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Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë,

Michael Mason (Editor)

4.12 · Rating details · 1,576,110 ratings · 40,612 reviews

Clicca qui per l'edizione "Storie senza tempo".

Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.

But there is a

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Paperback, Penguin Classics, 532 pages

Published February 4th 2003 by Penguin (first published October 16th 1847)

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May 21, 2018 Justin Tate rated it it was amazing

It was a good idea to let this digest before leaving a review. My initial reaction was maybe 3 stars. Then I started to think it over, read literary analysis and historical context. I also watched the exceptional 1944 movie starring Orson Welles and adapted by Aldous Huxley (author of Brave New World) and realized just how great the story is and how well it accomplished major themes of cruelty, especially in religion, and what it means to be loved.

That said, I think there’s still room for critic ...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Celeste rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, classics-i-ve-read, best-books-i-ve-ever-read

Jane Eyre was the inaugural selection of the newly formed Novel Notions Classics Club. The ladies of the site: TS, Emma, Haïfa, and myself; have found that embarking on more difficult works as a group enhances our enjoyment of the chosen novel tremendously. Chatting with these women daily as we made our way through this book was such a wonderful experience. I can’t wait to do it again!

“If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you f

“If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.”

My review is a conglomeration of past experiences and current thoughts regarding this book. Instead of rewriting a more detailed review, I have decided to slightly modify the last review I wrote for Jane Eyre, as my feelings haven’t really changed; they’ve merely strengthened.

“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”

This is my third time reading Jane Eyre, and it’s a book that just seems to get better and better every time I pick it up. There are quite a few classics that I love, but this novel is among my very favorites, tied with Frankenstein for the top spot. Classics are vastly different from modern fiction, and have to be read differently. Now that I understand this fact, reading classics has become much more fulfilling for me. This time around, I was able to buddy read this with three lovely ladies whose opinions were a delight to discuss.

“You are original,” said he, “and not timid. There is something brave in your spirit, as well as penetrating in your eye.”

First of all, the writing is absolutely gorgeous. Charlotte Brontë penned one of the most beautiful novels I’ve ever read. Every word she wrote had purpose and power. In this book we have the story of an orphan girl’s journey from surviving to thriving. Life has dealt her a hard hand, but she handles herself with surprising aplomb and grace through even the hardest situations. Jane is different, and marches to the beat of her own drum. So much so, in fact, that many critics refused to believe a woman had written the book when it was first published. There are times when Jane bends over backwards to try to please those in her life because she is so desperate for the love and family that she never had, but she always has a line that she won’t cross. When pushed too far, Jane always firmly stands her ground and refuses to lose her identity to those who wish to mold her into their ideals.
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.”

That’s one of the most powerful lines I’ve ever read. Jane always remembers her free will and her freedom when faced with those who wish to take those inalienable rights from her, and she always defends those rights. Even in the face of losing that which she yearns for most in the world, she will not be caged or forced to compromise her principles.

We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence.

Another thing I really loved about this book was that Brontë’s faith that shone brightly from the pages. There was much theology and scripture and soul searching in this book. But what I loved most was the fact that it never felt forced or trite. Faith was as much a part of Brontë’s time as breathing, and is portrayed just as naturally. It is the core of Jane and was exquisitely rendered, because it was also the core of Charlotte. I love this quote from the the foreword:

Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee, is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns.

And, of course, there’s the romance that this book is most known for. It’s beautiful, but it’s not what stands out to me. While it might be the most famous aspect of the novel, it is not the central theme. In my opinion, Jane Eyre is the story of a girl overcoming hardships and finding herself, and always protecting that identity. Without a doubt, this is in my top five favorite classics. And without a doubt, it is a book made for revisiting.

“…if the whole human race, ourselves excepted, were swept away, and we two stood alone on the earth, I would leave you in the old world, and betake myself to the new.”

...more

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Feb 29, 2020 J.L. Sutton rated it really liked it

“I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into it's expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst it's perils.”

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I like how masterfully Charlotte Bronte is able to establish both mood in tension in Jane Eyre. I see that even in the book's opening paragraph: "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question." The way Bronte sets the scene of the poor orphan, Jane, evokes Jane's mood and condition perfectly. The feeling that Jane is confined is immediately reinforced by her treatment at the hands of her Reed relatives. She escapes this condition, first to Lowood and then to Thornfield Hall where she becomes a governess.

While I like some of the twists in the second half of the book (namely, the madwoman in the attic) I've always been happier with the first half of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. The focus of the second half of the book is on Jane and Rochester's courtship. Not sure what I'm missing, but I don't understand Rochester's appeal. He is cold and arrogant and feels sorry for himself. He does have a passion for Jane, but is she more of an escape from the madwoman in the attic than someone he genuinely cares about? Until the end at least, when Rochester has changed, I'm never quite sure about his love for Jane.

Compared to St. John, Rochester is a wonderful prospect. St. John is manipulative, self-serving and does everything he can to bend Jane to his will. What does it say about Jane that she nearly marries him? I do like Jane as a character, but sometimes wonder, most especially with St. John, how she can view him sympathetically. And speaking of sympathy, I am intrigued that, beyond the fact that Rochester is married to her, Jane has little interest in Bertha and Rochester's life together or how Bertha came to be the madwoman in the attic. Though she has sympathy for nearly everyone in the story, Jane has remarkably little (or no) sympathy for this inmate of Thornfield.

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That said (and the meme thrown down), I was pleasantly surprised by how clear and accessible Bronte's writing still is. So even though I wasn't swept up by Jane and Rochester's courtship, I appreciated Bronte's writing and enjoyed the read! ...more

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Dec 05, 2010 Emily May rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: clothbound-own, classics, romance

The Brontes fuelled my love for reading and convinced me that the classics weren't all mean, nasty books that fascist teachers made you read in school just to torture you. I grew up with Austen and Dickens, whom I loved, but the Brontes always seemed to come out on top for some reason. Jane Eyre is my second favourite after Wuthering Heights. I love the darkness and sadness of their novels, but the more... quiet style than you'd find in Dickens's wild tales of orphans, drunks and epic family bet ...more

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Feb 18, 2014 Violet wells rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics

Famously, the most interesting character in Jane Eyre barely gets to say a word. The mad woman in the attic. And oddly, at face value, Bronte seems to imaginatively and emotionally have shunned her. She's largely a piece of Gothic stagecraft. So, Bronte ignores the gagged and shackled woman - perfect symbol of the historical plight of women in general up to that point in time - to concentrate on what might be interpreted as an adolescent romantic wish fulfilment narrative. (Jean Rhys perceived t Famously, the most interesting character in Jane Eyre barely gets to say a word. The mad woman in the attic. And oddly, at face value, Bronte seems to imaginatively and emotionally have shunned her. She's largely a piece of Gothic stagecraft. So, Bronte ignores the gagged and shackled woman - perfect symbol of the historical plight of women in general up to that point in time - to concentrate on what might be interpreted as an adolescent romantic wish fulfilment narrative. (Jean Rhys perceived this missed opportunity and wrote an entire novel about her.) But then it's interesting how everyone else in this novel is hell bent on making the rational decision at every turn. Even Jane is continually rationalising her sexual passion. An overload of rationality in any circuit and you're always going to get the unacknowledged screaming prisoner in the attic. It's an oddly, wholly unintended Jungian novel. (I'd argue that one sign of genius is the ability to unintentionally anticipate ideas you haven't consciously formulated).

You might say Jane Eyre is the blueprint for all romance fiction and of all the great novels is the one that has spawned the greatest amount of trashy reading matter. In many ways it's the literary teenage girl's dream book. And I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with the inner adolescent female. But it's frankly baffling why so many women read nothing but romance novels and therefore pander to that adolescent girl throughout their reading life. I'd give up reading if every novel followed the Jane Eyre blueprint!

It's also interesting that one could make a case that both Jane's suitors are sadistic tyrants. As if for a woman at that time it was simply a question of choosing your poison. Mr Rochester, for all his rather overly manufactured charm, is after all imprisoning a woman he probably had a hand in sending mad. Part of Bronte's wish fulfilment agenda is to see the male physically disabled, as if only then will his tyrannical authority be toppled and he be capable of acknowledging and dramatizing vulnerability. Woolf criticised Bronte for allowing her bitterness at the reprehensible lot of women to seep into her writing and it's true that at the back of romantic fantasising there's almost always a catalyst of bitterness. Bronte ultimately creates a world in which a "plain" woman might thrive but in many ways the requisite conditions are as far fetched as you could imagine. It's a fantasy that in the 19th century must have seemed as remote as the planet Mercury.

All that said, this is a triumph of compelling storytelling. However, I was left feeling Emily was the real genius in the family: she was more innovative and went much deeper into the human psyche. Which is why I'm now going to reread Wuthering Heights.
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Jan 19, 2009 Anne rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2009, classics, read-with-jillybean

Whew! I finished this one this morning, and I'm glad I finally read it. I can't say, however, that I enjoyed it, would recommend it, or will ever read it again.
Not in this lifetime, anyway.

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For starters, I didn't like Jane. Yeah, when she was a kid I felt sorry for her, but the older she got the less I liked her. Her religious convictions and the decisions she made because of them had Bertha looking like the picture of sanity by comparison. Speaking of, why in the world did she wander off in th ...more

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Feb 22, 2018 Angelica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: a-good-pair, stand-alone, classic, read-2018, reviewed, romance, why-must-it-end, five-star, awesome-heroines, authors-i-love

Most of my thoughts while reading this book can be summed up with, "WTF Mr. Rochester?"

Since this book is centuries old, I'm gonna spoil the heck out of it right now, so beware.

First off, who dresses up as a Gypsy woman just to mess with people's heads?

Who fakes an engagement to make another woman jealous?

Who then tries to marry said woman when they already have a wife?

Who keeps their aforementioned crazy wife in the attic?

Who tries to convince the love of their life to stay by their side by re ...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I just really love this book. Jane is such a strong strong character who does what she believes is right no matter what and the SASS is so real. I love it.

As per usual, I loved it, though I feel like the older I get the more I notice the seriously problematic things in it.
But Jane is still the best.

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Jun 30, 2013 Garima rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-2-cents, favorites

Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them. - Italo Calvino, Why Read the Classics?

There is no second or third or nineteenth time for me. This is the first time I have read Jane Eyre and this is the first time I’ve read anyone like her. Did I take forever to say ‘hello’ to Jane? Not at all! There couldn’t have been a more better timing since at present, my mind is in perfect harm
Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them. - Italo Calvino, Why Read the Classics?

There is no second or third or nineteenth time for me. This is the first time I have read Jane Eyre and this is the first time I’ve read anyone like her. Did I take forever to say ‘hello’ to Jane? Not at all! There couldn’t have been a more better timing since at present, my mind is in perfect harmony with my heart and I’m walking down the line of rationality without many missteps. Kindly don’t consider these words as some kind of vain certitude on my part but rather an admission of those rare times in our lives, no matter how short lived these moments are, when the clouds of confusion and ambiguity makes way for a clear sky of coherence and understanding, mostly about ourselves and sometimes about others and in this blissful state, I met Jane, Jane Eyre, Jane Elliot, Jane Fairfax Rochester and Jane.

We hit it off right away. I empathized with her when she was a child, I encouraged her when she was an adolescent and I admired her when she was on the cusp of being a teenage girl and a woman. Everything was taking place in an acceptable manner. But then Mr. Rochester entered the scene and I went weak at the knees. I wanted a perfect love story with a perfectly happy ending. This usually happens whenever I realize that the love in question is true and pure and the hopeless romantic in me can’t bear the thought of any ill fate befalling upon my dear lovers. I’m game for all the crazy twists and turns but something different was happening here and the difference was Jane. I had my doubts about her along with some petty preconceptions and banal expectations but in spite of reading so much about her, a surprise bundled in the myriad layers of words and phrases, both contemporary and archaic was waiting for me in the form of this book.

“You are going, Jane?”
“I am going, sir.”
“You are leaving me?”
“Yes.”

One fundamental aspect of this novel was the constant movement of our protagonist. The changes in her life were not courtesy the coming and going of others but it was her, who moved to different places and caught herself in different circumstances which brought the welcome and unwelcome changes that eventually gave the long awaited meaning to her life. As a child, it was an imposition but as the years passed, she attained an understanding of being an individual. This despite the fact that there was an easy and apparently happy road she could have chosen, but that person at the end of that road would have transformed into someone else, someone not Jane. In her quest, she took us, the readers, along with her and made us see the world through her eyes. It was an unpleasant world- unfair, prejudiced, conceited, gothic, but the presence of Jane was redeeming enough. She was real in the world of fakes, an antidote to the poisonous streams of inhumanity and a torchbearer of individuality, feminism, integrity, and independence.

What about Love in all this? Especially when Love is all you got? Is this what you’re supposed to proclaim?

I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.

That’s precisely what you need to do. You need to care for yourself in order to know yourself, only then you can and should step up on the pedestal of love without compromising your being in any manner and Love! It always finds a way when it is meant to be. As for me, I have found a lifelong companion in Jane. What would Jane think? Had I been a Jane in my life? Do I feel a little guilty for not being a Jane on certain occasions? These are some sample yardstick questions I have saved for myself for the perpetual dilemmas that engulf our lives. I’m sure that their answers would help me in a great way and my kind Jane, my plain Jane, my beautiful Jane will always be there to help because, Dear Readers, Jane is Forever.
...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Stephen rated it really liked it · 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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Oct 14, 2016 Mansuriah Hassan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, favorites

One of my reading goals is to read as much classic literature as I can. And I am glad that I chose this book. Jane Eyre tells a story of a very likable personage - orphan girl Jane Eyre who, after her parents' deaths lived with her aunt and three cousins who heartily hated her, then at the age of 10 she was sent to a special school-orphanage where after spending 8 years she became a teacher and later a governess at a rich household. As the story progresses we see Jane mature from a young rebelli ...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Rachelfm rated it did not like it

Shelves: feminist-dystopia, europe, 1000-in-my-thirties, 121-in-2013, 60-books-by-women-2013

Reader, gaze upon my tortured physiognomy and answer me one question that I shall pose to thee in the languid torpor of the drooping, sinister twilight of my soul, one which surely reveals more of my own humble, Quakerish origins, unappealing countenance and begs you as my interlocutrice to satisfy my curiosity: why?

I can understand intellectually why this book would have been important when it was written and how its pivotal place in the history of the novel has shaped modern literature &c. but Reader, gaze upon my tortured physiognomy and answer me one question that I shall pose to thee in the languid torpor of the drooping, sinister twilight of my soul, one which surely reveals more of my own humble, Quakerish origins, unappealing countenance and begs you as my interlocutrice to satisfy my curiosity: why?

I can understand intellectually why this book would have been important when it was written and how its pivotal place in the history of the novel has shaped modern literature &c. but holy GOD it is like reading 507 pages of needlepoint. In which precious little happens except that you start to realize that editing must be a fairly young profession and that perhaps if you really hated your English students you could pick out one of the sentences that is roughly the same length as the Gettysburg Address and make them diagram it? For reals, you'd get these honking paragraphs that would start, "There was..." and then if you were diagramming you'd have a frightfully kudzu-covered six-story scaffold of indirect objects and modifiers trailing behind it.

What is it about Jane Eyre that seems to be an educated female rite of passage? I was somewhat looking forward to this book as it's an example of a strong woman who knows herself, but no. She's basically being ping-ponged between a couple of over-verbose dweebs who both have frightfully controlling tendencies and her only hope of independence is getting a windfall through the mother of all deus ex machina.

Ladies: Jane is holding you back.

Protip: if a guy twice your age who freely admits his proclivity for continental floozies, gruffly dismisses his own possible child except to underpay staff to deal with her, is intense and flies into passions, makes you mop up after and keep silent about assaults in your home and then fails to mention until you're at the altar that oh, he's married and the psycho who tried to kill you in your bed is actually his WIFE, you get gone and stay gone.

Seriously, if I wanted to read about a teenager who spent half her time complaining about her looks and then dithering around about whether to go with the dark brooding intense hottie or the fair,marble-faced Greek god, I would go read Twilight.

...more

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Jun 03, 2007 Madeline rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: assigned-reading, ugh, the-list

If you like fantastically depressing subject matter that would make Dickens cry (think orphans, typhoid-infested boarding schools, and crazy people locked in attics) and an annoying protagonist who can't decided if she's independent or submissive, you'd probably like this book. I'll admit, I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story, but as soon as Jane figures out what's causing strange noises late at night and setting fire to Mr. Rochester's bed, the plot kind of goes down the toilet. The myster ...more

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Dec 09, 2019 Justin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

How I Decided to Read Jane Eyre:

1. I decided I wanted to read books from Time’s Top 100 Novels list.
2. I figured I would start at the bottom of the alphabetized list.
3. That led me to Wide Sargasso Sea.
4. I quickly learned that book was related to Jane Eyre, which I hadn’t read.
5. I knew there was a copy of Jane Eyre on my bookshelf.
6. There was also an audiobook available on my library app.
7. The rest, as they say, is history.

But, man oh man oh man, am I glad I accidentally found myself ...more

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Jul 17, 2013 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-ive-reread

Just finished re-reading this for the first time since I was like 12 and WOW all hail the only classic I'll ever love

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Nov 01, 2019 leslie rated it it was amazing

An unforgettable experience. Jane is raised in a school especially for raising poor children to a life of servitude. She experiences the death of her only friend. As she grows, she proves her worth and leaves to become a baby to a brooding dark man. She begins, through his darkness to fall in love with him. He also develops feelings for her. There is one great secret. Someone is trying to disrupt their happiness.
One of the most tragic of classics. This book will spellbound the reader with its al ...more

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May 09, 2011 Raeleen Lemay rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

*3.5*

I HAVE VERY MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THIS.

I really REALLY enjoyed the first half of the book, mainly because I love stories of orphans and/or boarding schools, so young Jane was somebody I enjoyed reading about. From a young age she was very headstrong and always stood up for herself and what she believed in, which she continued to do throughout the book. However, as the book went on, the pacing slowed down a lot (for me, anyway) and I found myself losing interest. The Victorian drama of peopl ...more

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Jan 07, 2017 Michelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, drop-caps

There is something deeply attractive about gothic romance. Part of its appeal is the sense of intractable eroticism squirming to escape from just beneath the surface. The tension in the genre is often generated by a virginal girl's attraction to a dangerous man. The more pitiful and helpless the heroine --the better, but she must also be proud and virtuous, brave and idealistic. Her attraction to the ominous hero must be based on pity, not fear. He must deserve her idealism. Charlotte's Bronte's There is something deeply attractive about gothic romance. Part of its appeal is the sense of intractable eroticism squirming to escape from just beneath the surface. The tension in the genre is often generated by a virginal girl's attraction to a dangerous man. The more pitiful and helpless the heroine --the better, but she must also be proud and virtuous, brave and idealistic. Her attraction to the ominous hero must be based on pity, not fear. He must deserve her idealism. Charlotte's Bronte's “Jane Eyre”, in my opinion, is among the greatest of gothic novels, a page turner of such startling power, it leaves its pale latter-day imitators like “Twilight” flopping for air like a stranded fish. To be sure, the dark hero of the story, Edward Rochester, is not a vampire, but that's only a technicality.

“Jane Eyre” is about how a poor, unloved, and unattractive orphan uses her awesome personality to win over a wealthy sort-of-aristocrat, and live happily ever after. But the novel is far from your typical Harlequin romance. Way far!
By "awesome personality", I mean she is blunt and somewhat annoyingly obsessed with duty. It’s also important to mention that the sort-of-aristocrat is: mean, ugly, and comes with more baggage than a first class international flight would allow. And the happily ever after? That comes in the last few pages of a very long, and very messed-up (think psychopathic mind games and imprisoned people in the attic) courtship.

But fear not! It's still a pretty compelling read for a book that was published in the bygone days of 1847. Either you know the plot or not, its secret is a red herring with all the significance of a scuba gear in the desert. It functions only to provide Rochester with an honorable reason to propose a dishonorable thing, and thus preserve the moral standards of the time. I think the novel is actually about forbidden sexual attraction on both sides, and its interest is in the tension of Jane and Rochester as they desire sex but deny themselves. Much of the power comes from repressed emotions, and perhaps Charlotte Bronte was writing in code about the feelings nice women of her time were not supposed to feel. This just triggers my thirst-for-voyeurism and, I would like to think, so does everyone else’s! Add in the madness, disability, missionaries, and a tasty sprinkle of the gothic into the mix, and I was hooked! In fact, I got kind of obsessed with all the gory details after a while.

Of course, apart from all this, the book also offers something else: a tale about “The Man” getting you down. Over and over, Jane’s put into situations where she’s too young, too poor, or too powerless to win, but she has to try anyway. And we all know about that. We’ve all been the kid who was picked on by some random adult like Mrs. Reed or Mr. Brocklehurst, or your fourth-grade math teacher just because that person has a stick up their you-know-what.
We’ve all had to accept that everyone would believe the adults just because they are adults, so they get away with it. Maybe some of us have also been the young employee who gets pressured to do something immoral or just to work late again by our boss. Or the girlfriend who finds out that her boyfriend’s taking someone else out on Friday night. That "someone else" might not be an insane vampiric arsonist, but hey, parallels only go so far.
Even if you've never spent time as a governess in a moldering mansion, you've likely felt puny and insignificant at some point in your life. And there is nothing more relatable than watching the underdog get kicked around... and nothing more satisfying than watching her triumph.

Overall, I consider “Jane Eyre” one of my favorite books of all time. It can be painfully long, but it is a beautiful story written in a time in which language was truly a work of art. ...more

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Oct 23, 2011 s.penkevich rated it really liked it

Shelves: love, classics

‘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 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
...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, 2016-shelf, traditional-fiction

The funny thing about this novel is not how enlightened it is for the time period, because it really isn't all that enlightened, right Mr. Rochester? How's that first wife hanging in the attic?

Or how closely aligned to modern ideas of equality between the sexes and finding an equitable arrangement between them it is, because it only happens to conform to the standards of romantic literature of the time, where happy endings happen. Windfall out of nowhere? Really? Trope, much? And how does that The funny thing about this novel is not how enlightened it is for the time period, because it really isn't all that enlightened, right Mr. Rochester? How's that first wife hanging in the attic?

Or how closely aligned to modern ideas of equality between the sexes and finding an equitable arrangement between them it is, because it only happens to conform to the standards of romantic literature of the time, where happy endings happen. Windfall out of nowhere? Really? Trope, much? And how does that subvert anything except as to put Janet on an *externally* equal footing? Being balanced in monies and station is not the same thing as having a true meeting of minds and hearts.

Fortunately for us, all the plot twists are secondary to the one thing that she and Mr. Rochester have in common, and that is a true meeting of minds and hearts, and while the idiot manages to really crap it up, it seems that only an enormous act of god or authorship or pandering to trope could possibly put Jane back into a position of strength where she can tell the rest of the world to **** off and do what she wanted to do, originally.

And that's what this novel is really about. It's not about the plot. It's about the internal character of Jane Eyre. She's wholly her own person, and that, more than anything, is more subversive than anything else in this novel. She's not bucking the male-dominated world. She's not setting off to have adventures. She's not even telling people off unless they push her to it, and she has no qualms about being subservient or going dropping all of her happiness in a big pile and storming off to hold to her personal ethics.

That's the point. She knows herself. She knows her limits. She knows what she wants. And even if she doesn't always know how to get what she wants, she knows what she'll settle for and precisely what she won't settle for. She follows her heart, her own judgement, and nothing that anyone might ever say to her would ever change that.

There's plenty in this novel that might annoy or outrage modern readers, of course, but this one simple fact about Jane is what lets it transcend all other considerations, or indeed, time itself.

This is a great novel. :) ...more

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May 01, 2014 Vessey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, owned, romance, mystery

SPOILERS

I dedicate this review to my dear friend Jeffrey. jeffrey, you are incredible friend and a writer and you should never, ever change.

Jane and Mr. Rochester

More than once I have come across criticism on Charlotte Bronte for fully failing to understand Jane Austen. Charlotte declares her incapable of passion. And while I cannot agree with this assessment, after my second reading of ‘Jane Eyre’ I do understand why someone like Chatlotte Bronte sees someone like Jane Austen this way. If Lizzi ...more

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Jul 27, 2019 Whitney Atkinson rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2019

I understand this book is feminist for its time, but I think that while it opened one door, it simultaneously closed several others. First and foremost, I'll just say that if this were a children's book about a young orphan overcoming guardians who abuse and look down upon her, then it would have been quite enjoyable (and blessedly, half the length). Instead, it was rambly and forced me to sympathize with racist and abusive characters. So although I liked that Jane stood up for herself and was l I understand this book is feminist for its time, but I think that while it opened one door, it simultaneously closed several others. First and foremost, I'll just say that if this were a children's book about a young orphan overcoming guardians who abuse and look down upon her, then it would have been quite enjoyable (and blessedly, half the length). Instead, it was rambly and forced me to sympathize with racist and abusive characters. So although I liked that Jane stood up for herself and was likely a role model for a lot of women, she embodies such classic white feminist ideals that it was difficult for me to translate this book's message into having any sort of modern value. For one, both Jane and Mr. Rochester esteem this book's only mixed race character of color as a beast, a lunatic, and various other words with negative connotation. Also, Mr. Rochester's solution for her insanity is to lock her up in his attic for years. The entire middle of the book that dealt with this conflict handled both of those topics so insensitively.

Then, there was the issue that all of the men in this book, despite Jane's supposed strength, were such crybabies about hearing the word no. Usually, this came in the form of rejected marriage proposals that threw men into tantrums. One of the most iconic situations involving this is Mr. Rochester threatening violence on Jane for resisting his advances, then blaming the anger on her that she would cause him to be so impassioned. The entire logic of this being a feminist work was entirely backward for the entire romantic side plot of this because Jane consistently endured his threats, and even by the end of the book when they are equals as she sought for them to be the entire time, she still calls him "master."

Maybe my reading of this book could have been softened and the questionable parts justified by giving me a deeper reading of the text, but reading it for leisure with no background studies was concerning. When I wasn't slogging through long-winded passages and reading the book out loud to my cats just to combat sheer boredom, I was questioning why people esteem Jane and Mr. Rochester to be such great characters despite their clearly problematic remarks. Maybe I read it too literally and maybe I'm not giving it enough credit for being groundbreaking for its time, but this really wasn't for me. (Unless, like I said, the first half of it was published separately as a standalone. But the romance was definitely not my thing.) ...more

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Apr 08, 2007 karen rated it really liked it

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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Aug 07, 2016 James rated it liked it

Shelves: 4-written-pre-20th-century, 1-fiction

Book Review
3+ out of 5 stars to Jane Eyre, a wonderful novel written in 1847 by Charlotte Brontë. I read this book on Spring break just prior to my 21st birthday, perhaps not the best time to take this beauty on. At 21, being a guy, and English major and forced to read a few books I didn't think I'd like, this came at a time where although I liked it, I wasn't as in love with as most others are... hence the 3+ rating. I believe if I read it today, it'd be a 4+. But I have 1200 books Book Review
3+ out of 5 stars to Jane Eyre, a wonderful novel written in 1847 by Charlotte Brontë. I read this book on Spring break just prior to my 21st birthday, perhaps not the best time to take this beauty on. At 21, being a guy, and English major and forced to read a few books I didn't think I'd like, this came at a time where although I liked it, I wasn't as in love with as most others are... hence the 3+ rating. I believe if I read it today, it'd be a 4+. But I have 1200 books on my TBR and simply can't afford to take on any re-reads without losing my mind. Perhaps I should watch a TV or Film version to renew my interest? It has all the right parts... young woman suffering at the hands of the conventions of time and family (two things I enjoy in books)... the love of a 'good' man (meaning you see a relationship grow high and low)... and drama (will she escape it all?). Society was harsh nearly 200 years ago. I would not have survived. I am not vocal about my opinions of people's behavior or societal limitations, but I believe anyone should be able to do anything they want without hurting someone else or the world we live in. If you want to marry your cousin, go ahead... not my business. If you want to sleep with a new man or woman every night, more power to you. Doesn't affect me. If you want to wear revealing clothing... go look your best -- just don't do it where someone may cause an accident as a result! :) Point being.... I struggle sometimes with books that cover these conventions because I want everything to be free and open. And when it isn't, I can enjoy the battle to get there, but it's a bit difficult when I combine it with 200 year old setting and guides. That said... I adore Jane. I empathize with her. I could be her on some levels. The words and language are great. It should be read. But know what you're getting into!

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. ...more

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Nov 11, 2016 Helen 2.0 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, faves, kayla, historical, watch, read-16, romance-focus, classics

A great read for cold weather & a fireside seat. ...more

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Jul 21, 2015 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hades-and-persephone, almost-gothic-in-a-natural-way, blue-eyed-male-entity, brown-haired-heroine, imported-from-britain, classics, a-failed-romance, gothic-fiction, a-fine-romance, adult

Jane Eyre spans three genres and influenced them all: the loveless orphan finding a home at last, the school story, and the gothic romance with mythological undercurrents and an element of horror.

We meet Jane as a scrawny and reviled nine-year-old living on the heartless charity of her Aunt Reed, enduring the abuse of her loutish cousin John and being punished for his transgressions. The penalty laid on little Jane on the day we meet her is particularly horrifying: she is shut in the so-called ...more

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Aug 17, 2019 Krystal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, owned, dymocks52-refined, dymocks-101-club, chick-lit, loved-up

Ahhhh I GOT SUCKED IN.

Me: I never read romance, it's my least favourite genre, it's so cringe-worthy.

Also me: These two are destined to be together, their love is so pure, it's so romantic *starry eyes*

I mean at first I wasn't sure how it was gonna go, with the school beginnings. I was ready for a long-winded boarding school experience but it was mercifully short and actually kinda fun and she totally didn't get bullied like I thought she would so it was entertaining! Then she moved into Thornfi ...more

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Sep 09, 2015 Fabian {Councillor} rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2016, reviewed, classics, literary-fiction, romantic-fiction, own-paperback, to-read-2016-priority, all-the-books-i-own, set-in-england, gothic

Jane Eyre is one of those books everyone says you have to read one day, often mentioned in one breath along with classics like Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights, and I agree. This is an important novel about female independence, the development into an adult human being and the search for one's true destination in juxtaposition with traditional ideals and guidelines.

But not only is it an important novel: Charlotte Brontë managed to include elements of humor, romance, gothic fiction and ev Jane Eyre is one of those books everyone says you have to read one day, often mentioned in one breath along with classics like Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights, and I agree. This is an important novel about female independence, the development into an adult human being and the search for one's true destination in juxtaposition with traditional ideals and guidelines.

But not only is it an important novel: Charlotte Brontë managed to include elements of humor, romance, gothic fiction and even a little mystery in her story, allowing it to address not only one specific target audience. Even if this book is not part of everyone's reading interests, it is a novel which will make you think about certain aspects (like the aforementioned themes), and maybe it will even make you feel close to Jane Eyre, the main character, and become interested in the story of her fateful life.

Almost everyone will probably know what this book is about, but in case you don't, Charlotte Brontë introduces us to Jane Eyre who grows in an unhappy childhood with her aunt, later endures cruelty and her first introduction to the life outside of her own family at a charity school, and finally begins to live her own life when she starts to work as a governess for Mr. Edward Rochester. Even though the book may sound melodramatic in its outline, I personally think that it was the emphasis on the emotions each of the characters went through which allowed it to achieve its famous status. The novel is almost entirely character-driven for the majority of the story, making it easy to feel emotionally connected to Jane and her independent mind.

I had some smaller issues with the book, including (view spoiler). I did need more than seven months to finish the novel, but that was mainly my own fault because I wasn't in the right mood for it for a long time and did ultimately read most of the novel in the course of a few days, which should generally not provide a problem because of the sophisticated, yet very readable language.

A true classic which can be recommended for all age groups and all kinds of readers, and which made me join the group of people who say everyone should read it one day. ...more

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May 29, 2013 Jaidee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-stars-books

5 stars !....this is on the mount Olympus of romantic literature....I did not want this book to end....beautiful in its detail, characterizations of depth and a story so rich in both hope and melancholy....at times I could not see the text as my eyes were so full of tears....wowowow....I will return to this book if I ever become doubtful of true romantic love.

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Apr 24, 2017 David Schaafsma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-19th-century, books-loved-2017

Jane, Jane, Jane!!

“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being, with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.”

In spite of and in part because of its nineteenth-century gothic romantic roots, Jane Eyre remains one of the great novels, principally because it features one of the best characters of all time, a woman that fairly leaps off the page, a feminist for all ages. I am in agreement with Cecily in her fine review ...more

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About Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë

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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 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, a remote town on the Yorkshire moors, where Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate. This is where the Brontë children would spend most of their lives. Maria Branwell Brontë died from what was thought to be cancer on 15 September 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to the care of her spinster sister Elizabeth Branwell, who moved to Yorkshire to help the family.

In August 1824 Charlotte, along with her sisters Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth, was sent to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire, a new school for the daughters of poor clergyman (which she would describe as Lowood School in Jane Eyre). The school was a horrific experience for the girls and conditions were appalling. They were regularly deprived of food, beaten by teachers and humiliated for the slightest error. The school was unheated and the pupils slept two to a bed for warmth. Seven pupils died in a typhus epidemic that swept the school and all four of the Brontë girls became very ill - Maria and Elizabeth dying of tuberculosis in 1825. Her experiences at the school deeply affected Brontë - her health never recovered and she immortalised the cruel and brutal treatment in her novel, Jane Eyre. Following the tragedy, their father withdrew his daughters from the school.

At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other surviving children — Branwell, Emily, and Anne — continued their ad-hoc education. In 1826 her father returned home with a box of toy soldiers for Branwell. They would prove the catalyst for the sisters' extraordinary creative development as they immediately set to creating lives and characters for the soldiers, inventing a world for them which the siblings called 'Angria'. The siblings became addicted to writing, creating stories, poetry and plays. Brontë later said that the reason for this burst of creativity was that:

'We were wholly dependent on ourselves and each other, on books and study, for the enjoyments and occupations of life. The highest stimulus, as well as the liveliest pleasure we had known from childhood upwards, lay in attempts at literary composition.'

After her father began to suffer from a lung disorder, Charlotte was again sent to school to complete 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. The school was extremely small with only ten pupils meaning the top floor was completely unused and believed to be supposedly haunted by the ghost of a young lady dressed in silk. This story fascinated Brontë and inspired the figure of Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.

Brontë left the school after a few years, however she swiftly returned in 1835 to take up a position as a teacher, and used her wages to pay for Emily and Anne to be taught at the school. Teaching did not appeal to Brontë and in 1838 she left Roe Head to become a governess to the Sidgewick family -- partly from a sense of adventure and a desire to see the world, and partly from financial necessity.

Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding, but her health declined rapidly and, according to biographer Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." She died, with her unborn child, on 31 March 1855. ...more