Unlike the Red Room in Charlotte Brontë’s novel where the young Jane Eyre has such a dismal time, each year the Salle Rouge is the setting for seasonal jollity for Brussels Brontëites. At this time of year it’s the place where we enjoy hearty Belgian fare, good company and a selection of entertainment provided by members.
As usual, Jones Hayden was quizmaster and master of ceremonies, while practical arrangements for the meal were taken care of by committee member Pauline Ghyselen with help from Ana Gauthier, also on our committee.
It’s always nice to have a musical item as part of the entertainment, and this year Katalin Lengyel sang an 1850 song for us, Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway. In a more irreverent spirit – this is the time of year when we can be as irreverent as we like about our beloved writers – Celia De Borchgrave declaimed a humorous encapsulation of Jane Eyre in limerick form.
This year’s skit was thoroughly irreverant and was written for the occasion by a talented quartet of our members — Pauline Ghyselen, Ana Gauthier, Stavroula Kremmydiotou and Paul Willocx — and performed by them with Erika Van Orshoven joining them as an actor. It was a witty and hilarious medley involving Charlotte Brontë and characters from more than one Brontë novel ... with Jane Austen and one of her characters also making a somewhat unexpected appearance.
As referenced in a past talk given to the Brussels Brontë Group (“The passions are perfectly unknown to her”: Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë and romantic fiction), Charlotte famously failed to appreciate Austen. Our actor-playwrights, however, all of whom are members of our nineteenth-century literature reading group, are as au fait with Pride and Prejudice as with Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.
Their sketch, composed as a team effort over several rounds of coffee in a Brussels eatery, was a real triumph.
The festivities wouldn’t be complete without the Brontë quiz, and the quiz wouldn’t be complete without a reference to the name of Rochester’s horse. It’s a standing joke that this always comes up, so take note of it for next year if you’re unsure of it!
Nor would the occasion be complete without a raffle — a selection of books and other gifts including a jigsaw puzzle, all Brontë-themed of course. There were more than usual thanks to a couple of donations by members which were added to the gifts bought with the raffle money. Eight lucky people bore off prizes to keep them busy on long winter evenings.
Helen MacEwan
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