly advanced in my reading skills, and I needed a challenge. But, my concern here, is that young girls reading Twilight today, would have a fairly naive concept and understanding of life, and I don’t honestly believe that they would manage to get further than the first 10 pages of Wuthering Heights, regardless of how it is marketed, before giving up due to a lack of understanding.

Wuthering Heights is a complicated text. It was first published in 1847, and as such uses the terms, language, themes and ideas of that age. Now, of course, someone might argue with me that I’m being naive in assuming that most young modern girls would have difficulty reading, and understanding, this text. I’d welcome that argument, because if you can logically persuade me otherwise, then I’ll stand corrected. However, I would be willing to put money on the fact that there would not be many 14-17 year old girls (of any generation) that would willingly push through this text, and come out the other end with a comprehensive understanding of the entire novel.

From a marketing perspective though, even I’m inclined to buy a copy of Wuthering Heights because of this cover, so I guess, regardless of my arguments, the publishers have acheived what they set out to do, and will most likely manage to sell a considerable number of copies of Wuthering Heights over the next 12 months. It will just be a pity that the majority of those will lie on bookshelves, unread.

085. The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1936)
Following up The 39 Steps, considered today to be his first “major” film, Hitchcock made yet another “traveling” thriller. Hitch had a big thing for trains. From The Lady Vanishes to North by Northwest to Strangers on the Train, it was one of his favorite settings for mischief and mayhem. In this film, nearly all of the story unfolds on a train. The film is also notable for having a female leading the way in the plot. Margaret Lockwood is charming, lovely, and all around watchable. Her eagerness to uncover the truth is totally believable, and at her side is the equally charming and sometimes endearingly irritating Michael Redgrave. The pair try to discover what’s happened to a woman who Lockwood swears she talked to on the train who seems to have vanished without a trace. The plot has been copied in various ways many times since (most notable in Flightplan, perhaps most successfully in Bunny Lake Is Missing.) Knowing someone who has vanished, and then being led to believe that maybe they didn’t exist at all, is the stuff psychological thrillers are made of.

084. Little Caesar (Mervyn LeRoy, 1931)
The Pre-Code era was the golden age of the mobster film. Not only were filmmakers much more free to make their films violent and their villains sympathetic, but America was also in the midst of the Depression, and people were looking to unconventional movie characters to idolize. So filmmakers were able to make their gangsters into not just sympathetic hoodlums, but even into tragic anti-heroes. Perhaps the most sympathetic of the bunch is Edward G. Robinson’s Rico. In 1931, his rise to power could be seen as almost inspiration, despite the illegal and quite violent way he did it, and despite the fact that the character is something of a monster, loyalty and friendship aside. There’s also some of that wonderful pre-code homosexual subtext, and an amazing final line from Robinson.

083. Wuthering Heights (William Wyler, 1939)
1939 is considered Hollywood’s Golden Year because so many amazing movies were released, but the only two that really get any attention these days are Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, while other films, like Wuthering Heights, which I think is better than both of those other movies, are hardly ever discussed. Wuthering Heights is kind of the grand-daddy of messed up love stories. It’s the story of how a strong and passionate love can sometimes destroy two people rather than save them. It’s dark, it’s not happy, but it’s has its own dark beauty, and this film captures it so well. It’s true, it only tells part of the story, but if you’re going to make a feature length film version of the story, I’d personally rather have a part of the story cut out to allow what’s there to fully develop as it should, rather than trying to cram it all into a two hour running time and rushing things, like that mess that was the 1992 version.

082. Possessed (Clarence Brown, 1931)
Kept woman films were popular in the romantic melodrama genre during the pre-code era. Naturally the idea of a kept woman was something that would have to be done away with completely when enforcement of the code began. But while it was allowed, the subgenre allowed for some very interesting romances. One of them paired Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, one of the all time great pairings (on and off screen) as the kept woman and the man who keeps her. A lot of these stories are about the woman falling in love with a poor man, a man who isn’t the one keeping her. This one is different because it’s about the love between the two characters. It’s not about them falling in love, it’s about their love changing and their acceptance of it.

081. Employees’ Entrance (Roy Del Ruth, 1933)
One of the sexiest movies of the decade, Employees’ Entrance is about all manner of workplace indiscretions, and it crams just about all the pre-code you can get into one movie. Loretta Young is charming as always as the sweet girl who sleeps her way into a job at a department store by way of sleazy yet oh-so-sexy Warren William, but then falls in love with good guy Wallace Ford.  Watching it now with 70+ years of history, it’s an interesting look back at the way life was back in the 1930s. But even without the historical context, it works remarkably well as a romantic drama, with an entertaining supporting ensemble. But the show belongs to the often forgotten but always awesome Warren William. He completely owns this movie in every way. It takes quite an actor to play such a horrible character with so much commitment.

By Katie Richardson

6 days!!!

New Moon Quote-of-the-day: “Here’s to responsibility twice a week, and recklessness every day in between.” –Jake, Chapter 7

If you missed Stephenie Meyer on Oprah today, you can watch it here. On Monday (Nov 16), don’t miss Kristen Stewart on The Tonight Show, Taylor Lautner on The Jay Leno Show and Dakota Fanning on Ellen!

Hollywood believes that the masses prefer familiar plots and characters, so that they can get easy entertainment without putting too much effort into it. This theory does have some sense to it – this is the generation of instant gratification. God forbid we read a book when we can get a quick shot of entertainment in the form of a 30 minute TV show or two-hour movie. This same mindset appears to go into the production of the plethora of remakes and book adaptations that fill the silver screen year-round. One is hard pressed to find a movie today that isn’t a remake, sequel or book adaption – or sometimes a combination of all three – and it can be argued that this methodology has gotten out of control. The number of sequels in certain franchises has reached astronomical levels. Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the fourth and fifth installments of the Spiderman franchise. Saw 6 came out in October, Rambo 5 is in the works for 2011, with the possibility of a Rambo 6 to follow at a later date. DenOfGeek.com also speculates that, following the success of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there will certainly be a fifth installment in the franchise. A fourth and fifth Shrek film have also been confirmed. Virtually every successful movie produced today is followed by at least one sequel. Even movies that were really intended to be a holiday one-hit-wonder and weren’t created with a sequel in mind, such as the Christmas event film Alvin and the Chipmunks, have fallen prey to Hollywood’s penchant for recycling. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel hits theatres Christmas 2009.

Furthermore, it seems no film is off-limits, no matter how long it has been since the original was released. According to DenOfGeek.com, the 80’s cult classic Heathers has a sequel in the works, though no release date has been set. For series based on books or comic books that have a set number of installments and thus a finite potential for sequels, Hollywood has resorted to making prequels, such as The Hobbit, which precedes the enormously successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, prequel to the successful X-Men franchise.

The decision to adapt The Hobbit for the silver screen points to another trend: Book adaptations have run rampant. According to ChasingTheFrog.com, 30 novels a year are adapted for the big screen. In recent years, the number has far exceeded the average. About.com reports that in 2006, 50 books were made into movies, and in 2007 that number rose to 70. Some of the better-known adaptations include the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and, more recently, the Twilight Saga. These adaptations prove what the movie industry is only just beginning to realize – fantasy novels, an underappreciated genre in written form, make excellent movie fodder. The appeal of book adaptations is understandable – books already have preexisting fan bases that are certain to turn out at theatres to support the movie version of their favorite book. Plus, many action or fantasy novels are geared toward special effects and sequels, which are two key ingredients in the Hollywood formula for success.

However, it is often the case that movie incarnations of popular novels are inferior to the print version, which serves to outrage loyal fans rather than win them over, but incensed fans are not enough to stop the Hollywood’s production machine if they think they can make a buck or two. In what EW.com has dubbed the “Twilight Effect,” a slew of similar book-to-film adaptations are on deck for upcoming years, such as James Patterson’s teen-oriented Maximum Ride series, because the Twilight film, based on author Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel of the same name, has done for the fantasy genre what Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey did for science fiction. The teen hit also proved to Hollywood what, deep down, they’ve known for years: If a movie can draw in a teenage audience, the demographic with the most free time and disposable income, it’s sure to be a smash hit.

However, Hollywood has recently started to dip into genres and books less appealing to the teenage crowd, as well as less well-suited to franchises, action thrillers, and special effects. The film incarnation of Jodi Picoult’s popular novel My Sister’s Keeper premiered last June. While the film featured a blockbuster cast of Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack, the story of a young girl battling cancer and her sister’s fight for the control of her own body is not typical summer blockbuster fare. Hollywood has even gone so far as to turn a children’s bedtime story book into a film set for released in October: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. This is not the first time this particular book has been adapted for the big screen; another version was released in 1973. Nor is this a record for remakes. Many films have been remade multiple times, most frequently films who have their origin in classic novels. For example, IMDb.com shows that Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte has been adapted as a movie four times, not counting multiple made-for-TV versions, and is set for yet another remake in 2010. The same is true of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, which is set for an eighth remake in 2011.

Films based on classic books are not the only genre in danger of being remade these days. Hollywood has now turned its eye towards cult classic films, such as Footloose, Fame, Dirty Dancing and even The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which all beg the question: Is nothing sacred? One would be hard-pressed to find a film that doesn’t have roots in a novel or previous film, or sometimes both. It was once said that there is nothing new under the sun, and in today’s Hollywood it rings truer than ever. In fact, the only original cinematic attractions in modern Hollywood are the movies full of gross or ridiculous humor, such as You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, and the movies that mock other films, such as the Scary Movie franchise. However, even these movies draw upon the films they parody.

In short, Hollywood today isn’t producing anything that’s going to last. Hollywood’s Golden Age seems to be over – the age of stars like Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, whose films are still favorites with modern audiences. But this phenomenon isn’t isolated to just the film industry. The modern age also isn’t producing lasting literature comparable to that of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, or revolutionary music like the Beatles, who still have die-hard fans, even though two of the band members are dead. Perhaps Hollywood is not the only problem; perhaps modern audiences are demanding less by repeatedly shelling out 10 bucks to see the same film they’ve seen a hundred times before, packaged under a different title. Nevertheless, Hollywood cannot be completely absolved. Film studios, producers and directors have found a formula that works and don’t want to risk their financial security in these uncertain times by generating radical or revolutionary films that have the potential of shocking or alienating audiences. But it’s been proven a hundred times before – the only way to make progress is to push boundaries and move into new territories that have never been charted before. Audiences will love it or hate it, but hey – at least they tried it.

What do you guys think of the “Twilight Effect”? Is it getting out of hand? I’m really starting to wish they’d leave my favorite series alone! They’re turning all my favorite books into sure-to-be-substandard adaptations. The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and the A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray (both of which I highly recommend) are set to be adapted in 2011 and 2010, respectively. How do you guys feel about this recycling-gone-amok?  Discuss in the comments! Plus, don’t forget to follow on Twitter!

6 days!!!

My Never

PS – Click on the image to buy this hott American Library Association poster (that sounds strange, I know lol):

Wuthering Heights is, above all else, a novel about obsession.  Perhaps most famous amongst adolescents as “Bella and Edward’s favorite book” it preceded Twilight fame by being an intensely original work for its prose and story.  Catherine and Heathcliff are two of the least sympathetic protagonists I’ve ever come across in literature while never earning the distinction of villains.  They are two individuals whom are raised together and find themselves having an affection that goes far deeper, far more intimate than the sibling one a reader might perhaps expect.

Heathcliff -dark, rugged, and an orphan- is rescued from the streets of Liverpool by Catherine’s father and brought to Wuthering Heights to be raised along side the two other children; Hindley and Catherine.  Quickly and strangely Catherine and Heathcliff form a bond- one which grows more intense with time and the onset of the terror Hindley, lord of the manor since their father’s death, unleashes upon him.  It is demonstrated to us initially through a diary passage:

“How little did I dream that Hindley could ever make me cry so!” she wrote.  “My head aches, till I cannot keep it on the pillow; and still I can’t give over.  Poor Heathcliff!  Hindley calls him a vagabond, and won’t let him sit with us, nor eat with us any more; and, he says, he and I must not play together, and threatens to turn him out of the house if we break his orders.  He has been blaming our father (how dared he?) for treating H. too liberally; and swears he will reduce him to his right place-”

Catherine is a headstrong child whom never shies from doing whatever it is she prefers doing, so long as she could do most of it in Heathcliff’s presence.  Forever traipsing around together in the out of doors her connection, her devotion is always readily on display.  One fateful day she injures herself and ends up having to stay with another family, the Lintons.  They have a boy close to her in age whom also happens to be relatively wealthy, fair, learned and quite enamored with Catherine.

It is here where the dark story gets still darker.  The tale is decidedly Gothic and, strangely, not particularly tragic.  The protagonists, as I mentioned before, are more despicable than not- hardly ever did I root for them if even I did once- and still I came to the end and thought, “Wow, that was brilliant, moving!”  It is, perhaps, the darkest love story you’ll ever read and I can assure you it’s completely worth staying on until the end.

The structure of this piece is incredibly interesting and original, just as the dark and haunting material itself was for the time (still is, I think).  Not done in the classic third person narrative (Witch of Cologne), protagonist point of view (Prince of Tides), or even fake memoir style (Jane Eyre) but is instead told through the eyes of a servant, whom is recounting the story to her master per his own request.  It is seamlessly done and a mark of tremendous talent that such a complex notion was so completely adhered to.  Moments where the servant stops her story telling are clear and defined and serve to remind the reader from whose point of view we’re really seeing the story- the master, Mr. Lockwood.  For we hear the words the servant has to offer, but we get to feel what the lord’s view is.

Another week over-and I am so many days nearer health, and spring!  I have now heard all my neighbour’s history, at different sittings, as the housekeeper could spare time from more important occupations.  I’ll continue it in her own words, only a little condensed.  She is, on the whole, a very fair narrator, and I don’t think I could improve her style.

Wuthering Heights is a work that has stayed its course through time.  The language, not as sophisticated or flowing as Jane Eyre, is still quite remarkable and good.  If you have not read this tale, or only read it in the days of high school required reading, I would heartily encourage you to give it a (another) shot.

There’s another question about – as if the title didn’t give it away, heh – Wuthering Heights that comes to mind.

But first, I’d like to tell you guys that there was a radio play version of this book back in the 1940s or so – and yes, it’s free. Just click here and scroll down until you see Wuthering Heights.

Now to the question at hand.
This time it focuses on the film/television versions. I looked around on Amazon and good grief! I had no idea that there were so many versions of it, the earliest being the 1939 version. I’m going to read the book of course but I’d like to know: what is the best film version of Wuthering Heights?

I strode into my local Barnes and Noble today, in search of a much-needed inspiring book.  After I finally found my book (Ivanka Trump’s Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life), I was making my way towards the magazine stands – when I came across something that made me:

A. Stop

B. Gasp

C. Cringe

Twilight-inspired reprints of the classics: Romeo and Juliet, Pride & Prejudice and Wuthering Heights.

Pride and Prejudice?

I stared in disbelief. My beloved classics – books I have read during my studies, books that I have savored for their timeless characters, plots and literary aesthetics – have been defaced to reach a “Twilight-hungered reader.”  The covers of these three books have been altered to resemble those of the Twilight Saga Series. Do not get me wrong, I am a fan of the series, but altering these classics? I cringe.

These books are now categorized in the Young Adult age range, and they are no where near the Classics/Fiction section of the bookstore. Sure, this is a great marketing plan – reaching a young reader base- by appealing to their interests [ie. Twilight,] and striving to gain their attention to the older classics. However, is it literally moral? How would Jane Austen feel if the book cover to her most accomplished love story was altered to match that of a teen romance?  Yes, the cover of  Pride & Prejudice isn’t the most “appealing,” but that’s what the whole point was: Elizabeth was written to be plain, as should the book cover.  Also, a book’s cover should reflect the story -isn’t that the point as well?

According to The American Crawl:

Everyone is different, everyone likes things and appreciates them differently. Meyer’s reprinting process is an act of embracing those wonderful novels that once inspired her. To others, like myself, it has become an act of defacing such wonderful novels that will remain fresh and great for years to come. I do not wish them to become sellouts.

There’s just one more question: Do we want our spectacular novels to be known as the books that inspired Stephenie Meyer? Or do we want them to be known for the writer’s who did anything and everything to put a good book in our bookshelves? [Defaced of Embraced?]

I could not agree more. By reprinting these classics with Twilight-inspired book covers, the works themselves will be seen as YA Literature popular “sellouts,” rather than true literary classics. What classics are next?

I love the Twilight Series, but don’t touch the classics.

What do you think of these new reprints?

-jo

Lately, I’ve been reading a bit of Wuthering Heights. Unlike most fans of this novel, I never had to read this in while I was in school. It wasn’t until I read the Twilight Saga that I had even heard of this book. Being curious and doing some research (mostly about whether the book was worth my time), I finally found & bought a copy of the book.

Now to the point: I would like to know of any resources that can help me understand this book. Right now I’m at the begining of chapter four, but I’m thinking of starting over in order to help me understand it better. If anyone has a suggestion, please feel free to leave a comment.

Penquin’s Popular Classics series are ideal for travellers. Consisting of  classic novels (which are so much better than a lot of the dirge hanging around hostel bookswap shelves – Andy McNab anyone?) condensed into a couple of hundred pages and sold for £2 at bookstores all over the world.

Offering a chance to catch up with the reading you never got time for back home (that’s what 17 hour bus journeys were designed for, right?),  these  cute volume, that just  slip  into your backpack,  really are the ideal for enthuastic travellers.

On various trips I have read Bram Stoker’s Dracula (picked up from Istanbul International Airport) and Bronte’s Wuthering Heights (bought in Kiev), and we are keeping our eyes open for the many other titles in the series (I’ve got my fingers crossed for a bit of Wilde or Poe) .

The catch? Well for £2 you don’t get a cover design, the paper is as cheap as paper gets and the binding tends to fall apart after a couple of  reads.

Thanks to Lisa Stone, cofounder of BlogHer, for this month’s Songs for Writers selection:

“Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush.

What’s your suggestion for Songs for Writers?

What words/phrases in a blurb make a book irresistible?

I’d consider any book touted as “surreal” and “hilarious” a godsend. Lately though, I’ve been finding that any time the back cover blurb mentions that a book is in any way comical, I end up feeling gypped. We all have a different understanding of what “funny” is, I realize that, and even when a book is said to be “hilarious” or “hysterical,” I’m not so naïve—or easily deceived by marketing gimmicks—to believe that I’ll be busting a gut as I flip through its pages. But if the book fails to make me crack a smile or even think, “Ah yes, now that sentence was rather humorous” as I adjust my monocle, then I’d say that that back cover blurb failed to deliver on its promise.

What I usually find most useful in selecting books are those little author endorsement quotes. If another writer that I like has said that he/she enjoyed the book then I’ll probably buy it. I know that writers share publishers and publishers ask more established/successful writers to provide these sorts of quotes for up-and-comers, but I doubt anyone would ever cosign something that was horrible.

The thing that I find slightly baffling these days, is the use of Twilight to market classics (something that I’ve brought up before.)

Hmmmm…So I thought and I thought, I pondered by my bedside, I thought of it in my sleep and I reached something – at last! My top 10 Villains in Fictions. The ones that I would love to hate and love their writers for sketching them so brilliantly that they still manage to rouse goosebumps on my flesh when I re-read them..Brilliant I say…Here are my favourites:

1. Uriah Heep(David Copperfield): Well well well, he is the top of the tops. The wicked Uriah Heep of David Copperfield. The insincerity of this character is spread throughout the book. He is the epitome of sheer evil. Read this one!

2. Tom Ripley(The Talented Mr. Ripley): It is strange however I would love to go to bed with Tom Ripley. After all one doesn’t really know whether this villain is gay or straight. His crimes. His mind. The plots he schemes is beyond everyone. And yet somewhere down the line he is aware that he will get caught someday for what he has done.

3. Heathcliff(Wuthering Heights): I would not call this one a villain, but then again, what would you call a person who drives his loved one to madness? What would you call someone who loves with such a vengeance that he wants to destroy everything in his wake? You would but call him a villain, wouldn’t you?

4. Lord Voldermort (Harry Potter Series): Lord Voldermort is real. He is insecure. He wants to be liked by all. He wants to overpower. He is the trueblue villain of the times gone by and Rowling has managed just fine with him.

5. Count Dracula (Dracula): An entire book dedicated to the blood-sucking, enticing vampire. Before Twilight emerged, way before there was this Scandinavian imaginary being that was many a cause of people’s sleepless nights. Including mine – though mine came later as well with Keanu Reeve’s Dracula.

6. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs): The hissing. The good taste for flesh. The maneater Mr. Lecter is quite a monster created by Mr. Harris. Dark and brooding. He knows what to plan and what to do with his time. Chills the spine everytime!

7. The Devil (The Master and Margarita): The devil decides to take a walk in Russia and there is but after all, hell breaking loose. Literally. Moscow is the devil’s new abode.

8. Humbert (Lolita): No matter what anyone says, to me Humbert is a villain. Probably the greatest of them all. Yes he was a pedophile. May be he loved the child, however doing what he did!! Attrocious!

9. Sauron (The Lord of the Rings): White haired, withering, full of strength, Sauron will not stop at anything to get the ring to rule them all.

10. Sher Khan (The Jungle Books): And my personal favourite, the tiger himself..Sher Khan. The one who still manages to instill fear in kids! Brilliant I say!

Last but not the least. For every anti-hero or villain ever created, you made it possible for the concept of heroes to come alive.

Last month I discovered a song from Kate Bush called ” Wuthering Heights” The songs just blew me away. Her voice  was so  mesmerizing . That week this song was stuck in my head; and I couldn’t help but watch the video over and over. But I’m not gonna lie at first when I  listen to the song  it was a  bit confusing. Than I did some research and found some interesting  facts about this song; here it is:

Songfacts:  Based on Emily Bronte’s classic book of the same name.(Wuthering Heights) The song pretty much tells the same story as the book.

Lyrically, “Wuthering Heights” uses several quotations from Catherine Earnshaw, most notably in the chorus – “Let me in! I’m so cold!” – as well as in the verses, with Catherine’s confession to her servant of “bad dreams in the night.” It is sung from Catherine’s point of view, as she pleads at Heathcliff’s window to be allowed in. This romantic scene takes a sinister turn if one considers the events of the book, as Catherine may well be a ghost, calling Heathcliff to join her in death.

Lyrics:

Out on the wiley, windy moors
We’d roll and fall in green
You had a temper, like my jealousy
Too hot, too greedy
How could you leave me
When I needed to possess you?
I hated you, I loved you too
Bad dreams in the night
They told me I was going to lose the fight
Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy, I’ve come home
I’m so cold, let me in in your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy, I’ve come home
I’m so cold, let me in in your window

Oh it gets dark, it gets lonely
On the other side from you
I pine a lot, I find a lot
Falls through without you
I’m coming back love, cruel Heathcliff
My one dream, my only master

Too long I roam in the night
I’m coming back to his side to put it right
I’m coming home to wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy, I’ve come home
I’m so cold, let me in in a your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy, I’ve come home
I’m so cold, let me in in a your window

Ooh let me have it, let me grab your soul away
Ooh let me have it, let me grab your soul away
You know it’s me, Cathy

Heathcliff, it’s me, Cathy come home
I’m so cold, let me in in a you -window
Heathcliff, it’s me, Cathy come home
I’m so cold, let me in in a your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, Cathy come home
I’m so cold

I en cigarkasse midt på Malmö Centralstation ligger PocketShop, en appetitlig paperback-boghandel, der absolut er et besøg værd, hvis man skulle komme forbi de kanter. I øjeblikket, hvor den svenske krone er så lav i forhold til den danske, kan man oven i købet gøre en god handel. Butikken gør sig primært i svensk litteratur (eller bøger oversat til svensk), men har tillige et glimrende udvalg af originale engelsksprogede titler, heriblandt mange helt dugfriske udgivelser. Det er sandelig noget andet end Hovedbanegårdens kulturelle udbud, der vel mest består i Axel Music og et dvd-discountmarked.

Jeg endte med at investere i Mark Oliver Everetts – bedre kendt som frontmanden ‘E’ fra den alternative rockgruppe Eels -skæve selvbiografi Things the Grandchildren Should Know foruden en diger biografi om Led Zeppelin. Selvom jeg begrænsede mig til disse to indkøb i denne omgang var der masser af andre fristelser på hylderne. Således fik jeg øje på en spritny Penguin-udgave af Emily Brontës Wuthering Heights, hvis betagende cover-illustration virkelig fascinerede mig i en grad, så det fik mig til at tænke over, at det bestemt ikke er lige meget, hvordan en bog sælges.

Penguins omfangsrige og smukt formidlede bagkatalog af alt godt fra særligt den britiske litteraturs klassiske hav gør, at forlaget har en høj stjerne hos en litteratur-aficionado som undertegnede. På cover-fronten har Penguin dog ikke altid været lige inspirerende (fx milevidt fra den originalitet og nytænkning, man finder hos Vintage Classics), men det bliver der sandelig lavet om på med genudgivelsen af en række kanoniserede værker i serien ‘Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition’. Se eksempelvis det indbydende lille udvalg, jeg her har samlet, og find flere her, hvis det har interesse. Covers som disse har den effekt på mig, at de pirrer min æstetiske sans, udfordrer mine vante forestillinger og øger min købelyst, da det fortæller mig, at forlaget gør mere end blot at sælge gammel vin på nye flasker.

Fazendo uma busca dentro do meu gmail, achei um email que serve de post para o HeavySamba (pelo menos eu acho… rs). Mandei o email para um grupo de amigos em março (na época o blog ainda não tinha nascido). E devido ao conteúdo resolvi fazer um post; está um pouco pessoal, mas é legal! Curte aí (ou não)!

Abaixo, o email na integra com adaptações para os vídeos!

“Como de rotina, eu estava trabalhando e escutando aleatoriamente as 6697 músicas catalogadas no meu PC (observação: esse número já cresceu rs…), pois bem, quando o winamp escolheu uma música: Angra – Wuthering Heights. Parei e reconheci a pérola, “gente conheço essa música” cai na gargalhada e fui fazer uma pesquisa.

Quem não conhece tal música da Kate Bush, confiram: (sem contar que o vídeo é engraçado pra caramba, a mulher parece um fantasma, hahaha!).

Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights

Claro que conhecem, afinal quem nunca se deparou com essa música nos diversos programas de good times espalhados pelas rádios fm. Imaginem, música tema para casais apaixonados, a melodia proporciona até um clima romântico! hahaha!
Pois bem, depois de terem conferido a música no youtube e terem se familiarizado com a mesma, imaginem os mesmos casais apaixonados, com o mesmo clima de romantismo com a mesma música, porém na versão Heavy Metal do Angra! hahahahaha…

Não sei de vocês, mas eu acharia no mínimo divertido! =P

Confiram uma versão muito hilária!

Angra – Wuthering Heights

Ok! Esse email não tem e não deve ter sentido algum pra vocês e nem mesmo para mim, mas nesse exato momento eu estou rachando de rir e senti a necessidade de compartilhar essa palhaçada com vocês! hahaha!!!”

Bônus para dar continuidade a nostalgia (esta parte não tem ligação com o email, foi pensado agora)! Porém essas lindas moças não são de 1958 como a Kate Bush apesar do estilo totalmente retrô. Elas também têm uma versão (jazz clássico) muito boa de Wuthering Heights.

The Puppini Sisters – Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights has got to be one of my favourite classics I’ve read and for once I haven’t even seen one TV adaptation of it. The most recent TV adaptation was shown this year on ITV starring Tom Hardy an actor I usually follow but I didn’t watch this. I have however seen a stage adaptation of Wuthering Heights at the Birmingham REP theatre in 2008 that was amazing. This is also a book I have tried adapting myself in my final year of university, my friend Shaun and I didn’t use the story but instead the characters of Catherine and Hindley, they were difficult but fun characters to try and tackle. I had already read Wuthering Heights and it was already a favourite of mine before trying to adapt, what I admire most is the strong characters that Emily Bronte has created. Wuthering Heights is Emily’s only book that was first published in 1847 and is now considered as a classic. However at the time of its release it received mixed reviews, due to the stark depiction of mental and physical abuse which was not common in books especially not from a female author in the time period of its release.

The story takes place on the cold and isolated Yorkshire moors where atop a hill sits Wuthering Heights a formidable grey stone house, the child hood home of Catherine and Heathcliff. The narrative is told in a series of flashbacks by a servant of Wuthering Heights Nelly to a frightened visitor to the moors Mr Lockwood. Mr Lockwood spends one night at Wuthering Heights where he finds himself awoken by the ghostly apparition of a woman by the name of Catherine. Nelly explains that Catherine and her older brother Hindley Earnshaw grew up here. Their father Mr Earnshaw often went away on business, one night he returns with an orphaned child he decides to adopt, Heathcliff. Catherine and Heathcliff for most of their child hood run wild on the moors; this is all to come to an abrupt end on the death of Mr Earnshaw. In his father’s absence Hindley is now free to bully and humiliate Heathcliff and commands Catherine never to speak to him again. Eventually believing that Catherine does not reciprocate his love Heathcliff sees no reason to stay at Wuthering Heights and runs away. Many years pass before Heathcliff returns but now he returns as a wealthy gentleman with thoughts to exact revenge upon Hindley, Catherine and their families with devastating consequences.

Now I’m not one to believe that only men can write dark tales however if on first reading I had not known who this was written by, I think I might have presumed it was a man for this time period. There is a raw masculinity to the landscape but also to the action as well, Emily certainly doesn’t tiptoe round the tough facts of life in this story. Another favourite female author of mine is Jane Austen who herself has created strong female characters but nothing compares to Emily’s creation Catherine Earnshaw. Catherine is a wild, strong willed and passionate character that all of us slightly wish we could be but she doesn’t know when to stop which also scares us normal folk witless. The love between Catherine and Heathcliff is not romantic as Austen might portray but it is passionate, bleak, dangerous and utterly hopeless.

Emily’s writing style is dark and gothic you feel like you’re a reading a gruesome horror story rather than an account of someone’s life. This is helped by the fact that the servant Nelly tells the story to Mr Lockwood by the fire place at night, reminiscent for me of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Except for the ghostly apparition of Catherine there aren’t any other horror aspects, no monsters, well not supernatural ones anyway the monsters in this story are real flesh and bone people. Emily’s focus in this book is on the truly dark nature of human beings portrayed through Heathcliff and Catherine but there are the small sparks of goodness shining out from the young Hareton and Catherine jnr.

This is a must read! Honestly the only obstacle for some readers would perhaps be the language used; it is little old English and slightly archaic but for me this just adds to the gothic other world feel of the book.

I’ve been seeing the trailer for The Stepfather a lot lately, which led me to create this post.
Question: Which Gossip Girl cast member is landing the best gigs?

Blake Lively

She starred as Bridget in ever-so popular The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants 1&2
“Girlfriend” in New York, I Love You. She starred along side big names such as Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci, and Rachel Bilson.
Also as Monica in Accepted, which stars Jonah Hill and Justin Long.

Leighton Meester

Leighton has had a lot of  TV exposure, with parts in shows such as Entourage, CSI: Miami, House, Shark, Numb3rs, 8 Simple Rules, 24, 7th Heaven, and Law & Order. On the movie side of it all, she hasn’t been in anything too popular. Date Night, slated to release in 2010, is supposed to be hilarious, after all it does star funnies such as Steve Carrell and Tina Fey.

Penn Badgley

He stars in the new movie The Stepfather, which is doing pretty good at the box-office, right? He also had a bit in John Tucker Must Die along side Brittany Snow and Ashanti. He also has TV experience on Will & Grace, What I Like About You, and The Young and The Restless.

Chace Crawford

Off the top of my head I can’t think of anything he has starred in, so I reached out to my dear friend IMDB.com for info.
He lent his voice to Family Guy and Robot Chicken in 2008/2009. He is also playing the lead in Footloose, out in 2010.

Taylor Momsen

She’s probably best known as Cindy Lou Who in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. She was also in We Were Soldiers which also starred Mel Gibson and Keri Russell.

Ed Westwick

I am fairly sure Gossip Girl is his first “big” acting gig. He was in Californication for an episode in 2009. Also, he played Randy in S. Darko, which I refuse to see. BUT, he is starring at Heathcliff in 2010’s Wuthering Heights.

So, which cast member do you think is landing the best gigs? My vote goes to Blake Lively, or Leighton Meester. Although Ed Westwick’s part in Wuthering Heights is sure to put him on the map, as well as Chace Crawford’s part in Footloose.

]]> http://panhistoria.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/top-eleven-romantic-heroines-of-literature/ Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:34:59 +0000 panhistoria http://panhistoria.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/top-eleven-romantic-heroines-of-literature/

1. Tess Durbeyfield – Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, 1891
2. Sarah Woodruff – The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles, 1969 (but inspired by an 1823 novel)
3. Catherine Earnshaw – Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, 1847
4. Elizabeth Bennett – Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, 1813
5. Anne Elliot – Persuasion by Jane Austen, 1816
6. Scarlet O’Hara – Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, 1937
7. Sophie Zawistowska – Sophie’s Choice by William Styron, 1979
8. The Marquise de Merteuil – Les Liasons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, 1782
9. Countess Ellen Olenska – The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, 1920
10. Roxane – Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, 1897
11. Jane Eyre – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, 1847

Not included on my list but available for discussion: Anna Karenina – Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, 1877

These are my top eleven (today anyway) favorite romantic but flawed heroines of literature. You might have others that don’t appear on my list, but I had a couple of binding rules for including characters on my list:

1. I had to have actually read the book, not just seen the movie or BBC adaptation.
2. They had to be smart and not just victims or ciphers for the male character to show off to.
3. I had to find them sexy.

Curiously this set of rules nearly knocked Jane Eyre off the list. Much as I admire her spunk and passion, she never set my pulse racing, but on deep consideration she’s too well written of a heroine not to include. Tess might be on the list for the opposite reason – she’s hot, but I’m not sure she’s not more of a victim than not. Of course considering the time periods all of these heroines had to live in it’s not at all surprising that their lives are often tragic, and that fate deals them hands that no one could raise above, no matter their inner steel.

Taking my heroines one by one I will give a brief explanation for their inclusion on my all time favorites list; however please bear in mind there is no particular order to the list. Tess is there because of her struggle. Viewed through the eyes of the men around her we see her vulnerability and desirability, and yet… she’s so badly treated by them all. She keeps getting kicked down, getting back up, and getting kicked back down again. Sarah Woodruff, on the surface seems a similar sort. Her mystery makes her desirable and then Fowles plays with us by giving us all possible versions of her, and yet not revealing which is the true Sarah. Cathy Earnshaw is elemental in her passion. Who wouldn’t fall for a woman that death couldn’t even hold down? Elizabeth Bennett is one smart cookie, but prone to understandable blindness. Her beauty lies in her essential goodness and her ability to learn, grow, and her loyalty to those she loves.

Anne Elliot is a more gentle heroine, trapped by social mores, she retains dignity. In the end she wins deserved love and redemption. Scarlet O’Hara is maddening. She’s beautiful, passionate, and fiery. She’s strong-willed, an idiot, and irritating as hell. Who hasn’t fallen for such a woman? Sophie from Sophie’s Choice is so beautiful and tragic, she makes my heart bleed. I suppose in the literal sense The Marquise de Merteuil is not a heroine. She is spiteful and scheming, and yet I feel that she is such a woman of passion and intelligence she deserves her place here. She is merely having her revenge for the status her gender demands. She uses her wit like poison, and in the end it is she that suffers.

The Age of Innocence is the one book on this list I did not read until the end, but not because it wasn’t worth reading. I had seen the movie first, and then intrigued picked up the novel. It was great, but for me the repressed and thwarted passion of Ellen Olenska was more than I could bear a second time. I wanted her to win against society, when no winning was possible in that time period. I think Roxane is an overlooked heroine. Everyone focuses on Cyrano, and with good reason, but Roxane is the lovely woman with the understanding to adore beautiful words, and in the end she would have loved Cyrano as well or better than Christian, if she’d been given the opportunity. Jane Eyre… everyone knows her: mousy governess with a wild heart capable of great and passionate love. It’s the dark eyes, luminous in a pale face, that does it.

Anna Karenina is not on the list because I hated that book. The story of Anna was powerful and provocative, but cut with a very boring second story about some landowner and his wheat crops. I have no idea this far removed his name or why he was there, but I didn’t finish the book and it pissed me off. I did, however, read the incredibly lengthy War and Peace, so it’s not big wordy Russian novels by Tolstoy that put me off.

Which brings up another question I have about my own list. Why are all the books so old or even if written in this century set in an earlier age? Where are the modern heroines to make my blood boil and my heart strings sing? I don’t know if I have the complete answer to that question. I know that I read a great many classics in my teens and twenties – exactly at the time when the hormones were raging the most – so it’s entirely possible that my concept of what was romantic was crystallized by my reading habits. I also know that I don’t often read modern fiction, and when I do I don’t find a lot of romantic writing there. I won’t pick a ‘romance’ because they are often, for me, of very limited scope and reading quality as genre fiction. Has a good modern romance been written? If so please tell me about them so I can expand my horizons. Also feel free to post your own list in my comment box. I want to hear more about it.

Had I know that Chapter One comprised all of five and one-half pages, I might not have asked the questions I did.  No matter, carrying on. =)

Characters: We meet our narrator, Mr Lockwood, and his landlord, Mr Heathcliff.  We also meet Joseph, an elderly servant of Mr Heathcliff’s.  In addition, we encounter half a dozen dogs.  Thus far, the dogs are my favorite characters, having had the good sense not to put up with any of Mr Lockwood’s ill behavior. I don’t actively dislike anyone at this point.  I think I’m likely meant to feel some curiosity about the mysterious Mr Heathcliff but I can’t say as I do yet.

Surprises: I was surprised that it was so short.

Predictions: I hope that Joseph the elderly servant will be consequential in some way but I fear he will not be.  I predict that the dogs will have something to chew upon later.  I also predict that Mr Lockwood is not going to be the most reliable of narrators.

As far as the writing style is concerned, thus far it is similar (as far as my recollection stretches, at any rate) to her sister’s.  I’ll be interested to see if/when that changes.  I particularly liked the turn of phrase that I chose for the title of this post.

There are days I would be delighted to reside in a misanthropist’s heaven.

I was at work today, busy minding my own business and getting work done, when I happened to walk by the Twilight table (an entire pine table devoted to the plethora of Twilight related merchandise; I think this table wins the award for longest display in the history of the company). As I walked passed the table I caught of glimpse of something awful.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I actually have read the entire Twilight saga and did enjoy the books. They’re no Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, but for what they are they aren’t bad. Compared to some things teens are reading these days, they’re actually pretty good. That said, they have gone way overboard with the merchandise tie-ins. I mean, do we really need Twilight rubber stamp kits or a Bella and Edward perpetual calendar? Are the door hangers really necessary? Or the Twilight jewelry box? (I will admit, I kind of like the mini trunk.) For the most part I’ve become immune to the ridiculousness of the merchandise on this table. However, today something new caught my attention.

They are now marketing copies of Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights with Twilight-themed covers. The cover of Wuthering Heights even mentions that it’s Bella and Edward’s favorite book. My initial reaction to this discovery was indignation. How dare they use these classics to make more money from Twilight fans? Is nothing sacred? Have they no shame?

But then one of my co-workers pointed out that perhaps this is a good thing. And the more I think I about it, the more I realize maybe he’s right. Twilight Teens will buy nearly anything that has anything to do with these books. I’m sure many of them have already read Wuthering Heights just because it’s mentioned several times in the series. So why not market the books to these teens specifically? It’s introducing three great classics to an audience who may never have bothered to read them in the first place. Pride & Prejudice is my favorite book ever, and if this means more girls will discover it, then what’s wrong with that?

So, while I still think the Twilight merchandise is getting WAY out of hand, I can’t begrudge them this marketing ploy. If it gets teenage girls to read classic literature, so be it.

And you want to know what’s really bad? Once I took time to look through the books, I realized I really liked the format of the book. And the covers actually look kind of cool. Which sadly means I’ll probably end up buying them before too long. Even though I already own copies of all three. Don’t judge me.