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Meri Kurisumasu: #Christmas in Japan

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Jane Eyre, the main character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, has been stressed out for over two centuries. Knowing that Xmas, especially in the time of #Covid, may be especially hard for people this year, she recommends looking outside of yourself to gain perspective. For instance, don’t think about holidays past, think about the wacky yet endearing way Xmas is celebrated in Japan! Only one percent of Japanese are Christians, so December 25th is very much a secular event. While many citizens buy really tiny trees–think #CharlieBrownChristmas–to decorate their tiny homes, department stores go all out with giant trees, flashing … Continue reading Meri Kurisumasu: #Christmas in Japan

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No Glitter Litter This #Xmas

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David Copperfield, probably the most likeable character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, a novel by Annabelle Troy, has always been concerned with the #environment. He’d like you to know that in 2019 scientists began lobbying for a major ban on glitter products, such as tinsel and garlands, because they have been making their way into rivers and oceans, seriously damaging marine life. The United Kingdom has taken a stance on this, with major retailers including Waitrose and John Lewis having already stopped stocking all glittery things. In the USA there is online shop Bioglitter, which offers a product which biodegrades … Continue reading No Glitter Litter This #Xmas

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Wild #Turkey: Try Something New This #Thanksgiving!

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Hester Prynne, the Purantical character in Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy, remembers when all turkeys were wild. This means a large bird typically with bronze-colored feathers, a fan-shaped tail and wings marked with black and white bars. To modern palates, used to domesticated fowl, it might taste a bit dry and tough, with even the white meat seeming as strong as the dark. Hester’s tip: soak your bird overnight in cold, lightly salted water (after you have plucked it, of course). While these parts may not be edible–or worth the trouble to make them so–it is always good … Continue reading Wild #Turkey: Try Something New This #Thanksgiving!

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The Case of Sherlock Holmes’s Sister

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In Annabelle Troy’s novel Jane Eyre Gets Real #SherlockHolmes is one of the most sardonic characters. A new movie now showing on #Netflix portrays him in a more sympathetic light, as the older brother of a spirited girl named Enola. Based on the Young Adult series by Nancy Springer (which started to be published at the turn of this century), Enola is a teenager raised by her suffragette mother–played in the movie by Helena Bonham Carter, As her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock are much older, they have already embarked on their own lives at the time of Enola’s birth and … Continue reading The Case of Sherlock Holmes’s Sister

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R U As Unique As This Turtle?

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Alice in Wonderland, created by Lewis Carroll and appearing in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real, is no stranger to the madcap. Therefore, she was entranced to learn of a rare yellow #turtle spotted in West Bengal, #India earlier this week. A farmer working in his paddy fields saw the turtle and decided to bring it home, struck by its unusual coloring. It was handed over to scientists who declared they had never seen anything quite like it before. The turtle’s golden hue shared by curry, sunshine and daffodils, is probably a result of lack of pigment–he simply didn’t make … Continue reading R U As Unique As This Turtle?

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Halloween Party Like It’s 1899

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Dorian Gray may be the most macabre character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, the novel by Annabelle Troy. Therefore, he appreciates the value of a good #Halloween celebration. Victorians considered the holiday far more fitting for adults than for children; it didn’t really become a kid’s affair until the 1920’s. October 31st was a day when Victorians could let their hair down and have a romping good time. Known to be preoccupied with death–probably because their relatives, offspring and friends were often dying, at home and slowly–19th century folk viewed Halloween as an occasion when the tables could be turned … Continue reading Halloween Party Like It’s 1899

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Mustaches in #Quarantine

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A quarantine trend of 2020, men growing fancy mustaches to go with their beards, is a topic not unknown by David Copperfield. Copperfield, a character in the novel Jane Eyre Gets Real by Annabelle Troy, was invented by #CharlesDickens, himself no stranger to facial hair. Modern men see mustache-growing as a sign of self-determination in a powerless time. Victorian men may have simply done it to gain an extra layer of warmth in grim winters! Regardless of the reason here are some classic types of stache, for anyone seeking inspiration: Known for its upturned curves, this will make you look … Continue reading Mustaches in #Quarantine

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Will #Pinocchio Be The Next Supermodel?

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In her day Madame Bovary, a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, was quite the slave to a pretty gown. Autumn is usually the time for fashion week in major cities, tempting people around the world with the sartorial equivalent of visions of sugar plums. With the problems presented by #Covid-19, fashion events have become unfashionable…though there are always work-arounds. For instance, in late September #Moschino decided to use puppets instead of live models to show off the brand’s creations. With help from the Jim Henson Creative Shop an entire fantasy runway came to life, complete with audience members molded … Continue reading Will #Pinocchio Be The Next Supermodel?

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A Scarlet Rose: Ann Hutchinson

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This week esteemed Supreme Court Justice #RuthBaderGinsburg was laid to rest. Hester Prynne, a character in Jane Eyre Gets Real, was led to think of Puritan feminist and free thinker, Ann Hutchinson. The Scarlet Letter takes place several years after Hutchinson’s death and contains a notable passage in her honor; in describing roses outside the prison door where Hester will emerge, Hawthorne says they might have “sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson as she entered the prison.” Fiery women, such as Hester, Ann–and centuries later, Ruth–bring forth fiery blooms. Daughter of a dissident minister, Ann was … Continue reading A Scarlet Rose: Ann Hutchinson

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Laura In The News

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It hasn’t even been two weeks since #Hurricane Laura hit the USA. Death tolls from this storm have been reckoned at 64, and #Louisiana continues to reel from its effects. Hopefully, hurricanes will stay away from our shores for the rest of the season (which usually ends in November). With fingers crossed, the characters of #JaneEyreGetsReal by Annabelle Troy each reflect on their favorite #Laura, from fact or fiction. Dorian Grey: British painter Dame Laura Knight (1877-1870) Madame Bovary: Petrarch’s Laura–the adored subject of a 14th century love sonnet David Copperfield: maternal figure and former First Lady Laura Bush Hester … Continue reading Laura In The News

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Sherlock Holmes Reveals The Killer of Prince Albert

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The characters in Jane Eyre Gets Real are almost all of the Victorian era and “knew” Prince Albert, the Queen’s consort, well. He was born August 26, 1819. Considered a kind, intelligent man–as well as handsome, in his youth–his accomplishments including strengthening the constitutional monarchy, advancing social issues, and popularizing #Christmas. He died at the age of 42, plunging Queen Victoria, their children and their court into perpetual mourning. Officially the cause of Prince Albert’s death is recorded as “typhoid.” However, as #SherlockHolmes has been quick to note, Albert was ill for most of his life; pale, feverish and so … Continue reading Sherlock Holmes Reveals The Killer of Prince Albert

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Hot Dogs Al Fresco: Dining Out During A #Pandemic

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  You can call it eating in the open air or, as Madame Bovary–the only French character in Jane Eyre Gets Real–would more elegantly put it, dining al fresco. In the time of #Covid19,though indoor dining has resumed in many European establishments, American cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and New York are taking restaurant service to the streets. Outdoor dining is technically as old as the first shepherd who ate bread and cheese under the stars. In the USA the roots of an al fresco meal are just as humble. Before #Nathan’s on Coney Island there was Feltman’s Ocean … Continue reading Hot Dogs Al Fresco: Dining Out During A #Pandemic