Waterstones Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Author: Bookworm168

Rating: 5

Review: This my favourite book for oh so many reasons. It's a bit long and rambling in places for modern readers, but you have to remember a Victorian writer wouldn't have had an editor in the way modern writers do, to trim and tighten things up, so we are reading what might be closer to an earlier draft by modern standards. I love the lyrical nature of Charlotte Bronte's language, but even I skim some of the wordier parts, long rambling descriptions in places, and there are many religious references that go over the head of modern readers (refer to the notes in a printed copy if you really want to understand it all). Having said this, even with this skimming in places, it's a really good book with wonderful prose that tackles a number of social issues of the time. Many people concentrate on the romance between Jane and Rochester, but there's so much more. We see the kind of life an orphan (especially a girl) might have expected in pre social security Victorian Britain, even one born into a relatively comfortable family. There is a strong critical commentary on the conditions in some charity boarding schools (including Charlotte Bronte's own school at Cowan Bridge, a clergymen's daughters school). But Jane will not be broken, she's a feisty little girl and grows into a strong self assured young woman. There's quite a feminist feel to many parts of the book, Charlotte Bronte was well educated herself, but she obviously felt the injustice of the unequal status, treatment and expectations of women at the time. Jane wants to be respected and loved fer her intelligence and mind more than looks (she is no beauty) and she wants to be regarded as an equal in these respects by her prospective partner in life and this is one of the reasons she falls in love with Rochester because that is how he treats her. Rochester seems like a monster in some respects by modern standards, but the book needs to be read with the historical context in mind. Divorce was very difficult to obtain at the time and living together (In sin) in much more religious times was socially unacceptable. Therefore many people found themselves trapped in marriages so bigamy was much more common than now (it's not really necessary now). It was a very bad crime, but none the less understandable in some circumstances. Also, understanding of mental health was almost non existent at the time and anyone who strayed from the social norms of behaviour would be written off as mad and be likely to end up in one of the horrendous asylums so prevalent at the time. It was actually considered the kinder option to employ a full time carer and keep the relative at home in a remote wing of a large house. Rochester had 3 other options than the one he took. He could have left Bertha behind in the West Indies, or sent her to an asylum and forgotten about her, knowing she'd probably die from infection fairly quickly in the squalor and filth, or he could have sent her to a damp house in the forest with Grace Poole and again let the conditions kill her with infection. All of these would have kept her at a greater distance and reduced the risk of anyone finding out about Bertha. However, he takes the arguably more moral option of keeping her close, in drier warmer conditions with a constant companion. A recently discovered case (2013) in India of a relative locked up in a house due to mental health issues and reaction to it shows that cultural norms vary widely, so although I don't condone Rochester's behaviour, I do believe the situation needs to be viewed through Victorian eyes as much as is possible today. There is also a section that deals with the cold Christian religious fanaticism of St John Rivers with his heart as cold as stone, despite his Grecian good looks, which poses the question, should Jane marry for high morals (and possibly a very good looking husband), or would she be better off with a flawed, damaged and less than handsome husband with passion and a basically good heart full of repentance. The latter also being someone ready to accept Jane's intelligence and treat her as an equal partner in their relationship. It needs to be remembered that some of the negative reaction to the book on publication (It was considered quite shocking) probably wasn't for the same reasons we find parts of it shocking. It was Jane standing up for herself as a female that caused concern among men. God forbid that women would want an equal voice alongside men. All in all my absolute most favourite book of all time. Oh and by the way, the romance is also moving as Jane gradually becomes unable to prevent herself from falling for Rochester, so enjoy that part also. "-and, alas! never had I loved him so well".

Author: Juliet Foster

Rating: 4

Review: As Charlotte Bronte's first novel, there are many parts of Jane Eyre drawn from her own life experience, characters based on people she knew and places based on real locations. The book was seen as pioneering feminism in literature, exploring the thoughts and feelings of an independent minded woman. I grudgingly enjoyed the book. I didn't want to like it. I'd always imagined I'd hate it since it's not my usual type of reading. But I was intrigued with the beginning, curious about the middle, and although it was clear how it would end, I wanted to see how it would come about. There are points where you think come along Charlotte, this is unnecessary, get moving. Taken from real-life influences, it's easy to see why she might feel she had to include everything as she did. There are points where you really want to know what's going on and these appear to be the true imaginative creation. What is the hidden danger lurking at Thornfield and what is it that Mr Rochester keeps hidden? All becomes clear, sadly with a lengthy lull in the plot from that point, and when it picks back up it's not to the same height from which it dropped. Some things happen a little too conveniently in light of the overall story and don't quite transition smoothly, but these are entirely forgivable. You suspect something supernatural in places, and toward the end it becomes clear that Bronte has some leanings in that direction. I wouldn't say quite wholly absorbing, although I did enjoy it and it did bring a tear to my eye at one point. It isn't up to the standard of her sister Emily's Wuthering Heights, but it's not far behind. I'd recommend Jane Eyre for quiet autumn evening reading accompanied by a cup of tea and a cosy blanket.