The Victorian Literature Journey Tag
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- Опубликовано: 9 окт 2023
- In which I celebrate Tag Tuesday by answering the prompts of the Victorian Literature Journey Tag!
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Tag creators:
Ros @scallydandlingaboutthebook2711
Tilly @tillysshelf
(Ros and Tilly modeled their questions on the excellent prompts created for Shaketember by Kelly @booksimnotreading, Jason @OldBluesChapterandVerse, and Nicole @adayofsmallthings.)
Also mentioned: the booktuber who introduced me to so many new authors-Katie @katiejlumsden
I tag:
David @davidnovakreadspoetry
Heather @heathergregg9975
Steve @saintdonoghue
and regular commenters without channels!
Questions:
1. What was your first experience reading Victorian literature and how was it?
2. Has the reading of a Victorian book ever brought you to tears? If so tell us more.
3. Are there any people who have played a significant role in your Victorian literature journey?
4. Do you have a favourite film or TV adaptation of a Victorian book? What about one you'd like to see made?
5. Which character in Victorian literature most resembles you, or you identify with most?
6. Do you have a favourite moment, scene or line from Victorian literature? Tell us about it or read it to us.
7. Does any Victorian literature intimidate you? If so, what and why.
8. What tips would you give to someone early on in their Victorian literature journey?
9. What is your top recommended read for other readers of Victorian literature?
10. Tag people.
Books and Adaptations Discussed:
Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter
Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre (2006) with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens
Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996) with Tara Fitzgerald, Toby Stephens, and Rupert Graves
Antigone by Sophocles
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Authors Mentioned Very Briefly:
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Tess of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Elizabeth Gaskell
George Gissing
Geraldine Jewsbury
Harriet Martineau
Margaret Oliphant
Dinah Craik
Amy Levy
Amy Dillwyn
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![Philip Roth and Blake Bailey [CC]](/img/1.gif)
Loved seeing your version of this tag 😊 Such a great Jane Eyre quote!
Thank you so much,Katie!
Hi Hannah, as a 60 year old male in the UK I finally read Jane Eyre last year. It instantly became my favourite book, pipping Tess and Crime and Punishment. I then went on to Wuthering Heights - and really disliked it! I love the way you quote from the book - like you I really identified with Jane, and at times felt I became her - much to the amusement of my wife!
How wonderful to hear! Thank you. It sounds like we have similar tastes-Tess and Jane Eyre!-so if you have any other recommendations, I would love to hear. Crime and Punishment is on my list and has been entirely too long…
We await your creation of a "Jane Eyre Tag" on which all the prompts - and possibly all the answers - are based on that book:-) Thank you for tagging me, I shall give it a go. Cheers!
Ooh, ooh, ooh! Excellent idea!
As Captain Picard would say, "Make it so!"@@HannahsBooks
I agree with you about injustice. Silas Marner made me she'd a tear by the way he was treated. It's not Victorian I know,but the final chapter of The Grapes of Wrath certainly made me weep; I don't think I could ever read that again as I found it so harrowing.
I have not yet read Silas Marner, but I so love the Eliot I have read. And Grapes of Wrath is such an amazing and heartbreaking book! It was one of my husband’s very favorite books.
@@HannahsBooks I read a little about him when I was "snooping" about you(Lordy it sounds like stalking!) He looked like a wonderful man and so highly regarded.
@LeoniFermer-vi4dc Yes he was. I miss him very much. ♥️
@@HannahsBooks❤️
I think I was so lucky in starting reading Lord Of The Rings at 12 , so that a long book became a GOOD thing!
Ooh-I had not thought of that! I’m fine until I get to right about the 800 page mark…
I have very little understanding or knowledge of Victorian literature, but I found this fascinating 😊
Thank you very much--and welcome to Booktube! If you decide you want to get into Victorian lit, Jane Eyre is a great place to start, as is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Yes, to the 'Jane Eyre' theme in these answers, yes to it being my favourite Victorian novel, and yes to it being one of the most accessible books by which to begin one's journey into Victorian literature. I own about four copies (five if you count a Kindle version) of JE and always find myself gravitating towards it as soon as the weather cools and autumn sets in. It's a truly comforting forever re-readable classic, which I recommend to anyone wanting to dip their toe in some classic literature. I've only watched 3 filmed adaptations of it and whilst a controversial choice for many, my favourite version is the 1997 BBCTV production featuring Samantha Morton - even if Ciarán Hinds's smirk seemed to have more than a _tad_ too much impish glee for Mr Rochester. (Although for pure campy eyebrow-raising, Timothy Dalton - _be still my beating heart!_ - in the 1983 TV miniseries is even *more* adorable fun to behold!)
And on the topic of film, I've yet to watch the 2022 film 'Emily' (despite having it ready to go, whenever I wish) because I fear it will be too far removed from what I expect a film about the sister of the author of my favourite Victorian novel, to realistically portray. I'm not a huge fan of recent films (I don't even watch television anymore) and even though 'Emily' isn't supposed to be a remote refection of 'Jane Eyre', I just don't want it to sully my love of the book, by being an annoyingly post-modern portrait of the Brontë family. Maybe one day I'll get around to giving it a chance; but until then, there are plenty of books out there to read - or re--read as the case with JE is once more soon to be.
PS. I need that mug in my life!
Hannah, I just discovered a video I think you'll enjoy - it's a review of Jane Eyre from a feisty, very intelligent woman on the verge of retirement who's just read Jane Eyre for the first time. The Channel is called "Life lessons from Books". Her Australian down-to-earthness is refreshing and insightful - this video is just 13 mins so something to listen to while having a coffee. And, bonus, I suspect she knits her own jumpers - and does it very well.
Oh fabulous! I will look her up this afternoon!
Your video always makes my day. Thanks, Hannah!
Hi Hannah,
So enjoyed your Victorian journey. It was quite illuminating for me, since my reading in this genre is limited. I particularly liked your speaking about your mother and introduction to this literature.
Neither of my parents were into reading much and did not keep literature in our home, with a few exceptions like some children’s books and later a set of Encyclopedias.
I made sure to change that when I had children and it’s heartwarming to hear others have this in their homes too.
I tried reading Jane Eyre many many years ago. It didn’t grab me at the time. My younger daughter loves it though. I will have to give it another shot.
Another lovely video. The trick to reading Wuthering Heights is to read it in a Yorkshire dialect which of course is much easier if you're British in the first place! So can see why you found it hard going. Dickens is a bit much(I prefer the TV adaptions the BBC did some years ago) but it was meant to be read out in episodes. I can see why you identify with Jane , you seem calm and strong..at least on the screen! I love all the adventure stories of Conan Doyle and H Rider Haggard who have been the greatest influence in my life ...lost cities and high Adventure. Thank you again for an interesting talk.❤️
N
I will have to check out Haggard! And yes-no matter where people are from, everyone gets a US southern accent. I’m afraid I can’t do anything else!
@@HannahsBooks I love a Southern accent it's so soothing and mellifluous. I'm not well educated and keep a Chamber's by my bed to look up old outdated words and terms found in Victorian and Georgian literature. Thank you again for being an interesting guide.❤️
I had the same experience with Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. The 2006 adaptation is my favourite as well. Last year was my 1st Victober, and I read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and watched the 1996 adaptation. This year I am rereading (via audio) Wuthering Heights after fourish decades, and I do have a better appreciation of the writing.
Jane Eyre will always hold pride of place with me.
I am so thrilled to see this and look forward to watching it later 😊
Thanks for the lovely tag, Ros!
Jane Eyre now and forever! I love the Jane takeover in this video.
Ha! Yay Team Jane Eyre!!
This was great, Hannah! I can never hear too much about Jane Eyre! The passage you read is just so amazing. It always feels like hearing my favourite song on the radio for me whenever it's read out loud!
Now that is a really great line, Aaron, about feeling like hearing something on the radio. 🤓
You are a beautiful soul inside and out even with wet hair.
You are very kind. Thank you so much!
I am currently rereading 'Jane Eyre' and I totally agree about the punishment stool scene. I agree that injustice in books can cause tears.
I think I am due for a reread sometime soon!
LOVE Jane Eyre! Great tag!
I’m criminolly’s Ma. and I’m enjoying your Victorian books. I grew up with the Beatrix Potter books. Have you seen the film Miss Potter? Love Anthony Trollope had to read too much Dickens at school. Good luck with your channel.
So sorry for the delay in responding. Criminolly’s Ma? How wonderful! You have a lovely son. I have seen Miss Potter and very much enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your comment!
Great answers. I am on the fence with the Jane Eyre/Wuthering Heights teams, I read Wuthering Heights in my 20s and Jane Eyre as a Booktuber in my fifties, I haven't reread either, although I did get a copy of Wuthering Heights lest I should be tempted to reread it. Katie Lumsden was also a big influence on me for reading Victorian literature.
Hi Hannah! I think it would be easier to follow your thoughts if you put the covers of the books while you are talking about them :)
Great vid!!!
I really enjoyed Jane eyre, and although I am a much bigger fan of Wuthering Heights, I completely understand those who hate it. I'd never recommend wuthering heights over Jane eyre unless I knew that person's tastes very well. And I most definitely wouldn't recommend wuthering heights to a new reader of Victorian lit, whereas Jane Eyre is such a great entry point. I think it's interesting how we all pit these two books against each other, when they really have very little in common besides being written by sisters. I often wonder what the brontes would make of our discussion of these two books now.
What a great question! Yes--I know that if I read Wuthering Heights for the first time as an adult, and ideally from an author I had not preconceptions about, I might love it. Last time I read it, I was so intrigued by the narrative devices EB employed. But yes indeed--what would the three sisters think of our tendency to pit their writings against each other??
I can’t imagine going back to the Brontes _after four decades_ but so much of this content is making me want to. Thanks for thinking of me in the tags! I really loved hearing your answers and feel like just parroting them … but maybe I can come up with an original ‘take’. (I was a bit surprised at the absence of Hardy here.) 😊
I remember enjoying the adaptation of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Have you seen Twelfth Night from around the same time with Toby Stephens? Not Victorian, but very entertaining.
Like you, I read Jane Eyre and loved it. Then I read Wuthering Heights and I think I never (except for Ducks, Newburyport 😩) read a book I disliked more. And things have never been good between us ever since 😅
Someone gave me a copy of Ducks and I haven't been brave enough to even try. Now that it is linked in my mind to Emily Bronte, perhaps I should just "unhaul" it. There will be room for two other books I might want to read more...
@@HannahsBooks That’s a great plan, Hannah! 😇😂👍🏻
I read Jane Eyre for the first time last year, but I am sure that if I had read it as a teenager, it would feature in all my answers too. 😁
Yes--there is something really powerful about the first books we really connected to, isn't there?!
Well done, Jane! ...I mean, Hannah. ;) Another member of Team Jane Eyre here. My mom also kept some of her books (1940s editions) on the shelf in my room, including Jane Eyre, Little Women and her Modern Library edition of the Complete Novels of Jane Austen (which I still have). Her name was Jane, too. I also read JE at about age 12, loved it, but then was completely disappointed with Wuthering Heights (from the public library...not one of Mom's favorites, either). Your first favorite quote is the one that always makes me tear up.
Great video. Thank you. Were the Bronte novels reflective of the personalities of their authors?
I read Jane Eyre in my early to mid teens and loved it. I didn't get around to Wuthering Heights until much later, after I had seen the classic Hollywood film with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. Holy moly, I was shocked! 😂
BTW, I'll start the voting on a potential GRWM video from you, Hannah: YES!
Oh gracious! Comb my hair and occasionally put in barrettes really quickly, put on lip balm for my eternally chapped lips...and well, that is about it. I could film myself putting cream on my cracked heels at night, maybe?
@@HannahsBooks I just did that! 🦶
I just read Dress Diary Secrets From a Victorian Woman's Wardrobe by Kate Strasdin. It's the one you recommended recently. I loved it! Thank you for recommending it. I read Jane Eyre as a 13 year-old. I didn't like it. Maybe I'd get more out of it now. Last year I read Weird Women edited by Lisa Morton and Leslie S Klinger. It's a collection of Victorian women's short horror stories. It would be fairly good for October.
I am so glad to hear that Dress Diary is good. I got sidetracked by a couple of travel books, but I really think I need to slot in Dress Diary before I have to return it to the library. The Victorian women's horror stories sound fascinating!
I was hoping you would participate in this tag❣️‼️ and regarding Jane Eyre, I am with you all the way. (I even have the mug😉)
I love the 2006 adaptation of Jane Eyre, but my favorite Mr. Rochester will forever be Ciarán Hinds. I am eager to hear your thoughts on The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. When I read it I felt the influence of both Charlotte’s Jane Eyre and Emily’s Wuthering Heights! I think the adaptation of The Tenant is well done. Great tag 👍👍
Thank you! How wonderful to to find someone else with the mug and fandom issues... And oh yes, Ciaran Hinds is wonderful in so many different class adaptations!
I read Jane Eyre the first time for a class on European Social History I took at Amherst College as part of the Five Colleges Consortium. I did my undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. I also read for the same class the biography of Charlotte Bronte by Mrs. Gaskell and fell in love with her writing. My history with Wuthering Heights goes back further. Growing up in the Azores, we did not have television, but we had radio and I used to listen to the dramatized radio books that came on everyday. One of them was Wuthering Heights, later I read the novel and have loved it ever since. My dear friend Maggi, who is from Northern Ireland, introduced me to Hardy, and a couple of years ago, I discovered Trollope and I am hooked. Robert Louis Stevenson was an early favorite as well. I cherish my illustrated Portuguese translation of Treasure Island. By the way, I started The Tenant of Wildfell Hall last night.
Shame you couldn't tag Jane Eyre too. You did fit her in everywhere else.
I find huge tomes off-putting too in prospect although they are usually fine when I read them.
LOL, I was just about to post the same comment! There must be a Booktuber out there named some variant on "Jane Eyre"!
@scallydandlingaboutthebooks2711 @Nina_DP Ha! It looks like there ARE a few Jane Eyres, including this whole little series: www.youtube.com/@TheAOJaneEyre