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Graphic: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
I have historically been struggling with excessively detailed descriptions of both nature and architecture in books, but that is a sign of the times, I suppose. The story is generally rather slow-paced, giving one ample opportunity to look closely at everything. But what a story it is! One of the quintessential gothic tales, set in a haunted house with a dark and brooding master. It is a classic for a reason.
I must say, I did not appreciate Jane's headlong flight into the night, without even the hint of a plan; even knowing the outcome, I feared for her then. As I did when she was subjected to the Calvinist ramblings of St. John Rivers. "[...] you are made for labour, not for love!" is probably the worst "compliment" I've heard in my life.
The topic of religion is a kind of Leitmotiv in this novel. Jane's relationship to Christianity is tested repeatedly, and she spends a lot of time analysing her views on faith, and how they align with her own moral principles. Religious bigotry is being recognized and called out as such. Again, I feel that for their time, Jane's intellectual analysis and often critical views were extraordinary to read.
I listened to an audiobook read by British actress Thandiwe Newton. She expertly endowed Jane's voice with the full range of human emotion, from the most fragile to the most forceful. I had never previously thought about it, but I found it amazing how she managed to make me hear Jane's inward laughter without actually making the usually associated sounds. Masterful.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Suicide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Religious bigotry
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
That said, I liked Charlotte's Jane Eyre better than Anne's Agnes Grey. Jane is an endearing character, one who is far more flexible in her morality and ambiguous in her actions (though not too much so, I assume, to make her unsympathetic to contemporary readers, which is kind of a shame to me as a modern reader, but I digress). Mr. Rochester is a fucking piece of work, and I do hate him, but I totally understand why Jane wants to fuck him. I'm weirdly charmed by St. John Rivers as well, but he's also an asshole, and why are all these men trying to manipulate my girl Jane? On a somewhat related note, it's so funny that Jane's ugly appearance comes up CONSTANTLY. And that Jane's Aunt Mrs. Reed has beef with her. Like, she's ten.
I'm fascinated by Bertha Mason and the idea of a dude having a crazy wife he keeps in the attic, so I will be reading Wide Sargasso Sea. I also think Jane's life would've been better if she'd decided to be a lesbian spinster with the Rivers sisters.
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Minor: Racial slurs, Suicide, Alcohol, Colonisation
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Grief
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, Abandonment, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury