Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte



      Jane Eyre is a timeless classic that I absolutely adore.  If I don't know what to read, I generally turn to Charlotte Bronte's great work.  It is so in depth with emotion- love, anguish, hatred, sorrow, etc....   To those who don't enjoy classics (I started to enjoy reading by the classics, so I'm partial to authors like Charles Dickens, Bronte, and even Shakespeare.), this tale could be difficult to get into, and is rather long for most peoples tastes.
      Jane is an orphan, having both her parents die when she was an infant.  Her mother's brother- Mr. Reed of Gateshead Hall, a rather rich man, took her in.  Soon after, however, he passed, and left her with his wife and three children who mistreated her terribly.  Accustomed to their torment, and often hearing how horrible and wicked a child she was, she usually sat quiet and brooding, dreaming of a time where she could leave Gateshead Hall.


      Her wishes were granted after the harsh punishment that left her unconscious in the Red Room.  Soon she was sent to Lowood Institution for girls- a quaint Christian school started by Naomi Brocklehurst- currently ran by Mr. Brocklehurst of Brocklehurst hall. There she meets a few people who she would hold dear to her heart.  There she would experience heartache, beginning when her dear friend dies during the typhus outbreak.


      Her vast knowledge she acquired at Lowood helps her become the governess to Miss Adele Varens at Thornfield.  There she meets Mr. Rochester.  Despite her curiosity towards him, she tries to keep her distance.  Despite that effort she does fall in love.  However, she feels he won't feel the same for her since she is a governess and he is a wealthy man.  This is not the case.  
      Their plans to marry were tarnished when an objector informed Jane and the Priest that Mr. Rochester's first wife (one who he did not marry, but could not leave due to her insanity) was still alive.  Jane leaves him for a number of years, but returns.
      There is a happy ending, and they are married, despite what others may think.
      Despite the length of the novel, and how most would think Charlotte Bronte's writing seemed to drone on and on, I like this classic.  Like I said in the beginning of this post, I often turn back to this work.  If you have a young reader, who reads on a level more mature than most, or prefers the finer things in life (well, finer literary works), I recommend Jane Eyre for them.  

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