Susan Hitch and guests assess Auguste Rodin's creative relationship with the British Isles. Plus, what will be revealed as the Vatican opens its secret archives from 1922-1939?
The Thinker
Auguste Rodin
The Thinker, 1884
Bronze
71.4 x 59.9 x 42.2 cm
Playlist
JANE EYRE
On Sunday BBC ONE launches one of the pillars of the Autumn schedule, a new production of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. On tonight's programme Hilary Fraser and Kathryn Hughes take the adaptation as a starting point for an examination of the history of the novel's interpretation and explore the constantly evolving meanings of one of English literature's most loved - and most controversial - texts.
Jane Eyre is on BBC ONE on Sunday 24 September at 9:00pm.
THE SECRET ARCHIVES
As the Vatican opens its secret archives for the years 1922 - 39 today we talk to BBC Correspondent David Willey we talk about the treasures and secrets that may be found there. How did the Vatican relate to the four great dictators of the period? What was the true relationship between the pope and Il Duce? And how did the Vatican position itself in the uncertain times on the eve of World War Two?
RODIN
This week the Royal Academy opens the first major retrospective of the work of Auguste Rodin for 20 years. The show promises to be one of the blockbusters of the year, with iconic pieces like The Thinker, The Gates of Hell and The Kiss brought together alongside nearly 200 other works.
JONATHAN RABAN
We also talk to Jonathan Raban about his new novel Surveillance, whose previous novel Waxwing was long-listed for the Booker prize. It's a novel in which he examines the response of American society to the war on terror, and asks what effect the development of a surveillance society is having on our relationship with the state and our relationships with each other.
