Jane Eyre

Well folks, the summer reading list has been pushed to the wayside a bit with all this moving, packing, and sweating due to extreme heat going on. I did, however, manage to complete Jane a while back and thought I'd share my thoughts.







To tell you the truth, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. The story reveals the life a young woman named Jane who is an orphan and finds herself in a few situations (or settings) throughout the course of her life. Although Bronte describes each setting quite well, the focus of the story truly is Jane and her inner thoughts. The story is actually written as if Jane herself is telling the tale which I found made it more interesting because it was like you were having a conversation with her. The main event in Jane's tale, that is also revealed in the synopsis so I don't feel bad writing about it, is her love affair with her employer Mr. Rochester. Although the book was written in the 1800's, Jane's thoughts are surprisingly relatable. Although there is a love story interwoven within the book, I'd say the main focus is more on self actualization than anything else. Jane's journey from an unwanted orphan to a smart young lady fully aware of her strengths and weaknesses make it clear why this book is used with high school aged readers. Again, I was very pleased with the book and am proud that I can officially place this title under my reading "belt". I will say, however, there's no way I would've liked this book as an 18 year old or younger, I would've found it to be quite dull. Clearly I've matured greatly since my teen years, doubtful.

An interesting tidbit about this particular novel:
Mike was very curious about my thoughts on this book because he had to take two British Lit. classes in college. He asked me if the book was "racy". This was an interesting question and actually was something I thought about a lot during the book. Jane Eyre is very modest and, even though Jane explains her feelings towards her lover, it is the least bit sexual. In fact, at one point I compared a part to one of the Twilight books and felt Ms. Bronte would have a heart attack if she read the way relationships are written now. Anyways, Mike continued to tell me Jane Eyre was written just before the time when British literature became more erotically charged. I found this to be fascinating, not only about the book but the fact that he knew this information like it was no big deal. What a smarty-pants.


Up next: The Girl Who Played with Fire... loving it. =)