Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
by Jenners • 04/03/2009 • 3 Stars, B Authors, Classics, Fiction, J Titles • 22 Comments
One of the challenges I signed up for had this listed as one of the 12 “to do” items.
Read a classic (defined as anything published before 1970). Tell us why it fits the category of being a classic. Write a review or tell the group about the book.
I found a bunch of classic books that I hadn’t read and asked you, dear Readers, to choose which one I should read. The overwhelming winner was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. So now, here are my thoughts!
An Overview of the Story (With Major Editorializing)
In case I’m not the last person in the world to read this book, I thought I’d give you a brief overview of the very dramatic story of Jane Eyre. As I was reading, I thought “This is like the classic template for every romance novel in the world!” The template, of course, is as follows:
- Man and the woman seemingly hate each other on first sight
- Man and woman realize they love each other but don’t admit it openly
- Man and woman play coy with each other
- Man and woman finally reveal their love
- Circumstances intervene to make their love seem doomed forever
- Fate brings them together.
But Jane Eyre is much more than the romance between Jane and Mr. Rochester. This book is also:
- the classic tale of an orphan raised by cruel relatives finding her way in the world
- a mystery story (just who is up on that third floor?)
- not afraid to dabble in the supernatural (“Jane! Jane!” “Is that you, Mr. Rochester? Where are you? I’m coming!”)
- filled with amazing coincidences (“Wow! I just staggered to the first house I found to die on their doorstep…and it turns out to be my long lost relatives!”)
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the story. You definitely want to find out what is going to befall Jane next. But the thing that saves the story for me is Jane herself. I just loved her. I loved that she is true to herself and her principles through the entire story. Even when her heart is telling her one thing and fate offers her an “easy way” to be with Mr. Rochester, Jane chooses the hard road so she can be true to herself and her values. And I was so glad she didn’t back down when St. John Rivers got it into his head that she had to marry him. “Good for you, Jane,” I thought. “You tell him.”
In many ways, Jane Eyre is a very modern woman. She has a good sense of herself and is quite the conversationalist. You see why Mr. Rochester is drawn to her. I enjoyed the teasing interplay between Jane and Mr. Rochester. I imagine that when this book was published in the 1800s, Jane was probably a very scandalous character indeed! (I’m totally conjecturing this. One of the disadvantages of reading a classic on your own without any historical context is that I’m not totally familiar with the society in which Jane lived — but she seemed so modern and strong to me!)
Thoughts While Reading the Book
I will be totally honest with you. When I first started reading the book, I thought “I hate how this is written. It is so much work to read writing like this.” I realize I’ve become a lazy modern reader — I like reading books that are written how I think and talk. Jane Eyre is not written in this way. The characters speak in these amazingly long, florid and involved sentences that invoke all kinds of things from religion, myths and classic stories. But, just like when I attend a Shakespeare play or watch a subtitled movie, after a bit you don’t notice it as much. You begin to get into the speech patterns of the characters. In fact, along the way, I started to get quite entertained by reimagining how certain passages would be written in a modern novel. Some examples for you.
Jane Berating Herself for Falling in Love with Mr. Rochester:
“You,” I said, “a favourite with Mr. Rochester? You gifted with the power of pleasing him? You of importance to him in any way? Go! your folly sickens me. And you have derived pleasure from occasional tokens of preference—equivocal tokens shown by a gentleman of family and a man of the world to a dependent and a novice. How dared you? Poor stupid dupe!—Could not even self-interest make you wiser? You repeated to yourself this morning the brief scene of last night?—Cover your face and be ashamed! He said something in praise of your eyes, did he? Blind puppy! Open their bleared lids and look on your own accursed senselessness! It does good to no woman to be flattered by her superior, who cannot possibly intend to marry her; and it is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them, which, if unreturned and unknown, must devour the life that feeds it; and, if discovered and responded to, must lead, ignis-fatus-like, into miry wilds whence there is no extrication.
(Ok … do you totally see what I’m talking about with the writing?)
How This Might Read in a Modern Book:
“God, you are an idiot! How can you think he would love you? He’s rich. You’re poor. He’s your boss. You’re the lowly nanny. So he said he liked your eyes? Big deal! Get over it. It’s not like he is going to marry you!”
Nothing speaks or stirs in me while you talk. I am sensible of no light kindling—no life quickening—no voice counselling or cheering. Oh, I wish I could make you see how much my mind is at this moment like a rayless dungeon, with one shrinking fear fettered in its depths—the fear of being persuaded by you to attempt what I cannot accomplish!”
How This Might Read in a Modern Book:
“I’m just not that into you. Can’t you get that?”
Mr. Rochester Talking To Jane:
“Your answer requires a commentary,” he said; “it is not clear.”
How This Might Read in a Modern Book:
“What?”
My Final Opinion
I’m glad I read this book. I feel better having read it, and I actually did enjoy it. I really loved the character of Jane, and I feel that I “stretched” myself as a reader. I’ll be honest: It is not my favorite book of all time or anything like that, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I wanted to know what happened. I’ll give Charlotte Bronte that: she can tell a good story! I see why this book is a classic, and I think readers will continue to enjoy it for years to come. Thanks for choosing this classic for me to read!
A Little Sidenote
I read this book on my Kindle 2. I was able to download it for free thanks toProject Gutenberg — “the first and largest single collection of free electronic books (eBooks).”This is an amazing project powered by donations and volunteers — you can even volunteer to help proofread pages for eBooks that are being created. They have a ton of different books available in a wide variety of languages. Check out the site — it is pretty interesting.
This book is also part of my 2009 E-Book Reading Challenge. And yes, I’m aware of the irony of reading a book from the 1800s on the modern wireless reading device called the Kindle!
I loved your witty take on Jane Eyre! I’ve read it many times, the first time when I was seven. I read it aloud to my mother in the kitchen while she cooked and baked. She made me look up every word I didn’t know in our gigantic unabridged dictionary, open atop one of two antique sideboards there in the kitchen. My mother never forgot my wide-eyed exclamation, “How did she write such beautiful sentences?!” Right now I’m in the middle of a Jane Eyre marathon with a friend who wants to see every production of it before the new one comes out on March 11. Monday we’ll watch the last several hours. By late afternoon we will be up to date.
Wow! I can’t imagine tackling Jane Eyre at 7 years old! I could barely tackle it at 42! I’m sure this experience made a lasting impression on you! Enjoy your Eyre-a-thon … hopefully the movie will live up to the book.
This is one of my favorite books!! I just read it in January for the first time — and LOVED the way Bronte wrote. I can’t imagine going back to modern books; they feel so flat to me, now.
So funny how different our reactions were! I think it is an acquired taste … they certainly don’t write books like that anymore! : )
I love how you re-imagined passages in the modern tongue. Absolutely hilarious!
Also liked your template of the romance novel. I'm not going to lie – absolutely hated the book, but enjoyed your review. Especially this – "Wow! I just staggered to the first house I found to die on their doorstep…and it turns out to be my long lost relatives!"
LOL! Great review. I often do that when I read classics, try to imagine it with modern language. Her style of writing does take some getting used to. I’ve tried several times to read Wuthering Heights, written by her sister but have yet to finish it. And I had to read Jane Austen a few times to get used to her style and use of language. But now I love reading novels from those time periods.
Great review, I too just read Jane Eyre, and loved it. On another note I gave you an award stop by my blog to pick it up.
I love Jane Eyre! And you did a super job on the review. Your “then” and “now” passages are terrific!
I’m glad you ultimately enjoyed Jane – I think finding a “classic” you really enjoy can encourage you to read more, whereas if you’d hated it, you might be done with the genre.
Haha another great review. I honestly prefer Austen but I probably because I took an entire class on her. The modern translations were hilarious. Padfoot has this ‘modern’ translation of the Iliad that apparently is hilarious. I can’t wait to check it out.
Jane Eyre is one of my favorites. I can’t believe you’ve never read it before. I LOVED your modern translations. Loved them. One of these days you’ll have to give Vilette at try. It’s a harder read than Jane Eyre b/c there are French phrases everywhere, plus the non-modern english, but I really love it.
Okay, that is probably the only synopsis of Jane Eyre I have ever read that makes me want to read it. I admit, I have never read it. So, now I have to. Also, you got me to thinking about why I liked the new Wally Lamb, I really liked the part about Elizabeth Popper. I did not like the detail about the boys in the beginning. I absolutely love She’s Come Undone. I don’t think he will ever top it. Happy reading.
Excellent write up!
The modern interpretation of those passages are priceless! You have such a gift to get right at the dramatic or emotional “meat” of the action in the novel. Like you, I admire Jane’s strength, dedication and independent personality. I’m glad that they still teach Jane Eyre in many high schools. She is a great classical heroine for young girls to emulate!
Great review! My mom handed me this book to read when I was a young teen and it was so different from anything I had ever read before … I think that’s part of why it’s always been special to me. I think I’m due for a re-read sometime this year.
Now on to those other classics to get you all caught up … no time to slack!
I haven’t read that book in over 20 years but it reminded me of why I liked it. That Jane. She IS a modern woman!
I loved your re-writing of the classic. That is hilarious! Would be a great assignment for an English Lit class.
Enjoy the day!
Erin
I think this is my favorite book review of the 2009 so far! Great job : ) Glad you’re glad you read it. I haven’t read it in a long time but I voted for you to read it because as soon as I saw it on the list I knew it was the one. So I must’ve liked it too, lol.
And I love that you read in on the Kindle!!!
I haven’t read this novel in many years, but I remember enjoying it…though it is not my favorite classic novel.
I’m the same way when I started reading classics – it takes me a little while to adjust to the rhythm and feel of the language. I’m still jealous of your Kindle!
Great review! LIke you said, one of the best things is the strength of Jane’s character.
I agree with Heather, your modern interpretations are brilliant.
I LOVE Jane Eyre. I highly recommend the Timothy Dalton version of this too (it was on Masterpiece Theatre during the ’80s), talk about swoon worthy. Dalton IS a bit too pretty for Rochester, but it works!
I love your modern interpretation of those passages!!