CLASSICS: Jane Eyre Review

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Brontë
Genre: Classics

*SIDE NOTE: I hope you're enjoying the new winter themes going all up in here...shoutout to those coders who make all the html stuff ready for us newbies to use :)*

Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed.

With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers.

Me: Definitely one of my all-time favorite classics. This book is insightful, thrilling, and revolutionizing...A true work of genius. 

 JANE. Oh Plain Jane. She grows up with no true family, with no wealth, with not much to go off of in her life. Her aunt and cousins bully her, and when she resists she is thrown in a boarding school where she is humiliated and malnourished. Yet she finds strength. What I really adore about Jane Eyre is her observance of others. She pays attention to everything, even the littlest details that showcase themselves in people's eyes. The book was written in first person (rare for a classic) and I believe there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from this because she is so delicate and definite with her imagery and descriptions of emotion. 

She is often in awe and admiration of the resolve, passion, and fierceness of another character, but she doesn't seem to know that she possesses all those qualities herself. She makes her own decision to become a governess, and believes most strongly in the power of conscience and judgement, even when it comes in the face of one of the strongest love stories ever to be written. I believe that this is truly a recollection of what it is to be a woman. Jane is not extraordinary, she is not beautiful, and is often submissive. However, throughout her life she is the picture of independence.

When talking about Jane, we must talk about Mr. Edward Rochester. What to feel about him, I do not know. He is proud, unattractive, and deeply passionate and yet, he loves with a raw genuinity that cannot be matched. He is brave and kind to his servants and workers, and although he tries to deny his troubled past, he is honest when it comes to Jane. They are made for each other; each one's flaws are complemented by the other's strengths. 

Their love is in one word passionate. And I want to address the passion that is beautifully described within this novel. I've seen a lot of people compare Jane Eyre to Pride and Prejudice/other Jane Austen works and that is the main difference they discover. Where Austen is witty and clean, Brontë is intense and complex. I loved the intricacy to which emotion was portrayed throughout the novel. 

Some things that set Jane Eyre apart:

Written in first person (I find this pretty rare for most of the classics I've read)

A love story that can be dark and deep

A female heroine who is nothing extraordinary yet still is independent and strong

Overall: Writing and characters that are unlike any other classic. A novel that brings light to the most interesting facets of human life. 

Rating: Beat MY SCALE.