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Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë, Marcelle Clements (Afterword), Erica Jong (Introduction)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 649,504 ratings · 18,751 reviews

Featuring an Introduction by Erica Jong, this book stars one of the most unforgettable heroines of all time.
@ToEyreIsHuman Romance, romance, this poppa Rochester wants to get in my pants!

From Twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less

Paperback, 470 pages

Published April 1st 2008 by Signet Classics (first published 1847)

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Aug 24, 2012 Nataliya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-also-saw-the-film, awesome-kickass-heroines, 2012-reads

Yes, I suppose you can view this book mostly as a love story. That's what I did at age 13 - but that's why I was left disappointed back then¹.

Or you can view this as an story of formation of a strong and independent female protagonist, a nineteenth-century feminist, light-years ahead of its time. And that's what left my now-closer-to-thirty-than-twenty self very satisfied and, quite frankly, rather impressed.²

¹(view spoiler)

...more
Yes, I suppose you can view this book mostly as a love story. That's what I did at age 13 - but that's why I was left disappointed back then¹.

¹(view spoiler)

² "I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience."

Sing it, Jane. You tell him, you strong and awesome woman, you!

When I read it for the first time as a young and opinionated teen, I thought Jane Eyre was a boring and meek protagonist, too clingy to her 'outdated' morals, too afraid to do what I thought was a brave thing to do - say 'yes' to the apparent happiness that poor tragic Mr. Rochester was offering. (Oh naive young me, putting way too much stock in Rochester's woes after his (view spoiler)[first marriage (hide spoiler)], sleeping with everyone in Europe and rejecting them probably because they were not English enough for him!) Wow, was there ever a way to misunderstand a book more than I did this one? Sometimes life experience does matter indeed.

Jane Eyre has a good idea of her self-worth. And she has a good idea about her own morals. And, unlike many in her situation, she sticks to her morals and her idea of what is wrong or right regardless of what outcome is in it for her. Here is the prime example:

"Gentlemen in his station are not accustomed to marry their governesses."

The emphasis in this well-intentioned advice by Mrs. Fairfax is on the word MARRY. Ah, silly old lady, one may think, cautioning the young woman in such a prudish way. Ah, silly young woman, taking the advice of the old lady and acting prudishly. Ah, silly young woman, eventually rejecting the sincere love and offer of happiness for a seemingly prudish reason - not wanting to be a mistress. So old-fashioned and weak and caged-up, screamed my thirteen-year-old self.

But here's the thing. It's not just for the moral lesson for the readers that Bronte has Jane firmly say 'no'. It's not for the sake of mere societal appearance. It's for the sake of Jane, and Jane alone. MARRYING governesses was uncommon. Having them as mistresses - probably not as rare. In her society, protecting her virtue and reputation was not only the matter of religious views or stigma - it was the question of her future, as she had nobody to stand up for her if her reputation was ruined. And it was a question of her integrity - the quality that she maintains through thick and thin, refusing to fall head over heels for love, refusing to let love justify all the mistakes and wrong choices, refusing to let love blind her to everything else that was important for her sense of self-worth.

By refusing Rochester, Jane stays so true to herself without ever betraying herself. Jane refuses to take the steps that would destroy her integrity in her own eyes, and for that she has my strongest and most sincere respect and admiration. What Rochester did is unthinkable to her - not because of how others view it but because of her morals and convictions - and she shows unbelievable courage in sticking up for what she believes in, even if it is to her own material and soul-wrecking detriment. She will not give herself fully to something - or someone - that would destroy her integrity, tarnish her own self. And I love her for this unwavering determination to stay true to herself!

"Reader, I married him" may be one of the most famous phrases from this book (actually, the most famous, come to think of it) - but it is her refusal to marry him in the first place that allows her to keep her integrity and remain true to self, and continue developing into the amazing person she becomes. Jane has too much self-worth to have Rochester until he redeems himself in her eyes, until he repents. That's the point, not the marriage part.

Despite self-proclaimed meekness, Jane Eyre is far from weak or scared. She has been forced to make her own way in life without the luxury of relying on a rich male relative - father, brother, husband. And she did this in the world where being attached to a man was the best choice for a woman (just remember Jane Austen's heroines a few decades earlier reaching happiness only after finding a suitable gentleman!). She is a rebel - setting out to have her own career in a male-dominated world, refusing to let a man rule her life (that applies to both Rochester and St. John here), and making statements that may have not had the most sympathetic audience back in her day:

"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, to absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex."

And here's what else I enjoyed about this book - its attempts to subvert the tropes, the same tropes that we still heavily rely on in literature. Bronte gets rid of the 'faultless' heroine - instead of being perfect (or having an imaginary flaw, like many literary heroines are prone to nowadays) Jane has a real one (for her time, at least) - her occasional temper. And she is not beautiful - not fake flaws, either but a consensus by many impartial observers that she is not a beauty. And to take it a step further - Mr. Rochester, our romantic lead, is quite frankly, rather ugly. This is not a beautiful couple (and Hollywood managed to "fix" that in all the movie adaptations, by the way - a slap in Bronte's face, I guess?). Jane is not in love with a pretty façade of Rochester - since he has none (a thing that contemporary writers should learn, by the way - writing love that stems from something else that simple attraction to physical beauty).

And finally, the atmosphere of this story. Oh, the wonderfully gothic atmosphere written so well, with intense moods palpable in every paragraph. So colorful, so vivid, so immersing - every room, every moor, every tree. Every description of landscape or interior actually serves a purpose to establish the mood of the scene, and it is very well-done.
.................................
All that said, I'm giving a condescending pat on the shoulder to my teenage self from the 'wisdom' of another fifteen years. Sorry, teen Nataliya, you little annoying know-it-all - you just needed to grow up to appreciate this story. 4.5 stars and high recommendation.(less)

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Apr 28, 2008 Abigail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People Who Read...

Shelves: literature-classics

Review Temporarily Removed.

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May 23, 2013 Steve aka Sckenda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Lovers of Quiet, Serious Women

Shelves: gothic, women, women-voices, religion, freedom, 19th-century, britain, british, british-authors, classics, favorites, favorites-classics, love, marriage, bible, romanticism, first-person

Reader, I am smitten. Society claimed Jane Eyre lacked charm, beauty, and grace, but Charlotte Bronte trusted her readers and me to see beneath the surface to Jane’s bedrock integrity, intelligence, imagination, individualism, and generosity. Jane’s pheromones secrete whiffs of spontaneity and passion that trigger attraction in men like Rochester, St. John-- and me. Says Jane: “I am independent, sir. I am my own mistress.” Her gray Victorian dress hides her sensuality, but Jane is “an aromatic w...more Reader, I am smitten. Society claimed Jane Eyre lacked charm, beauty, and grace, but Charlotte Bronte trusted her readers and me to see beneath the surface to Jane’s bedrock integrity, intelligence, imagination, individualism, and generosity. Jane’s pheromones secrete whiffs of spontaneity and passion that trigger attraction in men like Rochester, St. John-- and me. Says Jane: “I am independent, sir. I am my own mistress.” Her gray Victorian dress hides her sensuality, but Jane is “an aromatic wine, after swallowing, warm and racy.”

Jane learned her independence through loneliness, persecution, hardship, death, and a horrific childhood. She has endured suffering, and--for her scars--we love her. Cruelty of others made her kind; she returns good for evil. She adheres to religion but answers to her own conscience and is respectfully skeptical of religious representatives blathering cant. She follows that "still, small voice" of confident conscience:

I can live alone if self-respect requires me too. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld.

Rather than a religion of self-righteousness, hers is a religion of integrity and duty which requires tough choices that force her to abandon security and comfort.

Reader, I am Rochester. Volcanic. Moody. “If I have peculiarities of temper, allowances should be made.” I have suffered misfortune, and I just want happiness in middle age. Do my passions overwhelm you? Good. Like Rochester, I will pay the cost, because bloodlessness is a crime against our natures. We will have our freedom.

But Reader, I need Jane, “my elf, my changeling.” Upon meeting her, "my soul began to expand, exult." I have known superficial women fixated on trivialities like the French actress and like Blanche Ingram. But Jane does not seem to care about messy pasts. She is confident, not jealous. Yet, if we persevere, do you think that life has a way of destroying us or destroying the impediments to our happiness?

I am Jane. I am Rochester. Great literature encompasses us. “Eddying darkness seemed to swim around me. I heard a flood loosed in a great mountain and felt the torrent come to rise.”

Reader, I love these independent, intelligent women--both the characters and their creators. I come to this novel right after having read Jane Austen, another clergyman's daughter who died young and whom I love, but Austen writes with quiet wit and irony, and her subtle dialogue requires close attention, so I found her myself starting paragraphs and sometimes chapters over again. But with “Jane Eyre,” I mounted Mesrour as Pilot chased us across the foggy moor, and we raced the wind and scudding clouds. If passion carried me away from the text, I easily picked up the narrative a few paragraphs down the road. Even so, I love Jane Eyre like I loved Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Elliot. Now, I leave to court Catherine in Wuthering Heights. Charlotte Bronte’s sister will make proper introduction.

Written March 3, 2013(less)

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Jan 10, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-by-of-england, tam-lin, reviewed, victorians-and-wannabes, virginia-woolf-recommends, bronte-bronte-bronte

I love this book because of the I's: I think. I feel. I need. I love. I am. Every time I have read it in the past twenty years I am reminded of the strength one gains from knowing ones own mind. Jane first asks herself, how can I live with myself in honor? She knows it is the foundation to asking herself, how can I be happy? She knows that she cannot have the second without the first; no matter the struggle or suffering it may cause her. I love the strength of her principles, and that they are c...more I love this book because of the I's: I think. I feel. I need. I love. I am. Every time I have read it in the past twenty years I am reminded of the strength one gains from knowing ones own mind. Jane first asks herself, how can I live with myself in honor? She knows it is the foundation to asking herself, how can I be happy? She knows that she cannot have the second without the first; no matter the struggle or suffering it may cause her. I love the strength of her principles, and that they are created by her, not man nor God (although she is influenced by both). And I love that, as she says, I know no medium. There is a great honesty in that statement. I can certainly see why Jane Eyre's author was not a fan of Jane Austen. Austen is about subtly expressed feelings and the successful maneuvering within the bounds of society. This Jane is interested in understanding and following her own path, and she will be with Mr. Rochester as long as she may do so in a way that satisfies her own honor, not the rules of society.

If that doesn't get you, though, read it for the humor. Jane Eyre is funny? Honestly, I've laughed out loud reading it. It's not a cartoon, but the reason the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester is so real to me is the small scenes of affection that make me smile. If all Mr. Rochester did was wander about on the moors, moaning, or deceiving Jane, or otherwise acting like a tormented and pompous ass (which seems to be his mission for much of the book), I wouldn't bother. My favorite scene is when Jane goes to him and asks for her wages so she can visit her aunt. He gives her too much, because he wants her to have the ease that money brings, and then he wants to give her too little to make sure she'll come back to him, and they're standing in the hallway, and she's got her purse behind her back, and he's reaching for it -- I can visualize it of not quite touching, reaching for the purse, making little comments. This is when I knew that he was a real human being, not just gothic-figment, and that he really loved her.

Don't get me started on the scene where Jane throws water all over him. I know it's about the fire, and all scary, but, come on, isn't that exactly what we all wanted to do to him ever since he brought Blanche Ingram into the house? Can't you see him waking up sputtering and soaking? I was amused.

I do love this book. It is impossible not to be swept up in it, even though I find the scenes at the Lowood School very hard going early on. By the end I have forgotten that I ever had any difficulty, and I find Bronte generously answering every question I might have had about how her friends, now mine, have ended up. It’s satisfying in all ways.(less)

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Jul 01, 2007 Cristin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, favorites

I could bang Mr. Rochester like a screen door 'till next Tuesday. That's not all I got from this book, honestly...

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Jun 29, 2010 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, favorites

[The picture disappeared which made the comments rather irrelevant.:]

description

…Oh course, Rush Limbaugh is nuts.

In December 2007, on a radio show with an audience of 14.5 million, Limbaugh asked this question about the former first lady's presidential prospects, after an incredibly unflattering picture of her had surfaced: "Will Americans want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis? I want you to understand that I'm talking about the evolution of American culture here, and not so much Mrs Clinton," Limbaugh told his audience. "It could be anybody, and it's really not very complicated. Americans are addicted to physical perfection, thanks to Hollywood and thanks to television” (news.com.au).

Interestingly and at the same time, we have John McCain, another presidential prospect, who was 71 years old [11 years older than Hillary Clinton:]. Somehow this is different. Society has agreed that women age, and men grow more distinguished. Ah, bullshit. McCain looked plenty old and acted like an irrational coot.

However, the more important point is how little we've changed. Women still must be beautiful. And, for the most part, beautiful women still populate contemporary fiction. Consider how brave it was, then, for Charlotte Brontë to insist on a "plain" heroine. Brontë emphasizes Eyre's plainness as if challenging the reader to reject her. The impact of presenting such a heroine may be gauged by a male critic (a 19th century Limbaugh) in the Westminister Review (1858), who writes, "Possibly none of the frauds which are now so much the topic of common remark are so irritating, as that to which the purchaser of a novel is a victim on finding he has only to peruse a narrative of the conduct and sentiments of an ugly lady" (Showalter 123).

Despite ignoring the classic paradigm of either having a beautiful heroine or a heroine--ostensibly plain--who later "blooms," Brontë makes us forget that neither Jane nor Rochester are physically attractive. From the opening scene, Jane's personality dominants the horizon. Having endured the young master's abuse for some time, Jane strikes back and, as punishment for her passion, is banished to the red room. The room is chill, garish, and where Mr. Reed died. Jane's cries to be released are ignored, and she falls into unconsciousness.

Although Jane suffers no lasting harm, her thoughts before she is thrust into the room isolate well why her path will be harder than fate had dictated already:

I know that had I been a sanguine, brilliant, careless, exacting, handsome, romping child—though equally dependent and friendless—Mrs. Reed would have endured my presence more complacently; her children would have entertained for me more of the cordiality of fellow-feeling; the servants would have been less prone to make me the scapegoat of the nursery.

While beauty and its attendant charms would have made Jane’s life easier, it would have lessened her complexity as a character. Again and again, Jane cannot sit back and depend on the free pass beauty often accords, but must choose to give up or to fight her way through. Jane chooses to fight, and it is her passion, wit, and intelligence that make her an unforgettable heroine.
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Feb 25, 2011 Ceridwen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: capital-r-romantic, daddy-drinks-because-you-cry, gothic, grrrrl-power, omg-were-all-going-to-die, rule-britannia

This is a bullshit review to hold place until I can read this again. I've had to read Jane Eyre twice, both times for school. The first was the obligatory high school read, and then the second was the obligatory English major read. I liked it better the second time, because the class I took it in rocked like crazy, and I do remember fun things about it, like how Rochester outlines his various romances, and how each romance is with a woman of non-English background, and how each of those women ar...more This is a bullshit review to hold place until I can read this again. I've had to read Jane Eyre twice, both times for school. The first was the obligatory high school read, and then the second was the obligatory English major read. I liked it better the second time, because the class I took it in rocked like crazy, and I do remember fun things about it, like how Rochester outlines his various romances, and how each romance is with a woman of non-English background, and how each of those women are totally wrong because they are not English. I remember wanting Rochester to die in a fire a bit, because he's such an arrogant fucking asshole, and then (view spoiler). That's some good writing.

Weirdly, the thing I remember best about Jane Eyre is going to see a production at the Children's Theatre here in Minneapolis when I was in the 5th grade. This was back in the Children's Theatre's heyday, before the sexual abuse scandal almost completely destroyed that institution. I had completely forgotten about this production until I recently got free tickets to go there again, and being in the building shook the memory loose. The play was based only on the parts of Jane Eyre that detail her childhood - her unhappy time with the Reeds, her even more unhappy time at the Lowood School, her friendship with Helen Burns, Helen's death by typhus.

The production was really moving to me, and I remember seething with irritation when my classmates sent up a chorus of Oooohs when Jane climbs into bed with Helen to warm her as she dies of mistreatment and disease. Motherfucking homophobia starts young, and is stupid and unsympathetic at any age. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to say that I really loved Jane for her portrait of a mistreated and abused child who develops this incredible moral compass out of her experience. She makes incredibly hard choices, like the one to leave the man she loves because he's an amoral would-be bigamist.

Think about it. This is not some minor impediment to marriage, the kind of thing thrown up in dimestore romances to cause more sexual tension. This is not a misunderstanding or a mistake. This is a serious moral failing in the man she loves, and, you know, a legal failing too. For the lack of love, Jane's childhood is cruelty and abuse. It's wonderful for her to find love with someone who can appreciate her strange gifts. But love is not a magical elixir that will magic away the difference between right and wrong. The most famous line to come out of this novel is (view spoiler) That's why I love Jane Eyre.
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Apr 22, 2012 Kwesi 章英狮 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kwesi 章英狮 by: The Filipino Group - 4th Face-to-Face Discussion

Shelves: charlotte-bronte, 2011, owned

When a group of people posted on their wall in Facebook about the new adaptation of the book starring Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre, I can't stop looking for a copy of the book so that I can read it in advance. Unfortunately, the company or the producer did not release it worldwide and I don't have a choice but to force someone to grab me a copy. Too bad, I got a free movie (pirated) somewhere.

Life is too cruel and dark for Jane Eyre, she is a girl with great opinion, pretty and a typical girl who...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-kindle, 2011, reviewed, thrill-me-chill-me-fulfill-me

This is the second time I’ve read this book, the first being in high school. As it turns out, I remembered hardly anything about the story save for some burning bed curtains and an attic bound lunatic. What I enjoyed most, though, was Brontë’s exceptional skill at communicating human feeling by way of metaphor. Taking an example, Jane explains her tormented feelings of leaving Mr. Rochester as being struck with a barbed arrow:

Oh, that fear of his self-abandonment—far worse than my abandonment—h

...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1800s, classics

A CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH REVIEW: Hamlet vs. Jane Eyre!

Setting: A small town in the Old West. Sheriff Hamlet is relaxing out in front of the General Store.

Suddenly Polonius comes running down the middle of the dirt road at the center of town, waving his hands in the air, shouting "EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!! JANE EYRE AND THE BRONTE POSSE IS COMING TO TOWN!!" The townspeople all scramble out of sight. Store owners pull the shades down. Sheriff Hamlet remains cucumber cool with his legs crossed...more

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Jun 09, 2012 MJ Nicholls rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, pre-1900s, sassysassenachs, penguin-classics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Tackling Brontëism #3—Jane Eyre

Matchmaker profile: Jane Eyre

Independent orphaned teenager seeks ill-tempered, unattractive landowner for theatrical squabbles and ice-cold nature walks. Must treat me with haughty contempt at first, then wily condescension, then try to marry me despite having a mad West Indian wife locked up in the attic. Must speak in long over-the-top soliloquies and be prone to exaggerated exclamations of love. Must have a French daughter from a previous mistress whom he treats...more

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Oct 20, 2011 karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: littry-fiction

well, i can do that, too.

CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH REVIEWS*
(*entertainment purposes only)

HAMLET v. JANE EYRE

Setting: World Courts buildings, Den Haag, Netherlands; a closed-session hearing...

Judge: I have agreed to hear this case, but I must admit to both parties that we are in uncharted legal territory. Both parties must understand that I have very little administrative guidance with which to make a decision. This is a very public dispute, and the fate of a nation rests on my decision, so my decisio...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

It’s a steamy night here in the Knowsley Working Men’s Club, in Knowsley, Manchester. For tonight’s bout only, the organisers have waived their No Women policy but many slightly deranged working class men (it’s the lead in their bloodstream) are muttering darkly, and lightly too, and expectorating heavily against the walls (it’s the coal dust in their lungs). The promoter Manny Rayner clambers heavily into the ring.

“Thang yew, thang yew, lads, this next fight is an elimination bout, three falls,...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Cecily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Child neglect, near death, a dash of magical realism, the power of love, the powerlessness of the poor, sexual rivalry, mystery, madness and more. It is as powerful as ever - but is it really a love story, given Rochester's Svengali-tendencies? His downfall and her inheritance make them more equal, but is it really love on his part? I'm not sure, which is what makes it such a good book (just not necessarily a love story). I also like the tension between it being very Victorian in some obvious wa...more

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Oct 14, 2007 Russell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I commenced reading this novel with the idea that I had read this before fixed in my mind. It is in my nature to re-read books, so I thought nothing of opening the pages and immersing myself in the flow of the story.

Imagine my surprise, Reader, when I quickly discerned that I had not, as I previously imagined, been acquainted with the characters that adorned the pages. I was at a lost on how my memory had failed me, but I quickly rallied and applied myself to the task at hand.

My enjoyment of the...more

I commenced reading this novel with the idea that I had read this before fixed in my mind. It is in my nature to re-read books, so I thought nothing of opening the pages and immersing myself in the flow of the story.

Imagine my surprise, Reader, when I quickly discerned that I had not, as I previously imagined, been acquainted with the characters that adorned the pages. I was at a lost on how my memory had failed me, but I quickly rallied and applied myself to the task at hand.

My enjoyment of the book grew as the plot unfurled, the characters were pleasing to myself, their cares and concerns resonated with the inner workings of my own character.

Ahem. Sorry. I’ll stop channeling Bronte.

This was a story of passion, of grace, of human longing to love and to be loved in turn. It was Gothic, it was Romantic, it is a true classic. Sure, it played on not just one typical plot but two, the marriage plot and the inheritance plot, but they worked. Bronte teases one, and then the other, into fitting her characters’ story deftly leaving the core to to play out properly. The core story is of Jane finding someone to love and who loves her back for herself.

Bronte’s other characters are written just well enough to have them not be just caricatures and a few shine on their own, but they all pale to the effort she puts into Jane and Edward Rochester. Rochester fits more along the lines of the Romantic Hero. Far more than Heathcliff. Of course, Heathcliff was the anti-Romantic Hero, so I guess anyone not him would be more Romantic Hero-like.

Rochester is complex character. Bronte sets him up quickly and then lets him him loose in the story. He’s a powerful force, and it takes all of Jane’s willpower to stay independent of his will and drive. That she does it is a given, how she manages it is one of reasons I kept reading it.

I think that the story is better suited for teenage girls than any other group. This doesn’t dampen the enjoyment at all for anyone else, but I think a teenager would really like this book. (If you could pull them away from the cellphone, or IM, long enough to get them started. Maybe bribery?)

I also think that Jane Eyre is more universally appealing than Wuthering Heights, although both books are classics and are well deserving of the title. Wuthering Heights is for a more refined and discerning taste. (He says, adjusting his ascot and peering down from his jeweled pince-nez.)

If you haven’t read this, or haven’t read it a long while, I recommend it.
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Apr 15, 2012 K.D. Oliveros rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: TFG 100 Favorite Books, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, 501 Must Read Books

Shelves: 1001-core, 501, tfg-100, drama, classics

What I really liked about this book was the fact that Charlotte Bronte challenged herself to rise above the usual romantic formula. The story followed the typical romance flow: boy meets girl, they separate, meet again but it is almost like a deadend... but love prevails, they wed and live happily ever after. However, Bronte defied the convention by making the lovers plain-looking especially the male protagonist, Rochester. Bronte even extended this by having a Gracean-looking (Greek handsome) S...more What I really liked about this book was the fact that Charlotte Bronte challenged herself to rise above the usual romantic formula. The story followed the typical romance flow: boy meets girl, they separate, meet again but it is almost like a deadend... but love prevails, they wed and live happily ever after. However, Bronte defied the convention by making the lovers plain-looking especially the male protagonist, Rochester. Bronte even extended this by having a Gracean-looking (Greek handsome) St John as Rochester's competition. Then, as if not contented, Bronte gave our eponymous heroine, Jane Eyre more reasons to stop loving Rochester in the final chapter of the book. However, love conquers all, including good reason and rational thinking so who am I to disagree with what her heart is telling her?

The writing is superb. It can be wordy for a non-classic reader though. However, if you read slowly and examine the sentences, there are no wasted words. Bronte took time to describe the surroundings, the feelings of the characters and articulated well their thoughts. The gothic ingredient, that I understand was the fad during Bronte's time, was used to give an eerie feeling in some of the scenes but not as eerie as the way her younger sister Emily used it in Wuthering Heights. That was nice, since even if they were sisters, Charlotte and Emily, seemed to have very distinct styles.

The plot, although intricately woven, is a bit cheesy and unbelievable, having a couple of too far-out coincidences. But I think Bronte intended to have this book read by women, this being a romance, so I shall not rant on this aspect. After all, I bought the book because I am into this crazy quest of reading all the books in Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and Bloombury's 501 Must Read Books and this book is in both lists. I postponed reading this for a couple of years now, but had to pick this up to finally read because this was voted as the April 2012 Book-of-the-Month by my book club, The Filipino Group (GR-TFG) here in Goodreads.

The intricacy of the plot is due to the events that Bronte used to challenge her very interesting characters. Bronte seemed to know what could make her characters spill out their beans to the delight of her readers. There are no clear heroes and villains. Each character is portrayed to be just being him/herself given the time, place, expected behavior and the norms that England in the 19th century had.

There are so many themes that can be deduced from the story: romance between equals, female independence, religion and social status. Compared to the women of Jane Austen's novels, Jane Eyre is a kick-ass. She is independent-minded, can work like a horse, and whose life is not centered on marrying any of the rich men around.

For the superb writing, memorable characters and timeless themes, I have no doubt that this book will be read by many many more generations to come.
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Feb 22, 2008 Gabriella rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 26, 2010 Bram rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

What was once something I tossed off instinctively, an out-of-five star rating, has become a source of considerable consternation. I feel as if I need to qualify each rating with the not-too-fine print warning of: ‘this does not reflect my judgment of the literary worth of this novel; rather, it’s a simple reflection of how strongly I responded to the work as a whole.’ But isn’t this just what everyone does? I guess so. So maybe it isn’t necessary, and it’s just come to feel that way because I’v...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Jenn(ifer) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-of-women-2012, brits, female-authors, own, read-in-2012, you-should-read-this

Anyone who’s ever had a heart wouldn’t turn around and break it…

Oh sweet Jane, I do love you. You are so good, so kind, so strong… you make me want to be a better person. My heart broke for you when you were a little girl, locked in that red room, treated worse than a stray dog. And it broke for you again when awful Mrs. Reed sent you away to that school and they starved you to within an inch of your life. And again still on that fateful day…

You know what I admire most about you Jane? You’re a s...more

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May 24, 2012 s.penkevich rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, love

‘It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.’
One would be hard pressed to find a stronger female character than Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. She is a staggering figure of feminist literature, rejecting, or rather, dismissing the notions of social class and many gender roles as she moves upward from her humble beginnings. I was floored by how incredibly enjoyable and poetic this novel was, and how...more ‘It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.’
One would be hard pressed to find a stronger female character than Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. She is a staggering figure of feminist literature, rejecting, or rather, dismissing the notions of social class and many gender roles as she moves upward from her humble beginnings. I was floored by how incredibly enjoyable and poetic this novel was, and how it would resound equally well with audiences of either gender despite being often dismissed by males. With Brontë’s strong feminist themes brilliantly illuminated through her enviable prose and engrossing characters, Jane Eyre truly deserves the title of Classic Novel.

One cannot help but fall in love with the character of Jane Eyre. I went into this novel expecting simply a variation of Austen, and was pleasantly surprised. Instead of being focused on the proper workings within proper society, I found a total rejection of these notions in the character of Jane. Still being pleasant and strong willed like Austen’s leads, Jane climbs the ladder of society without stopping to consider her place within it and often criticizes class based distinctions. Although she is merely a governess, she aims for the heart of the ‘Master of the house’, and even after certain events would no longer require her servitude, she is quite insistent upon maintaining employment and an income. She is like a Victorian era punk, totally bent on independence. Mr. Rochester is another lovable character, despite his being a complete pompous ass (which totally won my heart). It is interesting to note that Brontë toys with some of the ideas of romantic plots as well. It is usual for the romantic couple to be attractive (look at Hollywood), yet Brontë is quick and often to point out that neither Jane nor Mr. Rochester are particularly pleasing to the eye, and have a difficult countenance.

Brontë’s use of language is widely impressive, having a keen eye for detail and distinction in both natural descriptions and dialogue. It was difficult not to speak like these characters in real life (which would have probably earned me a punch to the mouth), the writing and speech is that infectious. It flows for pages with a strong current without becoming dull in the long descriptive passages and accounts. In short, Brontë writes with the best of them.

Fleshing out this story is the theme of sin and forgiveness. While being heavily grounded in religion, Brontë dismisses the standard notions of the day in that regard as well, affording a deeply moral lead that is still able to criticize religious standards and have ambiguous religious beliefs. Jane is quick to judge her actions based on moral principal, but cannot allow it to keep her from being her independent, free-willed self. The most powerful moment of this novel, however, is that only after the sins of her lover are purified in flame and paid in flesh, that the two are able to meld in heavenly bliss.

If you haven’t read this, well, let’s just say I’m shaking my head at you like a disappointed father. I jest, but really, give this a try. Brontë is truly a master, and this book gets literally crazy. And for once ‘literally’ truly means literally, you’ll see. Jane Eyre is a wonderful character to follow through this novel and upon completion you will have ‘ acknowledged that God had tempered judgment with mercy’
4.5/5
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Sep 07, 2009 Sandy Tjan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature, classics, 5-star-reads, 2009, bbc-big-reads, the-bronte-parsonage, victorian-lit

Now I know why Charlotte Bronte said this of Jane Austen: "The passions are perfectly unknown to her: she rejects even a speaking acquaintance with that stormy sisterhood". I love Jane, but Charlotte REALLY knows how to write about passion, romantic or otherwise. If Jane’s books are stately minuets in which the smallest gesture has its meaning, Charlotte’s is a spirited, sweeping tango of duty and desire. A perfect blend of passionate romance, gothic mystery, romantic description of nature, soci...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Palice Pottle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

...

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Apr 10, 2011 skein rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, 2011

I don't think this is a 5-star book - I really, really don't - but oh, how I love it. Not because I love Jane (I do!) but because I lurve Charlotte Brontë. I love her blind spots, her hopes and her fears and her stubborn-as-a-pig morality that (despite Lowood and Helen Burns) isn't really apparent until the "oh! all is utterly lost - love, life, hope! I must flee to the moors to find succor!" bit.

It's the same FUCK YOU, WORLD. I'M BETTER THAN THIS SHIT mentality that all the Brontë sisters wrot...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Whitaker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read, canon, e-book, united-kingdom, recommended-unreservedly

I've been wondering what to say about this novel. I could have talked of the mirrored stories of Jane and Rochester: one in a relationship with a person all body and no mind, the other in a relationship with a person all mind and no body. I could have talked of how Charlotte Bronte punctures all extremes and pieties, choosing the middle road each time. I tried all of that, but this is a novel too big and too unruly for that. It overflows the banks of any channel that you try to contain it to, an...more

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May 16, 2011 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favourites, of-epic-proportions, hometown-glories-uk, boy-crush, creepycreepy, gorgeous-prose, soul-sister-heroine, heart-skipped-a-beat, e

The Short Review.
All you need to know about as to why you should read this book is at the top (or well.. technically the bottom) of this list.

The Long Review.
I’m going to review this book in comparison to another. And I’m probably going to do both of these books a disservice. Because they aren’t anything like each other… but to me, they come together.
After I had been told I HAD to read Wuthering Heights by one of my best friends, I bought a copy and read it during a 5 hour car journey form Edin...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Mindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: women.

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If you haven't read it and think you might, don't read this review, as it truly is a great book and filled with suspense and lots of surprises.

The book jacket claims that "Charlotte Bronte poured her contempt for the stifling conventions society imposed upon a woman's right to emotional and sexual fulfillment." On one hand, I can see how this "frank revelation of female character" may have been shocking or particularly well-developed for the time. The entire time I read it, I fantasized about th...more

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Sep 17, 2007 Ben rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was actually the book that made a reader out of me. I mean, I've always read books, But sometime in high school, I encountered Jane Eyre, and it just clicked. There was story here, and real people having real emotions. Now, I remember being deeply moved in grade school by Bridge to Terebithia. But those were emotions drawn in broad, child-like brushstrokes. Jane Eyre was the first book that made me think about the process of reading--and just as importantly, writing--as a human activity. T...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Sunny in Wonderland rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1305-read

Wow. Just... wow.
I love happy endings.

So, while reading the first 350 pages or so of this book, I was already debating how many stars I would be rating it. 2 stars? 3 stars? It wasn't very exciting, and I began to think that whoever told me this was a romance had seriously lied to me.

Then, Jane grew a set of balls and left the miserable bastard and my heart swelled with pride for her.

Then, there were hints about the distant relative who'd inherited the money, and I suspected she had family, and...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Lady Valee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, favorites

What an amazing read. There's just something about the story of Jane Eyre that makes me wanna read, watch or hear anything about it. I had already seen the movie, the 4 hs. version, and loved it. But to read the book was a completely different experience. You feel enriched by this amazing book, and you can't help it because the type of person Jane is makes you think about the type of person you are and you wanna be in the future. There's so much about this character, to see someone suffering so...more

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May 23, 2008 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kathryn by: lots of people!!!

Shelves: classics, books-that-thrill-my-girlish-heart

An absolutely beautiful story that deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it. For me to attempt to write a review would demean the brilliance of the work. Thoughtful, heart-full, tender, fierce--this is a work of great scope. Jane is one of the most interesting characters I've "met" and Mr. Rochester should not be missed! So, let me just say to anyone who was reluctant to read this, as I had been, due to the dreary-ness of the beginning to keep with it! Jane did not give up, and I'm g...more

19 likes · like · see review

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If you've read both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights - Rochester or Heathcliff?	320	998	1 hour, 17 min ago
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About Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë was a British novelist, the eldest out of the three famous Brontë sisters whose novels have become standards of English literature. See also Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë.

Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the fam...more Charlotte Brontë was a British novelist, the eldest out of the three famous Brontë sisters whose novels have become standards of English literature. See also Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë.

Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, the third of six children, to Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria Branwell. In April 1820 the family moved a few miles to Haworth, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. Maria Branwell Brontë died of cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her sister Elizabeth Branwell. In August 1824, Charlotte was sent with three of her sisters; Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre).

Its poor conditions, Charlotte maintained, permanently affected her health and physical development and hastened the deaths of her two elder sisters, Maria (born 1814) and Elizabeth (born 1815), who died of tuberculosis in 1825 soon after they were removed from the school.

At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — began chronicling the lives and struggles of the inhabitants of their imaginary kingdoms. Charlotte and Branwell wrote stories about their country — Angria — and Emily and Anne wrote articles and poems about theirs — Gondal. The sagas were elaborate and convoluted (and still exist in part manuscripts) and provided them with an obsessive interest in childhood and early adolescence, which prepared them for their literary vocations in adulthood.

Charlotte continued her education at Roe Head school in Mirfield from 1831 to 1832, where she met her lifelong friends and correspondents, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. During this period (1833), she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. Charlotte returned as a teacher from 1835 to 1838.

In 1839 she took up the first of many positions as governess to various families in Yorkshire, a career she pursued until 1841. In 1842 she and Emily travelled to Brussels to enroll in a pensionnat run by Constantin Heger (1809 – 1896) and his wife Claire Zoé Parent Heger (1804 – 1890). In return for board and tuition, Charlotte taught English and Emily taught music. Their time at the pensionnat was cut short when Elizabeth Branwell, their aunt who joined the family after the death of their mother to look after the children, died of internal obstruction in October 1842.

Charlotte returned alone to Brussels in January 1843 to take up a teaching post at the pensionnat. Her second stay at the pensionnat was not a happy one; she became lonely, homesick, and deeply attached to Constantin Heger. She finally returned to Haworth in January 1844 and later used her time at the pensionnat as the inspiration for some of The Professor and Villette.

In May 1846, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne published a joint collection of poetry under the assumed names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Although the book failed to attract interest (only two copies were sold), the sisters decided to continue writing for publication and began work on their first novels.

Charlotte continued to use the name 'Currer Bell' when she published her first two novels. Of this, Brontë later wrote:
"Averse to personal publicity, we veiled our own names under those of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell; the ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at assuming Christian names positively masculine, while we did not like to declare ourselves women, because--without at that time suspecting that our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called 'feminine'--we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice"(less)

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Charlotte & Emily Brontë: The Complete Novels, Deluxe Edition (Literary Classics)

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“I would always rather be happy than dignified.” — 5,018 people liked it

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” — 2,556 people liked it

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