Publisher: Smith, Elder & Co.
Readership: Adult fiction
Genres: Gothic
Rating: ★★★★
Format : ebook
Synopsis
Synopsis from Goodreads: Charlotte Brontë’s most beloved novel describes the passionate love between the courageous orphan Jane Eyre and the brilliant, brooding, and domineering Rochester. The loneliness and cruelty of Jane’s childhood strengthens her natural independence and spirit, which prove invaluable when she takes a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall. But after she falls in love with her sardonic employer, her discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a heart-wrenching choice.
My thought
I fell in love with the novel when I read it and it remains one of my favorite books. There are few novels that have hit me with such force as this one, and few that I love to re-read as much.
Jane Eyre is a first-person narrative of the title character, a small, plain-faced, intelligent and honest English orphan. The novel goes through distinct stages in Jane's life: Jane's childhood at Gateshead, where she is abused by her aunt and cousins; her education at Lowood School, where she acquires friends and role models but also suffers privations; her time as the governess of Thornfield Manor, where she falls in love with her Byronic employer, Edward Rochester; her time with the Rivers family at Marsh End. Jane Eyre was neglected and unloved in her childhood years, but in the end she found her happily-ever-after ending with Mr Rochester.
From its beginning, Jane Eyre explores and challenges the social preconceptions of nineteenth-century Victorian society. Themes of social class, gender relations, and injustice predominate throughout. Jane Eyre begins her story as an orphan raised by a wealthy and cultivated family, and this ambiguous social standing motivates much of the novel’s internal tension and conflict. Jane’s education and semi-aristocratic lifestyle are those of the upper class, but she has no money. As a penniless orphan forced to live on the charity of others, Jane is a kind of second-class citizen. In some ways she is below even the servants, who certainly have no obligation to treat her respectfully. The tensions of this contradiction emerge in the very first chapter of the novel, when Jane suffers teasing and punishment at the hands of John Reed and his hateful mother. Jane’s banishment to the red-room exemplifies her inferior position with regard to the rest of the members of the Reed household.
Jane Eyre is very much the story of a quest to be loved. Jane searches, not just for romantic love, but also for a sense of being valued, of belonging. Thus Jane says to Helen Burns: “to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest” (Chapter 8). Yet, over the course of the book, Jane must learn how to gain love without sacrificing and harming herself in the process.
Both Jane and Rochester are such passionate characters, but Jane's passion is tempered with sense, while Rochester is all sensibility. Despite her social powerlessness Jane is one of the strongest women characters in fiction and by sticking to her principles she is rewarded with true love.
The writing style and vocabulary are challenging at first and it is not a book that can be read quickly. The romance part of the book is somewhat predictable and the story line is reminiscent of Cinderella to a degree. The mystery develops slowly and adds to keeping the reader interested and challenged.
Jane Eyre has been in print since its publication in 1847 and has been filmed many times. Ciran Hinds, Timothy Dalton, George C. Scott, Orson Welles, and William Hurt are some of the actors who have played Rochester. Jean Rhys wrote a prequel about Mrs. Rochester titled The Wide Sargasso Sea, and Bronte's classic features in Jasper Fforde's alternate reality novel The Eyre Affair. The horror movie I Walked With A Zombie is based on Jane Eyre and I have no doubts that it will be filmed yet again in the future. If you haven't read this book, I envy you that first experience.
To me, a good book is a book that gets me think about life and shows humanity - love, sympathy, bereavement, forgiveness, sadness, endurance, happiness, peace, friendship... and this book certainly shows many combinations of these in ample way.
Summary
This book made me think things, such as; "It's unfair to punish people because of how they naturally look like" or " Why don't some people think about them selves from other peoples point of view" and lot's more thoughts. Check it out!
Reading level
Jane Eyre was an extraordinary novel and had an amazing plot. Jane Eyre is one of those books where the reader can relate to, understand and feel what the protagonist is going through. This book is recommended for both young adult and adult readers who will be able to comprehend the way the book is written. This novel is also recommended for people who love mysterious and romantic fiction because in between the romance lies mystery and regret.
