Classics of Gothic & Horror: Jane Eyre

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."

From the very first line of Jane Eyre, the reader is pulled into a psychological intimacy unprecedented in literary fiction. Tracing the life of its eponymous heroine, the novel is both a sweeping epic and a work of meticulous realism, as Jane Eyre progresses from abused and neglected orphan to tentative governess to assertive heroine. But alongside its passion and pathos, just as moving today as upon its publication in 1847, are shades of the gothic, as the world of Jane Eyre is haunted by ghosts of the past, and the line between triumph and madness is always razor-thin.

One of the great publication sensations of all-time, Jane Eyre emerged seemingly out of nowhere, and introduced the English-speaking world to a blistering new talent. Originally published under the pseudonym "Currer Bell," the novel was condemned as immoral and "anti-Christian," but that didn't stop "Bell" from publishing two more novels that same year: Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey. As it would turn out, these works were the products of three extraordinary sisters, whose inventions would alter the course of literary history forever.

In the conclusion to his series on Classics of Gothic & Horror, Naben Ruthnum is joined by novelist and screenwriter Moira Buffini, who wrote the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, and Brontë biographer Claire Harman, to discuss the enduring legacy of this most supreme of all literary achievements.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Moira Buffini is an author, dramatist, director and actor. Her award-winning plays include Silence (1999), Welcome to Thebes (2010), and Manor (2021), and for the screen she has written Marianne Dreams (2007), Handbagged (2010), and the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and her debut novel Songlight, published in 2024, was awarded the YA Book Prize at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Claire Harman is an award-winning writer and critic, author of seven major literary biographies, including Charlotte Brontë: A Life (2015) and most recently, All Sorts of Lives: Katherine Mansfield and the Art of Risking Everything (2022). She is a Professor of Creative Writing at Durham University.

Naben Ruthnum is the author of Helpmeet (2022), A Hero of Our Time (2022), and, under the pen-name Nathan Ripley, the thrillers Find You in the Dark (2018) and Your Life Is Mine (2019).

***

Important information for accessing this live virtual event:

• You must register for a free ticket via Eventbrite to gain access to this event.
  
• This event will be presented in a Zoom Webinar. Once registered, you will receive reminder emails from both Zoom and Eventbrite with links and instructions to access your unique Zoom Webinar link to watch this event.
  
• At the time of the event, you must be signed in to Zoom or Eventbrite with the same email address that you used to book your ticket in order to access your unique event link. Unique event links can only be open on one device at a time.

***

This event is made possible in part from a gift from the Ann Thoburn Fund.

***

Accessibility at Toronto Public Library

We are committed to making our content accessible to as many Torontonians as possible. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks' notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca