Jane Eyre on Stage and Screen

'I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.'

In this richly illustrated talk Dr Hila Shachar explores some of the many and varied adaptations of this classic novel. Film, TV and stage productions have approached the story in different ways from the conventional romance to a social drama of class and gender. Starting with stage productions soon after its publication in the 19th century, Dr Shachar will consider how adaptations of Jane Eyre are often a barometer of the times.

Dr Hila Shachar is a Lecturer in English Literature at De Montfort University and a member of the Centre for Adaptation Studies who specialises in the adaptation of classic literary works and authors in various media including film, televisoin and ballet. Her book, Cultural Afterlives and Screen Adaptations of Classic Literature: Wuthering Heights and Company (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), was featured in The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune, as well as nominated for the 2012 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards. She also works as a writer for The Australian Ballet and is currently writing a monograph on literary biopics, examining the screen adaptation of the figure of the author.