Jane Eyre

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It's a hit!

Reading this book again at 40 (I first read it when I was 16) was a completely revelatory experience. The two things that I remembered the most--t... (show more)

Reading this book again at 40 (I first read it when I was 16) was a completely revelatory experience. The two things that I remembered the most--the romance between Jane and Rochester, and the gothic setting and elements--almost seem inconsequential this time around. I had assumed that Charlotte Bronte's novel was similar to Jane Austen's so-called "women's novels," books about society and manners that inevitably find narrative closure through a marriage. Certainly that's how Hollywood, through all its adaptations, has treated "Jane Eyre."

I was so wrong.

"Jane Eyre" is driven by Bronte's fierce passion sprung from Romanticism. It's also a deeply spiritual book about a woman's search for personal meaning in a circumscribed world determined by wealth and social rank. You can't but be moved by Jane's determination to do the right thing, whether the context is social, moral, ethical or religious. In fact, I don't think any of the movies to date has succeeded in highlighting the spirit of the book.

I would love to write and direct another version of this novel for the screen, a version where Jane's intensely spiritual and personal vision of the world isn't overwhelmed by romance and costumes and the mystery of the mad woman in the attic. (show less)

 

 

by John X. Kim

No, it's a flop!

Un buen libro para pasar las noches, una escritura fina y una historia interesante, pero no realmente nada espléndido. Demasiado "ejemplo de moral ... (show more)

Un buen libro para pasar las noches, una escritura fina y una historia interesante, pero no realmente nada espléndido. Demasiado "ejemplo de moral victoriana" para alguien que nada quiere saber de ella en ninguna forma y de ninguna manera. En realidad, es seguro que las obras de Charlotte Bronte son muy inferiores a la de su hermana Emily; el gran reconocimiento que se ganó estaba muy bien justificado en tanto en cuanto es un libro moral y nada innovador por carecer de toda divergencia y menos aun subversión que contraríen las exigencias dogmáticas del público. Por lo demás, a mi decir, una vez se lee una obra de Charlotte se conoce la sustancia de las demás: Una mujer pudorosa no del todo como las de su tiempo sólo por una simpleza menor y un hombre amargo y hasta cierto punto escandaloso que extravía este inicial atractivo cuando se disuelve en las enfermizas instancias de ella de rectitud y decencia. Ciertamente, si soslayamos su hastiante moralidad, la lectura no es desagradable, y es un libro hasta cierto punto atractivo y representativo de su época. (show less)

 

 

by Anonymous User

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  When Jane Eyre and Rochester have their first intimate conversation in the library and he pulls back his hair revealing a massive, virile forehead and says "Criticize me!" I get a massive lit-nerd girl boner
  Mmmm. Reader, I married him.

   

   

  by Facebook-gebruiker on Mar 01, 2008 at 05:41PM

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  I've probably read Jane Eyre 10 times, and each time I appreciate something new. Mostly I love that she doesn't "roll over." From the beginning, when her cousin John attacks her, she fights back. Not maliciously, but with a full sense of her own value and an absolute refusal to accept mistreatment as her due. While remaining true to her values, she insists upon making only choices that are in line with her sense of self. At times she pities herself, but much more often she chooses t... (show more)

  I've probably read Jane Eyre 10 times, and each time I appreciate something new. Mostly I love that she doesn't "roll over." From the beginning, when her cousin John attacks her, she fights back. Not maliciously, but with a full sense of her own value and an absolute refusal to accept mistreatment as her due. While remaining true to her values, she insists upon making only choices that are in line with her sense of self. At times she pities herself, but much more often she chooses to act.

  In one of my favorite scenes in the book, she goes out in search of her then-financé Mr. Rochester, in the pouring rain, rather than waiting at home by the fire. She doesn't fall ill and fight a dangerous fever as a result (as so many heroines of the day might have done). Instead, she rides home with him on his horse, and is comforted by his presence.

  It's been said before (many times!), but Jane is one of the first truly feminist characters in English literature. What is less talked about is her (and Charlotte Bronté's) refusal to accept the oppressive religious attitudes of her day. Jane utters one of my favorite lines in all of fiction when asked by the Reverend Brockelhurst what she must do to avoid hell: "I must keep well and not die." I want to cheer every time I read it. Sometimes, I confess, I do cheer - actually cheer. I once startled my dog out of a sound sleep.

  It is my secret ambition to write a screenplay for this novel that actually gets Jane RIGHT. Who knows, someday maybe I will. (show less)

   

   

  by Heidi Bergh Riggs on Aug 16, 2009 at 12:29AM

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