Austen vs. Brontes (and Esther vs. Vashti)

Since I enjoy Jane Eyre in all forms, so much, I have an e-mail news alert for “Jane Eyre”. Found this interesting article on a blog devoted to discussion among Jewish women. The full post is: here.

(excerpt from) The Jewish Daily Forward/the sisterhood
Esther vs. Vashti, Austen vs. Brontës
By Sarah Seltzer

As I prepared for the beginning of the perennial Purim question of “Esther vs. Vashti” at the same time as I delved into Jane Eyre-mania, I began to think about how women are always pushed into dichotomies. I wondered cynically how soon someone would write about the new Brontë films by declaring Jane Austen passé…

It always seems to me that when it comes to women who take different paths there’s a meme out there that there’s only room for one. Virgin or whore, Esther or Vashti, Austen or Brontë. Yes, the two most famous Brontë sisters, Charlotte and Emily, and Jane Austen took divergent approaches to writing about the “woman question.” Austen was sort of an Esther, using her brilliant wit to dazzle readers but containing steely critique of the system under her perfect prose, while the Brontës, Vashti-like , seethe with rage at women’s unfortunate lot and churn with a desperate desire for escape…

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Video: Review of Jane Eyre movie, 2011

About the video:

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Can Male Hatters be feminists?: Reflections on Alice in Wonderland

Can Male Hatters be feminists?

Five things that critics got wrong about Alice in Wonderland,
and one critic who is on the right track.

This piece is actually a critique of the critiques of the movie Alice in Wonderland, book by Lewis Carroll, screenplay by Linda Woolverton, and direction by Tim Burton. Overall, I thought the movie was enjoyable, imaginative and enlightening. I was also surprised to find some moments of heartfelt feminism.

In looking over the reviews of the movie on line, I found a surprising lack of understanding, and some dismissive negativity, about the movie. Much—but not all—of the response was related to the issue of feminism in the film.

Here are five things that most critics got wrong about the Linda Woolverton and Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland: (Note, this piece is heavy on plot-spoilers. Don’t read it if you want to watch the movie and be surprised.)

1. The litmus test for feminism is not the female star.

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Modern women: Fashion model skinny debate

This is about a modern debate. Models are expected to be so skinny. So, the fashion industry tends to use models 16-years-old and under. So, they are considering rules (they now have some loose policies that are not working) about how and how much to use models under 18 years old. Interesting in a Lady Georgiana Spencer perspective. Because, Georgiana, too, was exploited for her beauty at a young age. For Georgiana, it was about being an elegant wife, and a young and talented beauty who was expected could give birth to an heir.

As New York Fashion Week rolls out runway, too-skinny model debate turns to age
By Samantha Critchell, AP / February 10th, 2010

Would older models quell too-skinny debate?

NEW YORK — The models auditioning for New York Fashion Week were undeniably thin. But it was only after the fashion industry started worrying about too-skinny models that casting agent James Scully began asking their age.

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