Jane Eyre in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Mar 30, 2019 Ketutar Jensen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-women

I am surprised by the feminism in this story. I was expecting a gentle, submissive Victorian flower and get an independent, intelligent woman that wouldn't have difficulties living in today's world.
I also like Charlotte's writing. Easy read.

added 2.9.2020
I just read The Scarlet Letter and found that too to be feminist. I went to see the reception of these two books, and read this: "In 1848, Elizabeth Rigby, reviewing Jane Eyre in The Quarterly Review, found it "pre-eminently an anti-Christian c I am surprised by the feminism in this story. I was expecting a gentle, submissive Victorian flower and get an independent, intelligent woman that wouldn't have difficulties living in today's world.
I also like Charlotte's writing. Easy read.

added 2.9.2020
I just read The Scarlet Letter and found that too to be feminist. I went to see the reception of these two books, and read this: "In 1848, Elizabeth Rigby, reviewing Jane Eyre in The Quarterly Review, found it "pre-eminently an anti-Christian composition," declaring: "We do not hesitate to say that the tone of mind and thought which has overthrown authority and violated every code human and divine abroad, and fostered Chartism and rebellion at home, is the same which has also written Jane Eyre." That alone would be reason enough to read this book :-D

I would like to say to Elizabeth Rigby, that one should not obey authorities who are unfair, unwilling to listen, and unjust. One should rebel against such authorities, whether they are parents, employers, friends or God. And every person should support Chartism, because people are created equal and should be treated as equal, and not promoted because they happen to be rich, and hindered because they happen to be poor. Codes Jane Eyre violates need to be violated, broken and discarded, because they are bad, offensive to good sense and truly Christian heart, and destructive, created to raise sheep, slaves, and cannon fodder, degrading human value and deeply chauvinist.

And it is not an "illegitimate romance", because Jane left immediately when she found out that Edward was married, and didn't return until he was a widower.

Added 3/4-23
Now I have read Wide Sargasso Sea. I hate him.
Also, Adèle could be Rochester's daughter. He was having sex with her mother, she says he is, and he took her in. She is about 10 years old. It doesn't much matter if she was or not, she could have been. "Bertha" was locked in the attic while Rochester was having an affair with this French dancer. Just consider The Yellow Wallpaper. Wouldn't you go mad?
Too bad she didn't get him.
I kind of want to read a book about Adèle, where she gets even with her "dad". ...more

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Feb 14, 2017 Nikki rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-set-in-england, saw-the-movie, fiction, guardian-1000-novels

I really ought to re-read Jane Eyre. It is possible I've re-read it at least once after the first time, and I've seen at least one screen adaptation and also read Wide Sargasso Sea, in which Jean Rhys imagines what drove the first Mrs. Rochester to madness. I've often thought that there are two kinds of people: Austenites and Bronteites -- and I'm definitely the first, but I do recall that Jane Eyre held my interest and I've never forgotten it. It is most definitely worth reading at least onc ...more

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