<p>^ Jean Rhys, on the other hand, died at the ripe old age of 88. Jane Eyre was published when Charlotte Bronte was 31; Wide Sargasso Sea was published when Jean Rhys was 76. At discussion time, we’ll have to talk about “How much do writers know about life and when do they know it?”</p>
<p>I just realized, from glancing at Jean Rhys’ biography, that her mother was “a Dominican creole of Scots ancestry” and that Rhys was born in Dominica and did not move to England until age 16.</p>
<p>Therefore, it turns out that there are certain similarities between her and Michael Ondaatje, author of “The Cat’s Table,” which we just finished discussing.</p>
<p>I had no idea! I think this makes “Wide Sargasso Sea” an even more appropriate book choice for the upcoming discussion.</p>
<p>(If it makes you feel any better, Sylvan, I don’t think it’s 100% certain that Bront</p>
<p>ignatius - that is fascinating! Had no idea such a book was out there.</p>
<p>I’m thinking a really contemporary re-telling set in foster homes or something.</p>
<p>I love Jane Eyre (read the book and watched an old movie version) but I am unfamiliar with WSS, so I will start there. </p>
<p>Continued thanks for the inspiration and great learning experience!</p>
<p>Your discussion brought to mind Frankenstein, written by the 17-18 year old Mary Shelley. Her work grew out of the death of her mother in childbirth (her) and the still born birth of her first child. She was just recovering from that, hence the desire to reanimate the dead.</p>
<p>So much good war writing, even if Charlotte Bronte did die of the complications of pregnancy, it’s one way women really enter life and have so much to write about.</p>
<p>Mary Shelley won a contest that included Shelley and Byron about who could write the best horror story.</p>
<p>It’s funny that Frankenstein surely outlives Shelley’s poetry.</p>
<p>I recently bought tickets to the movie version done in England with Benedict Cumberbach and Jonny Lee Miller. On stage, the alternated the roles of Dr. Frankenstein and the monster, but alas, only one version was released for commercial viewing.</p>
<p>I so wanted to see both, and last year both were streamed, but I couldn’t get myself into a theater.</p>
<p>Anne Bradstreet has the most beautiful poems about fearing death in childbirth and the sad deaths of her grandchildren.</p>
<p>^^^ mythmom: Benedict Cumberbatch … really? I have this Benedict Cumberbatch thing going right now. 
So jealous.</p>
<p>sewhappy: The Flight of Gemma Hardy was published Jan. 2012 to good reviews. </p>
<p>Here’s another: Jane. (The reviews are a tad more uneven, I think, that those of Gemma Hardy; I’ve seen it listed as grade 10 and up by the School Library Journal.) </p>
<p>From Booklist:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Please note that this book is not part of the CC Book Club discussion. ;)</p>
<p>Too funny! My DD and I are also smitten with Benedict Cumberbatch. We have re-watched all the first season of Young Sherlock, eagerly awaiting more. Then we discovered he’s in Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy! Yay! As DD puts it, he’s just adorably nerdy. </p>
<p>Thanks again, Ignatius. Have ordered Gemma Hardy.</p>
<p>Love Tinker Tailor. He’s in other things too. A Brit mini series on Netflix: The Last Enemy.</p>
<p>I’ve seen him other places too.</p>
<p>Mythmom, who played Frankenstein in the version of the stage play you mentioned that was filmed and shown in theatres, Cumberbatch or Miller? You said you bought tickets and I wasn’t sure whether you meant you had seen it yet.</p>
<p>My son recently saw the film in question at a theatre in the Berkshires, where his summer internship is located, but he hasn’t reported on it to me. I thought he said that he didn’t know who would be playing which role before he saw it.</p>
<p>I am hoping that both versions eventually show up on DVD. One can always hope!</p>
<p>So far, I have seen The Magnificent Cumberbatch only in Atonement, where he has a tiny role as an unattractive character.</p>
<p>He is also in War Horse (the movie), which I haven’t seen.</p>
<p>Sewhappy, thanks for telling us about your favorite film version of Jane Eyre, and Ignatius, thanks for the info on Gemma Hardy.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist either of them! :)</p>
<p>And, as always, a big thank you to Mary for everything.</p>
<p>We are seeing Benedict Cumberbach as the Monster, which is what I would have imagined because both actors won awards, but Cumberbach won more so I figured he’d show up in the showier role.</p>
<p>They streamed both versions during the run of the play.</p>
<p>I just missed a streamed version of One Man Two Guvnors. With Broadway tickets costing what they do, I usually only get to see a few shows a year, and we already saw Porgy and Bess. DS was in the original Italian version of One Man…</p>
<p>NJTM: Is your son in W’town? There’s a great independent cinema there.</p>
<p>The streaming we saw was at Amherst and NYU. I just couldn’t work it into my schedule.</p>
<p>Oh, I wanted to add that I know many people have a Benedict Cumberbach obsession (and I like him fine, particularly in Tinker, Tailor where he is a little more casual), but no one seems to appreciate Jonny Lee Miller, and I do. I want to put in a word for him. He was Trainspotting, I think, and definitely in Mansfield Park. But I really loved him in Eli Stone, the TV series. And he survived an early marriage to Angelina Jolie.</p>
<p>He doesn’t have the dark charisma of Cumberbach, but I do like him.</p>
<p>I actually would prefer the other casting, but I don’t I’ll get to see that. The kid at the cinema where I bought the tickets said he didn’t think they’d filmed the alternative casting. Sigh.</p>
<p>But I am beyond excited to see this.</p>
<p>^^^ You’re in luck mythmom. Jonny Lee Miller stars as Sherlock (ha!) this fall in the CBS series Elementary.</p>
<p>[‘Elementary’:</a> Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu retell Sherlock Holmes - From Inside the Box - Zap2it](<a href=“http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/05/elementary-jonny-lee-miller-and-lucy-liu-retell-sherlock-holmes.html]‘Elementary’:”>http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/05/elementary-jonny-lee-miller-and-lucy-liu-retell-sherlock-holmes.html)</p>
<p>And it looks like they filmed both castings of Frankenstein if you look to see how the cinema here listed the showings, which I didn’t know about in time to go. 
</p>
<p>June 2 at 12.30 pm (Creature Miller) - June 4 @ 7pm (Creature Cumberbatch)</p>
<p>I think we’ve hijacked your thread, Mary, with non-book club books, Frankenstein, Benedict Cumberbatch (no apologies) and Jonny Lee Miller.</p>
<p>I hope this thread hasn’t temporarily devolved into a thread about men we like to drool over (james van der beek) ahem ;). </p>
<p>The kindle version of jane eyre that I downloaded has Bronte’s comments before the second edition - “Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion.” Words worthy of carving on a monument somewhere…</p>
<p>Sorry, my bad. I think the lives of the Brontes are so interesting too. I love that all the sisters wrote wonderful novels and had those male pseudonyms.</p>
<p>No worries. The CC Book Club fully supports all the fine arts, especially those involving British actors with good cheekbones.</p>
<p>I haven’t downloaded Jane Eyre yet because I am in the middle of reading an overdue Kindle library book which will vaporize if I connect to the internet.</p>
<p>I have to mention that I’ve been to the parsonage at Haworth (the Bronte home) and its churchyard burial site.</p>
<p>Looking forward to the books. We have multiple copies of JE around here, not so WSS - I’ve ordered it. However, like Mary, I have some other books that I must get to first.</p>
<p>Till August 1, then. As always, thanks to Mary.</p>
<p>I have to mention that I know Jane Eyre.</p>
<p>She’s a championship fencer in her 50s who trains at the same fencing academy where some of my family members have taken classes.</p>
<p>[Jane</a> Eyre | Athletes | USA Fencing](<a href=“http://usfencing.org/athletes/jane-eyre]Jane”>http://usfencing.org/athletes/jane-eyre)</p>
<p>She’s a very impressive woman, and very beautiful for her age or any age. She’s a far cry from Bronte’s JE, but maybe not. And imagine how much Bronte would have loved to read a biography like that!!!</p>
<p>Yep, the fencing Jane Eyre is really something. Here’s more about her, for anyone who’s interested.</p>
<p>[Swedesboro</a> resident mastered fencing | NJ.com](<a href=“http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/towns/index.ssf/2010/12/swedesboro_resident_mastered_f.html]Swedesboro”>Swedesboro resident mastered fencing - nj.com)</p>
<p>Fencing is a very cool sport because people can do it literally all their lives. I wish I could fence and have a body even a little bit like Jane’s, but I’m afraid I am not one of the members of my family with good physical coordination.</p>