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dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
JE starts off slow, it but picks up big time by the end. I was satisfied with the payoff in the conclusion and will probably re-read it in the spring since that's the ideal time of the year for me to read romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Abandonment
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Gore, Incest, Abandonment
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
sometimes i ask myself “clover, why do you keep persisting in reading classics when you fucking hate the entire experience start to finish?” . because occasionally i find a diamond in the rough. that diamond is jane eyre.
usually i just…. Read… classics. like i actively never give a shit about the cast. viktor frankenstein? choke. dorian grey? indifferent. but JANE EYRE. MOTHER.
i don’t think ive been that invested in a classic main character’s life for a hot minute. she’s fun, she breaks stereotypes of what a woman was in that period, she’s independent, witty, strong in her own right, and super interesting. even though it took me a while to get into this, the minute jane was put in that red room i was ready to throw down for my girl. and honestly thank god i liked jane because if i didn’t this book would be a SLOGGGG. not only does the plot not really exist due to it being a bildungsroman, but as do many classics, what could take a sentence to say instead takes up 47 pages. but because i loved pookie jane i kept coming back.
i think by far the most interesting passage of the book is her as mr rochester’s governess. seeing her go absolutely batshit crazy over this ugly ass 40 year old man, as well as being confused by weird shit happening in thornfield was so fun. i enjoyed jane’s life as a child, but tbh her story at moor house was BOOORINNGGG until st john reads jane the letter. i was actually so bored but then the book picks up again!!! yippee!!!! this book very much was a rollercoaster for me in terms of interest, as it would wain and then pick up.
my biggest gripe with this book tbh is rochester. he sucks. he sucks the life out of the book and jane and i hate him and his stupid face. i do kind of feel bad for him in the end…. but not enough to override my dislike for him. also i know it was a different time but him being 40 and jane being like 19…… VOMIT. he’s a dick to adele, a dick to bertha, a dick to jane, and overall an asshole. he can choke.
idk what else i can say! i defo had a decent time, but godddd i really hate when classics just drag on and on and on and on with the writing style. sadly at points jane eyre did this. me & this book have a love-hate relationship honestly
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was my first time reading this book and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. It always taken me a little bit to get into a classic written in this way but once I did I breezed through the story. It was very compelling and made me want to keep reading.
I like Jane a lot. She is firm in her beliefs and in her sense of self. I enjoyed her inner monologues at times.
I didn’t like Mr Rochester at first,his whole Gypsy scheme and using Blanche to make Jane jealous were not great. Plus him hiding a mad wife in the house and not telling Jane until forced. But after the fire and death of his wife I could see a little change in him. And since Jane was so in love with him I was okay with them ending up together.
I really did not like St John at all. He felt like a gaslighter and self righteous. I did really like his sisters though and loved that Jane had finally found a family to belong with.
I like Jane a lot. She is firm in her beliefs and in her sense of self. I enjoyed her inner monologues at times.
I didn’t like Mr Rochester at first,
I really did not like St John at all. He felt like a gaslighter and self righteous. I did really like his sisters though and loved that Jane had finally found a family to belong with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Terminal illness
Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Where to begin? I love Jane. She is a most atypical heroine for her time period, which makes her all the more compelling. I am in awe of Brontë's clear vision for her protagonist.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It is my current opinion that Emily Brontë was the best writer amongst her sisters, which is a shame given she has the smallest corpus.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
-Ableism abound of both the mental and physical varieties
-Missionary work portrayed as a good thing