jane eyre book review new york times

About the Book

By Charlotte Brontë

‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë is a pure masterwork of an English classic that still lives its relevance in today’s society despite having been around for more than a century and a half.

Written by Victor Onuorah

Degree in Journalism from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

‘ Jane Eyre ’ proved a blockbuster following its 1847 publication as it became a book that gave voice to the voiceless, resilience to the weak, and spirit of honest activism to the seemingly lesser gender. Through Charlotte Brontë’s bestseller , there was an awakening in the urgency to tackle gender-related issues by society.

A Descriptive Tale on a Search for True Purpose

‘ Jane Eyre ’ by Charlotte Brontë is one of the most remarkably written classics I’ve read. The book is enriched with a touching story of a plain English country girl who is forced to endure a harsh childhood being an orphan and taken in under the guidance of her maltreating aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her bullish children. 

From the get-go, Jane seems to be the only character in Charlotte Brontë’s ‘ Jane Eyre ’ who seeks something much more than the mere routines of life, and she shows such desire from the first pages of the book – around when she’s young and about ten years old. Given Jane starts out being headstrong and a little sassy, I wouldn’t blame her too much because she’s just a smart and active little girl trying to protect herself over at Gateshead, a place where she’s surrounded by people who are supposed to be her family but are not.

Jane’s childhood rebellion, however, is never out of place. By rough estimation, those youthful angsts indicate her disagreement with her current life treated with biases and lies, and later, we see the extent of this mentality to society and the state of affairs therein. Jane is, by description, a self-reformer interested in finding that one true purpose in life. 

She learns tremendously through life – and in all necessary disciplines enough to refine herself into the person she wants to be. Morals and values through religion. People relations and handling skills through experiences with terrible and as well good and kind people she’s met. In the end, Jane will pick bits and pieces of the core things that form her true purpose and piece them together. She’s happy at last because, against society’s pretentious family, she discovers her voice and finds her personality. 

Providence Always Remembers the Upright

It’s nearly a miracle how Jane survives throughout every stage of the book. Frankly, ‘ Jane Eyre ’ is a chancy book that creates such a scary reality for a fairly helpless little girl. Still, the daring and fearless narrative is also a reason author Charlotte Brontë scores points on ‘ Jane Eyre ’ because there are at least a few million young girls and boys who go through this same struggle, or worse, in their respective reality. 

However, thank gracious how providence always seems to turn up for Jane in dangerous and difficult situations (and I hope, for God’s sake, it turns up for the million youthful others worldwide who can relate to this story). First off, the readers will notice how, in aunt Reed’s home at Gateshead, providence uses a servant, Bessie, to feed, care for, and serve as a mother figure to maltreatment, starving Jane. She probably wouldn’t have survived long enough to experience Lowood School, not to mention Thornfield, Moor House, or Ferndean. 

Another worthy mention of a good meddling of the saving hands of providence is the part right after Jane disappointedly leaves Thornfield and Mr. Rochester after finding out that he (Mr. Rochester) had been lying to her about not having a wife. Sad and depressed and without a home or a destination, Jane wanders the dangerous streets, sleeps in them, begs, and collects scraps for food. No bad thing happens to her, from the poor food, street hooligans, etc. This is sheer providence. 

A Rollercoaster Ride of Love and Heartbreaks

There are at least two heartbreaks, Jane, the protagonist, faces in the book, and I would think one of the two hurt her the most. Let’s start with the one that didn’t hurt so much, Jane’s experience with her cousin St. John Rivers. A homeless Jane is taken in by St. John Rivers and his sisters, cleaned, fed, and cared for. She bounces back to her gracious self, and it doesn’t take long for St. John to fall for her. 

When this happens, the next thing that follows is heartbreak. For even though Jane cares so much about John, she doesn’t love him enough to want to spend the rest of her life with him. However, after the saga, she is buried in thought, despondent over it, and decides to leave Moor House and the presence of St. John. 

The other instance, and the one that hurts so much for Jane, is the event over at Thornfield involving Mr. Rochester. Jane is particularly broken by this because she genuinely loves him and is going to walk down the aisle with him until she finds out he has a crazy legal wife locked up in the attic. 

How does Jane survive three days straight in the streets without money, shelter, or food?

Jane is lucky enough to go unscathed, having spent days out in the streets after a fallout with Mr. Rochester, although she now has to survive the hard way by begging for food and sleeping anywhere a proper shelter. 

What are the pros of Charlotte Brontë’s ‘ Jane Eyre ’?

The story of ‘ Jane Eyre ’ is loved for its ability to tackle difficult topics in female gender rights, social decadence, and poverty, among other things. 

Are there any cons in ‘ Jane Eyre ’ by Charlotte Brontë?

There are a few cons in Charlotte Brontë’s ‘ Jane Eyre ,’ and mentioning some would include the book’s display of immorality and anti-social tendencies. 

Jane Eyre Review

Book Title: Jane Eyre

Book Description: 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Brontë is a powerful narrative of resilience and integrity, where young Jane confronts a male-dominated society, challenging norms and advocating for gender equality and dignity.

Book Author: Charlotte Brontë

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: Smith, Elder & Co.

Date published: October 16, 1847

ISBN: 978-0140437286

Number Of Pages: 479

Jane Eyre Review: You Can Impact Society and Make a Change Irrespective of Your Background, Gender or Age

Charlotte Brontë’s eponymous book, ‘Jane Eyre,’ shows us how integrity and good ideas can help bring a meaningful change in society – regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or skin color. 10-year-old Jane overcomes maltreatment in a foster home to face a ruthless and brutal society controlled by men. With women like her already bowing to the pressures, Jane finds herself up against an uphill battle to reclaim the relevance of her gender and the pride of the humble and oppressed.

• Rich storyline
• Well-defined characters
• Gender equality activization
• Gender stereotype
• Immorality issues
• Overly French for an English read

About Victor Onuorah

Victor is as much a prolific writer as he is an avid reader. With a degree in Journalism, he goes around scouring literary storehouses and archives; picking up, dusting the dirt off, and leaving clean even the most crooked pieces of literature all with the skill of analysis.

Cite This Page

Onuorah, Victor " Jane Eyre Review ⭐ " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/charlotte-bronte/jane-eyre/review/ . Accessed 28 March 2024.

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The New York Times

The learning network | viewer, she marries him: comparing ‘jane eyre’ in literature and film.

Viewer, She Marries Him: Comparing ‘Jane Eyre’ in Literature and Film

Language Arts

Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.

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• See all lesson plans »

Overview | In this lesson, students consider the themes and characters of Charlotte Brontë’s novel “Jane Eyre,” beginning with responding to key lines from the novel. They then engage in one of seven activities designed to guide them to deeper reading of the text. Some of the activities involve considering one or more film adaptations, including a 2011 movie version. Finally, they compare the life of someone they know, or themselves, with Jane Eyre.

Materials | Computer with Internet access and projector, sheets of poster paper with quotations from “Jane Eyre” on them, markers, copies or the e-text of “Jane Eyre.”

Warm-Up | Before class, prepare six sheets of poster paper, each one with a quotation from the novel “Jane Eyre.” (This could be done while the class is reading it or as a wrap-up activity after they have read it. It could also be adapted slightly as an activity to introduce the novel.)

The quotes might include these:

“It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.” “I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer; it seemed scattered on the wind then faintly blowing. I abandoned it and framed a humbler supplication; for change, stimulus: that petition, too, seemed swept off into vague space: ‘Then,’ I cried, half desperate, ‘grant me at least a new servitude!'” “[I]f others don’t love me I would rather die than live — I cannot bear to be solitary and hated.” “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart!” “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.” “I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest — blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine.”

You might include a seventh sheet, left blank, for students to write down the quotes of their choice.

When students enter, tell them to take a marker and rotate through the stations (for the sake of order, you might assign small groups to begin at different points and tell them when to move to the next station). Their task is to jot a comment on the quotation on the poster. They may also respond to their classmates’ comments, effectively having a “conversation on paper” with the text and with one another.

When students are finished cycling through the stations, have them retake their seats, and review the completed posters. Ask: Looking at what was written, what do you notice? What responses strike you most and why? What interpretations do we have of Jane Eyre and “Jane Eyre”?

Now tell the class they will now read an article about a new film adaptation of “Jane Eyre.”

Related | In “ Another Hike on the Moors for ‘Jane Eyre,'” Charles McGrath notes that the novel has been adapted many times, including in a new film starring Mia Wasikowska:

Certain moments occur over and over again: the stool at Lowood, the miserable boarding school for orphans; Rochester skidding and falling from his horse; the screams at night, the burning bed chamber; Jane running across the barren countryside; the voice calling her across the moors. And it always ends the same way: She marries him of course, though the movie Rochester is seldom the pitiable, damaged creature he proves to be in the book, where he loses both an eye and a hand. If there has never been a definitive movie “Jane Eyre,” there has never been a truly rotten one. Even the sentimental 1996 Franco Zeffirelli version, with William Hurt embarrassingly miscast as a Rochester more nearly a mild eccentric than a brooding, Byronic type, has its moments. A couple of the movies have lingered a little on the sultry, Creole ancestry of Rochester’s first wife, Bertha Mason, and on a theme of colonial exploitation, but so far the one truly ground-breaking version is John Duigan’s 1993 film of “Wide Sargasso Sea,” the Jean Rhys novel that tells the story from the point of view of Bertha, the madwoman locked in the attic. So why another “Jane Eyre,” then, with so many perfectly serviceable ones already available on DVD or download? The simplest answer is that movies get remade all the time, and the great 19th-century novelists — Austen and the Brontë sisters especially — have proved to be an inexhaustible and almost foolproof resource.

Read the entire article with your class, using the questions below.

Questions | For discussion and reading comprehension:

• Why has “Jane Eyre” been adapted for film numerous times?
• How does Cary Fukunaga, who directed a new adaptation, compare the literary worlds created by Jane Austen with those created by Charlotte and Emily Brontë?
• Why does the new movie use flashbacks to tell the story?
• How has this technique made this one different from the other films based on “Jane Eyre”?
• How do the filmmakers characterize Jane Eyre?

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Around the Web

• The Enthusiast’s Guide to “Jane Eyre” Adaptations
• “Jane Eyre” (2011) official Web site
• Masterpiece Theatre: “Jane Eyre” Discussion Questions

Activity | Here are seven activity options for delving more deeply into “Jane Eyre,” each one paired with a past related Learning Network lesson that can easily be adapted for Brontë’s novel:

Updating the Novel: Students imagine what would happen if Jane Eyre were freed from her time and place and dropped into the present day, retaining the characterizations, themes and basic conflicts, but modernizing the setting and details. Related lesson: “Big Brother vs. Little Brother: Updating Orwell’s ‘1984’.”

Debating the Canon: Return to the line in the article about “Jane Eyre” being a “classic” with enduring relevance. Do students find that the novel resonates with them today? Students debate whether “Jane Eyre” should be kept on school reading lists. Related lesson: “No More Moldy Oldies? Appreciating Classic Texts.”

Analyzing Scenes: Students do a close reading of a single scene in the novel and then compare it with how that scene was portrayed in the 2011 film or another movie adaptation. Related lesson: “On the Scene: Analyzing Scenes in Film and Literature.”

Comparing Portrayals: How has Jane Eyre been played and portrayed through time? How have different actresses represented her? How do these portrayals contribute to our impressions of the character? Students look at photos of different Jane Eyres and watch, if possible, at least two movie versions, and write a comparison-contrast essay. Related lesson: “What a Character! Comparing Literary Adaptations.”

Writing Reviews: Half the class writes book reviews of the novel, and the other half writes movie reviews of the 2011 film . They then pair up with partners from the other group and swap reviews for peer response. Related lesson: “Reviews Revealed.”

Looking Through a Feminist Lens: How is it significant that “Jane Eyre” was written by a woman, Charlotte Brontë, who at the time of publication posed as a male writer named Currer Bell ? What “types” of women are represented in the story? Where else in literature, film and popular culture have they seen these types represented? Where else in our culture have women felt the need to seem more masculine to be taken seriously? How much has society changed for women since Brontë’s time? Students write personality profiles of Brontë as well as Jane and the other female characters in the novel, and then hold a discussion forum on these questions. Related lesson: That’s a Different Story? Considering Narratives By and About Women.”

Emulating Brontë: Students write a piece of short fiction in the vein of Charlotte Brontë, imitating her writing style. Related lesson: “Word Trip.”

Going Further | Students write personal essays called “My Jane Eyre,” about a real person they know who embodies aspects of Jane’s character or who has had experiences in which he or she encounters one or more of the same conflicts, challenges and struggles that Jane does in the novel, like balancing the desire to find love with the need to retain personal liberty or participate in the world of a social class to which they themselves do not belong.

Essays should also explain how the person’s outlook on life, interactions with others, dreams and personality correlate with Jane’s, drawing on both the text and their “Jane’s” real life to support their points.

Alternatively, they compare their own lives and outlooks with Jane Eyre’s. In what ways do they connect with her as a person? In what ways does her life and outlook seem foreign?

Standards | This lesson is correlated to McREL’s national standards (it can also be aligned to the new Common Core State Standards ):

Language Arts 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process. 2. Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing. 3. Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions. 4. Gathers and uses information for research purposes. 5. Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process. 6. Uses skills and strategies to read a variety of literary texts. 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes. 9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media. 10. Understands the characteristics and components of the media.

Arts Connections 1. Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines.

Life Skills 1. Contributes to the overall effort of a group. 2. Uses conflict-resolution techniques. 3. Works well with diverse individuals and in diverse situations. 4. Displays effective interpersonal communication skills. 5. Demonstrates leadership skills.

Thinking and Reasoning 1. Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument. 2. Understands and applies basic principles of logic and reasoning. 3. Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences.

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To paraphrase Virginia Woolf , modern readers often assume that Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, published in 1847 under the ridiculous pseudonym Currer Bell , will be old-fashioned and difficult to relate to, only to be astonished by a novel that largely feels as fresh and modern today as it did in the 19 th century. Regularly adapted into new films and TV shows and still serving as the touchstone for generations of writers, Jane Eyre is a remarkable novel both in its innovation and in its enduring quality.

Innovation in fiction isn’t always easy to appreciate. When Jane Eyre published it was something remarkable and new, a fresh way of writing in so many ways it was astounding. Closing in on two centuries later, those innovations have been absorbed into the larger literary zeitgeist and to younger readers might not seem so special. Even when people can’t appreciate the historical context of the novel, however, the skill and artistry that Charlotte Brontë brought to the novel makes it a thrilling reading experience.

There are, however, plenty of very good novels from the period that remain eminently readable (for reference, see everything Charles Dickens wrote). What sets Jane Eyre apart is the fact that it’s arguably the Citizen Kane of English-language novels, a work that transformed the art form permanently, a work that supplied many of the techniques and conventions still in use today. At the same time it’s also a powerful love story with a protagonist who is complicated, intelligent, and a pleasure to spend time with. It just also happens to be one of the greatest novels ever written.

For many reasons, it’s important to note that the subtitle of the novel is An Autobiography . The story begins when Jane is an orphan at just ten years old, living with her cousins the Reed Family at the request of her deceased uncle. Mrs. Reed is cruel to Jane, making it clear that she views her as an obligation and allowing her own children to be cruel to Jane, making her life a misery. This culminates in an episode where Jane defends herself from one of Mrs. Reed’s children and is punished by being locked in the room in which her uncle passed away. Terrified, Jane believes she sees her uncle’s ghost and faints from sheer terror.

Jane is attended by the kindly Mr. Lloyd. Jane confesses her misery to him, and he suggests to Mrs. Reed that Jane be sent off to school. Mrs. Reed is happy to be rid of Jane and sends her to the Lowood Institution, a charity school for orphaned and poor young girls. Jane’s escape at first only leads her to more misery, as the school is run by the mean-spirited Mr. Brocklehurst, who embodies the pitiless “charity” often championed by religion. The girls in his charge are treated poorly, sleeping in cold rooms and eating a poor diet with frequent punishments. Mr. Brocklehurst, convinced by Mrs. Reed that Jane is a liar, singles her out for punishment, but Jane makes some friends including fellow classmate Helen and the kind-hearted Miss Temple, who helps clear Jane’s name. After a typhus epidemic leads to the death of Helen, Mr. Brocklehurst’s cruelty is exposed and conditions improve at Lowood. Jane eventually becomes a teacher there.

When Miss Temple leaves to marry, Jane decides it’s time for her to move on as well, and she finds employment as a governess to a young girl at Thornfield Hall, the ward of Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester. Rochester is arrogant, prickly, and often insulting, but Jane stands up to him and the two find that they enjoy each other immensely. Jane experiences several odd, seemingly-supernatural events while at Thornfield, including a mysterious fire in Mr. Rochester’s room.

When Jane learns that her aunt, Mrs. Reed, is dying, she puts aside her anger towards the woman and goes to tend to her. Mrs. Reed confesses on her deathbed that she was worse to Jane than previously suspected, revealing that Jane’s paternal uncle had written asking Jane to come live with him and be his heir, but Mrs. Reed told him Jane was dead.

Returning to Thornfield, Jane and Rochester admit their feelings for each other, and Jane accepts his proposal—but the wedding ends in tragedy when it’s revealed that Rochester is already married. He confesses that his father forced him into an arranged marriage with Bertha Mason for her money, but Bertha suffers from a serious mental condition and has been deteriorating almost from the moment he married her. Rochester has kept Bertha locked up in a room in Thornfield for her own safety, but she occasionally escapes—explaining many of the mysterious events Jane experienced.

Rochester begs Jane to run away with him and live in France, but she refuses, unwilling to compromise her principles. She flees Thornfield with her scant possessions and money, and through a series of misfortunes winds up sleeping out in the open. She is taken in by her distant relative St. John Eyre Rivers, a clergyman, and learns that her uncle John left her a fortune. When St. John proposes marriage (considering it a form of duty), Jane contemplates joining him on missionary work in India, but hears the voice of Rochester calling to her.

Returning to Thornfield, Jane is shocked to find it burned to the ground. She discovers that Bertha escaped her rooms and set the place ablaze; in trying to rescue her, Rochester was badly injured. Jane goes to him, and he is at first convinced she will reject him for his hideous appearance, but Jane assures him she still loves him, and they finally are married.

Major Characters

Jane Eyre:  Jane is the protagonist of the story. An orphan, Jane grows up dealing with adversity and poverty, and becomes a person who values her independence and agency even if it means living a simple, no-frills life. Jane is considered ‛plain’ and yet becomes an object of desire for multiple suitors because of the strength of her personality. Jane can be sharp-tongued and judgmental, but is also curious and eager to re-evaluate situations and people based on new information. Jane has very strong beliefs and values and is willing to suffer in order to maintain them.

Edward Fairfax Rochester:  Jane’s employer at Thornfield Hall and eventually her husband. Mr. Rochester is often described as a “ Byronic Hero ,” so-called after the poet Lord Byron —he is arrogant, withdrawn and often at odds with society, and rebels against the common wisdom and ignores public opinion. He’s a form of antihero, ultimately revealed to be noble despite his rough edges. He and Jane initially spar and dislike each other, but find they are drawn to each other romantically when she proves she can stand up to his personality. Rochester secretly married the wealthy Bertha Mason in his youth due to familial pressure; when she began to exhibit symptoms of congenital madness he locked her up as the proverbial “madwoman in the attic.”

Mrs. Reed:  Jane’s maternal aunt, who takes the orphan in response to her husband’s dying wish. A selfish and mean-spirited woman, she abuses Jane and shows distinct preferment to her own children, and even withholds the news of Jane’s inheritance until she has a deathbed epiphany and shows remorse for her behavior.

Mr. Lloyd:  A kindly apothecary (similar to the modern pharmacist) who is the first person to show Jane kindness. When Jane confesses her depression and unhappiness with the Reeds, he suggests she be sent to school in an effort to get her away from a bad situation.

Mr. Brocklehurst:  The director of Lowood School. A member of the clergy, he justifies his harsh treatment of the young girls under his care via religion, claiming that it is necessary for their education and salvation. He does not apply these principles to himself or his own family, however. His abuses are eventually exposed.

Miss Maria Temple:  The superintendent at Lowood. She is a kind and fair-minded woman who takes her duty to the girls very seriously. She is kind to Jane and has a tremendous influence on her.

Helen Burns: Jane’s friend at Lowood, who eventually dies of the Typhus outbreak at the school. Helen is kind-hearted and refuses to hate even the people who are cruel to her, and has a profound influence on Jane’s belief in God and attitude towards religion.

Bertha Antoinetta Mason: Mr. Rochester’s wife, kept under lock and key at Thornfield Hall due to her insanity. She frequently escapes and does strange things that at first seem almost supernatural. She eventually burns the house to the ground, dying in the flames. After Jane, she is the most-discussed character in the novel because of the rich metaphorical possibilities she represents as the “madwoman in the attic.”

St. John Eyre Rivers: A clergyman and distant relative of Jane’s who takes her in after she flees Thornfield after her wedding to Mr. Rochester ends in chaos when his previous marriage is revealed. He is a good man but emotionless and dedicated solely to his missionary work. He doesn’t so much propose marriage to Jane as declare it to be God’s will that Jane doesn’t have much choice in.

Jane Eyre is a complex novel that touches on many themes:

Independence: Jane Eyre is sometimes described as “ proto-feminist ” novel because Jane is portrayed as a complete personality who has ambitions and principles independent of the men around her. Jane is intelligent and perceptive, fiercely committed to her view of things, and capable of incredible love and affection—but not ruled by these emotions, as she frequently goes against her own desires in service of her intellectual and moral compass. Most importantly, Jane is the master of her life and makes choices for herself, and accepts the consequences. This is contrasted in a neat gender-flip by Mr. Rochester, who entered into a doomed, unhappy marriage because he was ordered to, a role most often played by women at the time (and historically).

Jane persists against tremendous adversity, especially in her younger years, and matures into a thoughtful and caring adult despite the deprivations of her mean-spirited aunt and the cruel, falsely-moral Mr. Brocklehurst. As an adult at Thornfield, Jane is given a chance to have everything she wants by running away with Mr. Rochester, but she chooses not to do so because she firmly believes it is the wrong thing to do.

Jane’s independence and persistence was unusual in a female character at the time of composition, as was the poetic and evocative nature of the intimate POV—the access the reader is given to Jane’s inner monologue and the adherence of the narrative to her limited point of view (we only know what Jane knows, at all times) was innovative and sensational at the time. Most novels of the time remained at a distance from the characters, making our close association with Jane a thrilling novelty. At the same time, being so closely wedded to Jane’s sensibility allows Brontë to control the reader’s reactions and perceptions, as we are only given information once it has been processed through Jane’s beliefs, views, and feelings.

Even when Jane weds Mr. Rochester in what could be seen as the expected and traditional conclusion to the story, she twists expectation by saying “Reader, I married him,” maintaining her status as the protagonist of her own life.

Morality:  Brontë makes clear distinctions between the false morals of people like Mr. Brocklehurst, who abuses and mistreats those less powerful than he is under the guise of charity and religious teaching. There is in fact a deep undercurrent of suspicion about society and its norms throughout the novel; respectable people like the Reeds are in fact awful, legal marriages such as Rochester and Bertha Mason’s (or the one proposed by St. John) are shams; institutions like Lowood that ostensibly demonstrate the good of society and religion are in fact terrible places.

Jane is shown to be the most moral person in the book because she is true to herself, not out of adherence to a set of rules composed by someone else. Jane is offered many chances to take an easier way by betraying her principles; she could have been less combative towards her cousins and curried Mrs. Reed’s favor, she could have worked harder to get along at Lowood, she could have deferred to Mr. Rochester as her employer and not challenged him, she could have run away with him and been happy. Instead, Jane demonstrates true morality throughout the novel by rejecting these compromises and remaining, crucially, true to herself.

Wealth:  The question of wealth is an undercurrent throughout the novel, as Jane is a penniless orphan through most of the story but is in secret a wealthy heiress, while Mr. Rochester is a wealthy man who is quite reduced in every way by the end of the novel—in fact, in some ways their roles reverse over the course of the story.

In the world of Jane Eyre , wealth is not something to be jealous of, but rather a means to an end: Survival. Jane spends large portions of the book struggling to survive due to a lack of money or social standing, and yet Jane is also one of the most content and confident characters in the book. In contrast to the works of Jane Austen (to which Jane Eyre is invariably compared), money and marriage are not seen as practical goals for women, but rather as romantic goals—a very modern attitude that was at the time out of step with the common wisdom.

Spirituality:  There is only one bona-fide supernatural event in the story: When Jane hears Mr. Rochester’s voice towards the end, calling to her. There are other allusions to the supernatural, such as her uncle’s ghost in the Red Room or the events at Thornfield, but these have perfectly rational explanations. However, that voice at the end implies that in the universe of Jane Eyre the supernatural does in fact exist, bringing into question how much of Jane’s experiences along these lines might not have been truly supernatural.

It is impossible to say, but Jane is a character unusually sophisticated in her spiritual self-knowledge. In parallel to Brontë’s themes of morality and religion, Jane is presented as someone very much in touch with and comfortable with her spiritual beliefs whether those beliefs are in step with the church or other outside authorities. Jane has a distinct philosophy and belief system all her own, and shows a great deal of confidence in her own ability to use her wits and experience to understand the world around her. This is something Brontë presents as an ideal—making up your own mind about things rather than simply accepting what you’re told.

Literary Style

Jane Eyre  borrowed  elements of Gothic novels  and poetry that shaped it into a unique narrative. Brontë’s use of the tropes from gothic novels—madness, haunted estates, terrible secrets—gives the story a tragic and ominous overtone that colors every event with a larger-than-life sense. It also serves to give Brontë unprecedented freedom to play with the information given the reader. Early in the story, the Red Room scene leaves the reader with the tantalizing possibility that there  was , in fact, a ghost—which then makes the later happenings at Thornfield seem even more ominous and frightening.

Brontë also uses  pathetic fallacy  to great effect, having the weather often mirror Jane’s inner turmoils or emotional state, and uses fire and ice (or heat and cold) as symbols of freedom and oppression. These are the tools of poetry and had never been used so extensively or effectively in the novel form before. Brontë uses them powerfully in conjunction with the gothic touches to create a fictional universe that is mirrored on reality but seems magical, with heightened emotions and, thus, higher stakes.

This is amplified even more by the intimacy of Jane’s  point of view  (POV). Previous novels had usually hued closely to a realistic depiction of events—the reader could trust what they were told implicitly. Because Jane is our eyes and ears to the story, however, we’re conscious on some level of never really getting  reality , but rather  Jane’s version  of reality. This is a subtle effect that nonetheless has a tremendous impact on the book once we realize that every character description and piece of action is filtered through Jane’s attitudes and perceptions.

Historical Context

It’s essential to keep in mind the original subtitle of the novel ( An Autobiography ) for another reason: The more you examine Charlotte Brontë’s life, the more obvious it becomes that Jane Eyre is very much all about Charlotte.

Charlotte had a long history of an intense inner world; along with her sisters she had created an incredibly complex fantasy world Glass Town , composed of numerous short novels and poems, along with maps and other world-building tools. In her mid-20s she traveled to Brussels to study French, and fell in love with a married man. For years she wrote fiery love letters to the man before seeming to accept that the affair was impossible; Jane Eyre appeared shortly afterwards and can be seen as a fantasy about how that affair might have gone differently.

Charlotte also spent time in the Clergy Daughter’s School, where conditions and treatment of the girls were terrible, and where several student did in fact die of typhoid—including Charlotte’s sister Maria, who was only eleven years old. Charlotte clearly modeled much of the early life of Jane Eyre on her own unhappy experiences, and the character of Helen Burns is often seen as a stand-in for her lost sister. She was also later a governess to a family that she bitterly reported treated her poorly, adding one more piece of what would become Jane Eyre .

More broadly, the Victorian Era had just begun in England. This was a time of intense societal transformation in terms of the economy and technology. A middle class formed for the first time in English history, and the sudden upward mobility open to regular people led to an increased sense of personal agency which can be seen in the character of Jane Eyre, a woman who rises above her station through simple hard work and intelligence. These changes created an atmosphere of instability in society as old ways were changed by the industrial revolution and the growing power of the British Empire worldwide, leading many to question ancient assumptions about the aristocracy, religion, and traditions.

Jane’s attitudes towards Mr. Rochester and other monied characters reflects these changing times; the value of property owners who contributed little to society was being questioned, and Rochester’s marriage to the insane Bertha Mason can be seen as an overt criticism of this “leisure class” and the lengths they went to in order to preserve their status. In contrast, Jane comes from poverty and has only her mind and her spirit through most of the story, and yet ends up triumphant in the end. Along the way Jane experiences many of the worst aspects of the time period, including disease, poor living conditions, the limited opportunities available to women, and the stultifying oppression of a harsh, pitiless religious attitude.

Jane Eyre isn’t famous solely for its themes and plot; it’s also a well-written book with plenty of smart, funny, and touching phrases.

• “By dying young I shall escape great sufferings. I had not qualities or talents to make my way very well in the world: I should have been continually at fault.”
• “’Am I hideous, Jane?’ ‛Very, sir: you always were, you know.’”
• “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel.”
• “I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected; and now, at the first renewed view of him, they spontaneously revived, great and strong! He made me love him without looking at me.”
• “I would always rather be happy than dignified.”
• “If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.”
• “Flirting is a woman’s trade, one must keep in practice.”
• Individuality and Self-Worth: Feminist Accomplishment in Jane Eyre
• Dreams as Narrative Structure in Wide Sargasso Sea
• An Introduction to Metafiction
• 'Jane Eyre' Questions for Study and Discussion
• Must-Read Books If You Like Romeo and Juliet
• Biography of Charlotte Brontë
• Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford
• Biography of Anne Brontë, English Novelist
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Book review: The Secret History of Jane Eyre: How Charlotte Brontë Wrote Her Masterpiece by John Pfordresher

How charlotte brontë used her own tormented life in writing jane eyre.

T hat Jane Eyre is a novel based on its author’s experience, emotional and sometimes literal, is hardly a “secret”, as the title of this book suggests. The idea that Jane is Charlotte Brontë has a long heritage, and has been explored by biographers ranging from Elizabeth Gaskell in 1857 to modern exponents such as Winifred Gérin, Lyndall Gordon, Juliet Barker and Claire Harman, among others.

Even when the manuscript first landed on the desk of the London publishing firm of Smith, Elder in 1847, the executives there probably suspected that its first-person narrative contained a woman’s intimate revelations, despite the fact that it was sent to them under a male pseudonym from far-off Yorkshire. It was they, and not Charlotte herself, as John Pfordresher implies,

Visit the Manuscript of ‘Jane Eyre’ in New York

The handwritten novel is in the United States for the first time—along with an exhibition of artifacts from Charlotte Brontë’s brief and brilliant life

Erin Blakemore

Correspondent

How did Charlotte Brontë go from scribbling in secret to one of England’s (and literature’s) most famous names? Look for the answer in a passage in Jane Eyre , in which her famously plain heroine tells her husband-to-be that she is a “free human with an independent will.” That bold declaration is at the center of a new exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York—one that celebrates the author’s 200th birthday with a look at the forces that turned her into a writer.

Brontë has been at the center of literary legend since her first published novel, Jane Eyre , appeared under a pseudonym in 1847. The book was immediately loved and loathed for emotions that flew in the face of convention and courtesy, and the identity of its author became a much-contested question. But even after Brontë was discovered to be the person behind the pen name Currer Bell, myths about her childhood , her family members and the atmosphere in which she became an author have persisted.

The popular image of the Brontë sisters and their brother Branwell—all of whom died before they turned 40—has long been one of Gothic isolation and tragic pathos. But those ideas are far from true, and the Morgan’s exhibition Charlotte Brontë: An Independent Will grounds Charlotte’s brief life in objects from her everyday world. From miniature manuscripts she wrote as a child to her drawings, paintings, letters and clothing, the exhibition is full of clues as to how a parson’s daughter living in Yorkshire could become a worldly and bold author.

At the center of the exhibition is a handwritten manuscript of Jane Eyre , Brontë’s most famous novel, which is in the United States for the first time. It is open to the passage in which its heroine, a poor and plain governess, reminds her would-be lover that “I am a bird, and no net ensnares me.” She refuses to marry Edward Rochester, a wealthy landowner, unless he accepts her as an equal and not a subordinate. That fiery sentiment was echoed by Brontë herself. In an era in which women of her station were expected to be governesses or teachers, she aspired to be a novelist. And even when her work gained fame, she challenged her readers to judge her by her output and not her gender.

Though the exhibition features documents from some of Charlotte’s most triumphant moments, it also contains echoes of tragedy. In 1848 and 1849, her three surviving siblings, Branwell, Emily and Anne, died within eight months of one another. Alone and stripped of her best friends and literary co-conspirators, Charlotte grappled with depression and loneliness . Visitors can read letters she wrote informing friends of her irrevocable losses, handwritten on black-edged mourning paper.

In the 161 years since Charlotte’s own early death at age 38, her literary reputation has only grown larger. But that doesn’t mean she was large in actual stature—the diminutive author stood less than five feet tall, as demonstrated by a dress in the exhibition. She may have been physically tiny, but her larger-than-life genius lives on in the objects she left behind. The exhibition runs through January 2, 2017.

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Erin Blakemore | | READ MORE

Erin Blakemore is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist. Her work has appeared in publications like The Washington Post , TIME , mental_floss , Popular Science and JSTOR Daily . Learn more at erinblakemore.com .

07 Oct Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: In-depth Book Review and Analysis

Introduction:.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a seminal piece that burgeons with profound themes and rich character development, making it a must-read for those intrigued by 19th-century literature . This review delves into the essence of Brontë’s narrative, examining its literary anatomy and socio-cultural underpinnings. Recommended reading age is 14 and above due to mature themes.

The narrative follows Jane Eyre , an orphaned girl, who navigates a world often hostile towards her. Through her experiences at Lowood School , and later, at Thornfield Hall as a governess, the book explores themes of love, independence, and the struggle against societal expectations.

Jane Eyre stands robust in its storytelling and characterization, yet, its pacing can be tedious for modern readers. The book, through its meticulous narrative and a strong, independent protagonist, encourages dialogue on gender roles and social status, making it a significant read. Literary devices such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and irony are intricately woven into the fabric of the narrative. The storyline mirrors Brontë’s own life, echoing her reflections on women’s independence and social criticism.

Evaluation:

Readers who appreciate a blend of romance, social critique, and a journey of self-discovery would find Jane Eyre engaging. Compared to other works like Wuthering Heights by her sister Emily, Jane Eyre is less dark yet equally poignant. The book is highly recommended for its enduring relevance and insightful exploration of human emotions and societal norms.

Possible questions for a high school test:

• Answer: By seeking independence, education, and challenging gender roles.
• Answer: The ‘Red Room’ symbolizes Jane’s imprisonment and her fear of oppression.
• Answer: Examples include Mr. Rochester’s disguises, hinting at his deceptive nature or the eerie laughter foreshadowing the revelation of Bertha Mason.

Awards and accolades:

While awards as we know them weren’t prevalent when published, the books critical acclaim has secured its place as a classic in English literature .

Functional details about the book:

• ISBN: Varies by edition
• Pages: ~500
• Publisher: Various publishers due to its public domain status
• First Published: 1847
• Adaptations: Numerous, including films, TV shows, and stage plays
• Genre: Novel, Bildungsroman
• BISAC Categories: Fiction / Classics
• Suggested Reading Age: 14 and up

Opening Excerpt of the book:

Excerpt from Jane Eyre | Penguin Random House Canada

Other Reviews:

Numerous reviews are available online, reflecting a high appreciation for its narrative and the protagonist’s strong character.

Where to buy the book:

Jane Eyre on Bookshop.org

Is this book part of a series?

No, it’s a standalone novel.

About the author:

Charlotte Brontë, born in 1816, was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, all of whom were literary figures. Besides Jane Eyre , she authored Shirley and Villette . Although not awarded in her time, her work has left an indelible mark on literature.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Strength of character triumphs in Bronte's masterpiece.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Young Jane is sad, hungry, and misunderstood durin

Jane Eyre is a 19th-century gothic romance of the

Jane Eyre possesses such impressive strength of ch

As a young child, Jane is pushed and struck by her

The characters kiss and describe romantic feelings

Since the novel is set in Victorian England, there

Wine, beer, and gin are sometimes consumed -- most

Parents need to know that Charlotte Bronte's classic romantic novel does not contain "mature themes" in the modern sense, but it does require a mature reader to comprehend the characters' complex relationships and inner turmoil, and to take in the troubling events that occur: Children are abused and…

Educational Value

Young Jane is sad, hungry, and misunderstood during the first half of her career at Lowood School, but conditions improve and she dedicates herself to her studies. Her education becomes one of her greatest assets; it is her way out of Lowood, and twice enables her to support herself: first as Adele's governess in Thornfield Hall, and then as a school teacher in Morton.

Positive Messages

Jane Eyre is a 19th-century gothic romance of the highest order, but it's an unconventional one. The message here is that Jane is better off single than with the wrong partner, or a partner who asks her to betray her own conscience. In a cruel world full of chaos and madness, Jane Eyre listens to her mind at least as much as her heart. She always does what she knows is right, and she knows her own worth.

Positive Role Models

Jane Eyre possesses such impressive strength of character -- a powerful sense of her own self-worth and moral fiber, despite the abuse and neglect she suffers in her Aunt Reed's house and at Lowood School. Her opportunities are limited by her finances and by Victorian gender roles, but she is always guided by her own conscience and intelligence, and is one of the strongest female characters in English literature. During her formative years, Jane herself learns from the example set by two friends at Lowood, her classmate Helen Burns, a sickly child but the soul of Christian patience and goodness, and School Superintendent Maria Temple, a firm but kind teacher whom Jane eventually emulates.

Violence & Scariness

As a young child, Jane is pushed and struck by her young cousins, and locked in a dark room as punishment. As an adult at Thornfield Hall, she is asked to nurse Rochester's brother-in-law, Richard Mason, when he is savagely stabbed and bitten by a madwoman -- this is a bloody scene. Fire breaks out at Thornfield Hall twice. The second time, Rochester is wounded and a woman jumps from the roof to her death.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

The characters kiss and describe romantic feelings. Rochester speaks of previous adulterous affairs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Since the novel is set in Victorian England, there are no product names to drop, but the quality or type of the characters' dress is often viewed as indicative of their wealth and station.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Wine, beer, and gin are sometimes consumed -- mostly for medicinal purposes. Rochester also smokes the occasional cigar. After Jane leaves Rochester, she worries about what "opiate" state he may have entered.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Charlotte Bronte's classic romantic novel does not contain "mature themes" in the modern sense, but it does require a mature reader to comprehend the characters' complex relationships and inner turmoil, and to take in the troubling events that occur: Children are abused and neglected; half of the students of Lowood School die of typhus, while the other half are malnourished and cold. Mental illness and adulterous affairs figure in the story, as well.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (5)
• Kids say (33)

Based on 5 parent reviews

It was boring

What's the story.

When the novel begins, Jane Eyre is a 9-year-old orphan who is dependent on a heartless, widowed aunt, Mrs. Reed. Resentful of her late husband's affection for Jane, Mrs. Reed neglects her niece, then sends her to a \"charity school,\" Lowood, where students are raised on strict rules and a poor diet, ostensibly in preparation for a harsh life. In spite of these obstacles, Jane succeeds as a student and then as a teacher, and after nine years, leaves Lowood to serve as governess to Adele, the young ward of Edward Rochester, master of mysterious Thornfield Hall. At 18, Jane gets engaged to the stern and aloof Rochester, and on their wedding day, Jane learns his secret, which leads to her becoming an independent woman.

Is It Any Good?

Charlotte Bronte's classic romantic novel is simply one of the greatest works of English fiction. Jane's independence, fortitude, and intelligence render her one of literature's strongest female characters, and the passionate love between Jane and Rochester is a romance for the ages. Bronte's development of that relationship, set against the mysteries within Thornfield Hall, is peerless.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the moral struggle that Jane faces when she learns Rochester's secret. Why does Jane feel she must leave Thornfield Hall?

Jane Eyre is as an unconventional heroine, a young woman ahead of her time. What makes Jane different from other female main characters in novels of Bronte's era -- from Jane Austen's women, for example? What makes Jane seem old-fashioned, and what makes her timeless?

Book Details

• Author : Charlotte Bronte
• Genre : Romance
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Harper Press
• Publication date : October 16, 1900
• Number of pages : 490
• Last updated : April 23, 2020

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Look Inside

Jane Steele

By lyndsay faye, by lyndsay faye read by susie riddell, category: historical fiction | crime fiction | literary fiction, category: historical fiction | crime fiction | literary fiction | audiobooks.

Mar 14, 2017 | ISBN 9780425283202 | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 --> | ISBN 9780425283202 --> Buy

Mar 22, 2016 | ISBN 9780698155954 | 6 x 9 --> | ISBN 9780698155954 --> Buy

Mar 22, 2016 | 734 Minutes | ISBN 9780147524867 --> Buy

Buy from Other Retailers:

Mar 14, 2017 | ISBN 9780425283202

Mar 22, 2016 | ISBN 9780698155954

Mar 22, 2016 | ISBN 9780147524867

734 Minutes

Buy the Audiobook Download:

• audiobooks.com

About Jane Steele

The reimagining of Jane Eyre as a gutsy, heroic serial killer that The New York Times Book Review calls “wonderfully entertaining” and USA Today describes as “sheer mayhem meets Victorian propriety”— nominated for the 2017 Edgar Award for Best Novel. “Reader, I murdered him.” A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life until escaping to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre “last confessions” of the recently hanged, Jane thrills at discovering an advertisement. Her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, who seeks a governess. Burning to know whether she is in fact the rightful heir, Jane takes the position incognito and learns that Highgate House is full of marvelously strange new residents—the fascinating but caustic Mr. Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, and the gracious Sikh butler Mr. Sardar Singh, whose history with Mr. Thornfield appears far deeper and darker than they pretend. As Jane catches ominous glimpses of the pair’s violent history and falls in love with the gruffly tragic Mr. Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: Can she possess him—body, soul, and secrets—without revealing her own murderous past?   “A thrill ride of a novel. A must read for lovers of  Jane Eyre , dark humor, and mystery.” — PopSugar.com

Nominated for the 2017 Edgar Award for Best Novel The reimagining of Jane Eyre as a gutsy, heroic serial killer that The New York Times Book Review calls “wonderfully entertaining” and USA Today describes as “sheer mayhem meets Victorian propriety.”   “A thrill ride of a novel. A must read for lovers of  Jane Eyre , dark humor, and mystery.” — PopSugar.com “Reader, I murdered him.” A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life until escaping to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre “last confessions” of the recently hanged, Jane thrills at discovering an advertisement. Her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, who seeks a governess. Burning to know whether she is in fact the rightful heir, Jane takes the position incognito and learns that Highgate House is full of marvelously strange new residents—the fascinating but caustic Mr. Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, and the gracious Sikh butler Mr. Sardar Singh, whose history with Mr. Thornfield appears far deeper and darker than they pretend. As Jane catches ominous glimpses of the pair’s violent history and falls in love with the gruffly tragic Mr. Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: Can she possess him—body, soul, and secrets—without revealing her own murderous past? A satirical romance about identity, guilt, goodness, and the nature of lies, by a writer who Matthew Pearl calls “superstar-caliber” and whose previous works Gillian Flynn declared “spectacular,” Jane Steele is a brilliant and deeply absorbing book inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre .

Listen to a sample from Jane Steele

Also by lyndsay faye.

About Lyndsay Faye

Lyndsay Faye is the author of a number of critically acclaimed books, including the Edgar Award–nominated novels Jane Steele and The Gods of Gotham. Faye, a true New Yorker in the sense that she was born elsewhere, lives in New York City.

Product Details

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Praise for Jane Steele Nominated for a Macavity Award—Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Novel Part of NPR’s Guide to 2016’s Great Reads An Amazon Best Book of 2016 So Far (June, 2016) “Witty and exquisitely plotted, this is such a delectable treat ‘tis a pity it has to end.” —People “[Jane Steele’s] crimes are wonderfully entertaining.” —The New York Times Book Review “An entertaining riff on  Jane Eyre …sheer mayhem meets Victorian propriety.” —USA Today “ Jane Eyre gets a dose of Dexter. In a story that’s equal parts romance, thriller, and satire, the Brontë heroine is made over into a fighter with a shadowy past.” — Cosmopolitan “A thrill ride of a novel. A must read for lovers of Jane Eyre , dark humor, and mystery.” — PopSugar.com “Delectable…Bronte fans and unfamiliar readers alike will be sucked into Jane’s rich story, filled with love and secrets a plenty. This book will take you on a dark and unforgettable journey.” — Bustle.com “This book scratched all my favorite itches: Victoriana, feminist rage, and excellent, gut-punch sentences. You’ll love this Jane just as much as you love the original.” — BookRiot.com “Faye’s skill at historical mystery was evident in her nineteenth-century New York trilogy, but this slyly satiric stand-alone takes her prowess to new levels. A must for Brontë devotees; wickedly entertaining for all.”— Booklist (starred review) “Young Jane Steele’s favorite book, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre , mirrors her life both too little and too much…In an arresting tale of dark humor and sometimes gory imagination, Faye has produced a heroine worthy of the gothic literature canon but reminiscent of detective fiction.”— Library Journal  (starred review) “I loved this book!  The language rings true, the period details are correct.  Jane Steele is a joy, both plucky and rueful in her assessment of her dark deeds.  The plotting is solid and the pacing sublime.  If this were a series, this would be the perfect introduction.  As a stand-alone, I give it an A+.”—Sue Grafton, #1 New York Times– bestselling author          “This is a wonderfully wicked book. The deadly first chapter actually made me gasp. Jane Steele is a character you will not soon forget. Great evil fun!”—R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series   “Lyndsay Faye pulls off the most elusive feat of historical fiction: to give us a book that reads as though it was unearthed from a perfectly preserved antique chest. Sneakily charming and wildly well written, like Faye’s other novels JANE STEELE demands attention.” — Matthew Pearl, New York Times– bestselling author of The Dante Club and The Last Bookaneer   “I’ve just read the next best thing…Enhanced by truly original and poetic turns of phrase…throughout its compelling narrative, Jane Steele pleas for a comfortable chair, a crackling fireplace, and an ideal adult beverage to guarantee a thoroughly pleasurable winter evening.”—Otto Penzler, Owner of The Mysterious Bookshop “Lethal good fun! In Jane, Lyndsay Faye has created a heroine unwilling to suffer tyrants or fools. The result is a darkly-humorous, elegantly-crafted story of an “accidental” vigilante. A delicious read.”—Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist      “Enchanting. Jane Steele is beautifully rendered and utterly captivating, from the first cry of ‘reader, I murdered him’ to its final pages. Lyndsay Faye is a masterful storyteller, and this is her finest tale yet.”—Maria Konnikova, New York Times– bestselling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes “The book I never knew I always wanted to read. Gripping, twisty, and fiendishly clever, Jane Steele picks you up by the throat and never lets you go, taking you on an exhilaratingly wild ride. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in ages–the only thing it left me wanting was MORE Jane Steele!”—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times– bestselling author of A Curious Beginning “From the gasp-inducing moment Jane Steele utters the words “reader, I murdered him”, you know you are in for a rollicking romp of an adventure that recasts the Jane Eyre story in an entirely new light. But mixed in with the verve and vivacity is a story of real heart, exemplary, near-forgotten history, and an utterly unforgettable heroine. Brava to Lyndsay Faye for what’s already one of my favorite thrillers of the year.”—Sarah Weinman, editor of Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s “Add Jane Steele to that club of unforgettable antiheroes—Tom Ripley, Hannibal Lecter, and Dexter Morgan—who do dreadful things to bad people. Bold, inventive, and charmingly wicked, this instantly addictive novel pays homage to Jane Eyre while being wholly original. Lyndsay Faye has created a masterpiece.” — Hilary Davidson, Anthony Award–winning author of Blood Always Tells “ Jane Steele is a bold and imaginative undertaking—wickedly entertaining and exquisitely unique in its execution…With thrills, mystery and romance, the story is striking and imaginative as we see how Brontë’s Jane Eyre gives meaning to Jane’s acts. Dark, satirical humor coupled with sharp dialogue make this a novel that’s refreshingly compelling.” —USA Today (Happily Ever After blog) “Hand to my heart, this book positively made me swoon… Jane Steele is an homage to Jane Eyre, yet infinitely better, since Jane Steele is no one’s victim; she bends life to her will instead of drifting along according to fate’s whimsy…Jane is a thrilling protagonist…I wish that I could read this again for the first time—but I’ve no doubt it will be just as good when I read it for the third and fourth times.” —Crimespree Magazine “For anyone who read Jane Eyre wishing for swifter, more final fates for the cruelest characters, Jane Steele is here to grant your wishes…a fresh and imaginative takeoff on Jane Eyre , and will leave readers with plenty of fodder for discussion.”— Minneapolis Star-Tribune   “Faye hasn’t embarked on a retelling of Brontë’s masterwork, or anyone else’s, for that matter. Her novel pays homage to the greats, yet offers a heroine whose murky past and murderous present remind us that some female behavior in other eras never made it into print…The satisfaction in this novel is its conviction that the self is enriched by an understanding of others, whether their motives are villainous or amicable.”—NPR   “A beautifully written, thoroughly engaging and brilliantly satirical novel…Jane Steele is an extraordinary, likeable narrator, and Faye’s other characters are just as memorable. The sharp and tragic Mr. Thornfield gives Bronte’s Mr. Rochester a run for his money. This book, whether you’re trying to puzzle out the mysteries or just lapping up Faye’s brilliant humor, is an excellent homage to Bronte and simply a treasure on its own.”— New York Daily News “A smart satirical gothic romance that plays as much to Charlotte Brontë’s fans as Edgar Allan Poe’s…Flushed with humour and humors, this novel is a hoot. I laughed not only at Jane’s audacity as a character…but also the author’s accomplishments skillfully mashing up a modern serial killer novel with a 19th-century novel of manners.”— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   “Lyndsay Faye give us all the pomp and circumstance of an old English novel, but her murderous twists turn the genre on its head in way that’s sarcastic and satisfying.”— Southern Living

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Review: A Grim Balletic Account of ‘Jane Eyre’

Cathy Marston’s telling, at American Ballet Theater, takes an admirable feminist stance, but is undone by monotonous choreography.

By Gia Kourlas

“Women are supposed to be very calm generally,” Charlotte Brontë wrote in “Jane Eyre,” her 1847 novel, “but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts.”

Women have always had to deal with uphill battles, but as heroines go, Jane Eyre has more than her fair share. Read the book if you haven’t; reread the book if you have. As for seeing Cathy Marston’s balletic rendering of “Jane Eyre” ? This production, originally created for Northern Ballet in 2016 and opening on Tuesday at American Ballet Theater, takes an admirable feminist stance. But its unrelenting grimness and monotonous choreography give that point of view little room to grow and add nothing to the poetry and page-turning drama of Brontë’s novel.

The wan lighting by Brad Fields and bleak sets and costumes by Patrick Kinmonth don’t help to illuminate the story or the choreography. On the bright side, it’s not hard to relate to the torment endured by Young Jane, a character played with cold relish by Catherine Hurlin . The ballet is told in flashback. It begins after the adult Jane (Devon Teuscher) has fled Rochester (James Whiteside). To make her appear ravaged by the wind, she is shuffled among a collective of D-Men — inner demons who follow her from scene to scene and often, as men are wont to do, get in her way. St. John Rivers (Aran Bell) discovers her limp body and rescues her.

She’s already been through a lot in Brontë’s tale, if not yet in the ballet. An orphan sent to live with her wealthy aunt and nasty cousins, Jane is sent away to a charity school where she makes a friend who dies. She becomes a governess, falls in love with her strange and stern boss, Rochester, who loves her too, but there’s a hurdle: Not only is he already married, but he hides his mad wife — who is fond of setting fires — somewhere upstairs.

The deranged wife is played by Cassandra Trenary with the feral tenacity of a backup dancer in a hair metal band. Her performance can’t redeem this otherwise listless production, but she’s a campy diversion. Another such moment was slight yet memorable: Stella Abrera, as Rochester’s other love interest, the socialite Blanche Ingram, shoves his young ward (Zimmi Coker) out of the way. Ms. Abrera always shines when she’s playing evil.

Ms. Marston, a British choreographer long inspired by literature — she has created versions of “Lolita” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” among others — relies on a simple movement vocabulary that is more gestural than balletic. As an addition to Ballet Theater repertory, “Jane Eyre” is in the same vein — but not even close to the same league — as works by Antony Tudor, also English, whose rich, haunting psychological dramas are a major part of the company’s history.

[ Read about Cathy Marston’s career and the making of “Jane Eyre.” ]

Over and over, we see Jane pressing the backs of her hands against her cheeks with her elbows crossed at her chest. Lifts are frequent, usually initiated from behind, as is the kind of push-and-pull partnering that ends up with dancers rolling around on the floor. It’s not legible on the vast stage of the Metropolitan Opera — and the frequent use of scrims doesn’t help.

Ms. Marston displays a basic, balletic distortion of modern dance in which movement phrases and numerous angular poses are on continual rewind, as if repeated viewing gives them more weight. The opposite is true, especially when Rochester sticks out his straight leg from a seated position to hamper Jane’s movements or to seduce her; on both occasions, it looks like an erection. (Whether that was the intention not, it’s just silly.)

T he refined Ms. Teuscher is her usual understated self as she explores not only Jane’s love for Rochester but what it means to be an enlightened, confident woman in any time. Yet she’s trapped in this ballet’s hokeyness right up to the final scene when, after reuniting with Rochester, she leaves his embrace to step grandly into the spotlight. It’s an aspirational, sentimental touch, but Ms. Teuscher — even standing half a second too long in the pose, even in a “Jane Eyre” that gets lost in the mist — can give off a glow.

“Jane Eyre”

Through Monday at the Metropolitan Opera House, Manhattan; abt.org.

Stepping Into the World of Dance

The choreographer Emma Portner, who has spent her career mixing genres and disciplines , comes to ballet with an eye on its sometimes calcified gender relations.

In Irish dance, precision is prized. But perfection is beside the point at Gayli , a series of L.G.B.T.Q.-friendly ceili classes during March at Mary’s Bar, a queer Irish pub in Brooklyn.

A childhood encounter with an American soldier in Iraq led Hussein Smko to become a dancer. Now the artist performs on New York stages .

“Deep River” is in many ways an apt title for a dance work by Alonzo King, a choreographer fixated on flow .

Robert Garland has held many positions at Dance Theater of Harlem over many years. At long last, he has caught the most prized title: artistic director .

Alexei Ratmansky, arguably the most important ballet choreographer today, has stepped into a new role at New York City Ballet  with a deeply personal first work  that reflected his Ukrainian roots.

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Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre: The Most Captivating Love Story of All Time?

About the Author: Charlotte Bronte

Book: jane eyre by charlotte bronte .

• Author: Charlotte Brontë 
• Publisher: Bantam Classics 
• Publication year: 1983-10-1 
• Pages: 492 
• Finishing: Paperback

Excerpts from the original text

Life is too short for me to hold grudges. In this world, everyone must be at fault. But I believe that one day soon, we will get rid of our corrupt bodies and we will get rid of these faults. Fall and sin will leave us with cumbersome flesh and blood, leaving only the spark of spirit. This is the source of life and thought, just as pure as when it left the Creator and gave life to it. Where it came from and where it went, perhaps it sneaked into creatures higher than human beings; perhaps it passed through various levels of glory, first illuminating the pale soul of human beings, and then illuminating the seraphim. —— Quoted from page 56  

Book Summary

Book Review and Analysis

Reason for selling well: Sympathy

Background, class emphasis, nobility, and the poor

Racial Superiority

Religious background, Jane’s religious views 

Characters in literary rhetoric, mirrored roles, dual-corresponding characters, contrasts between bright and dark figures

End, st. john, he or be, spiritual phenomenon of gothic novel style.

Quotes from Jane Eyre with page numbers  

"Do you think that because I am poor, humble, not beautiful, and short, I have no soul and no heart? You are wrong! My soul is the same as yours, and my heart is exactly the same as yours. If God grants My wealth and beauty, I will make it difficult for you to leave me, just as it is difficult for me to leave you now! If God grants me a little beauty and a little wealth, I will make you feel hard to leave me, just like I am hard to leave you now. I am talking to you now, not through customs, conventions, or even through mortal bodies—but my spirit is talking to your spirit; it’s like two of them have passed through the grave, and we are standing in front of God’s feet. Equal-because we are equal!" ——Jane Eyre

Then you are wrong, you don't understand me at all, don't understand the kind of love I can have at all. Every atom in your flesh is as close to me as my own; it is in pain, but it is still close. Your heart is my treasure house, even if it is broken, it is still my treasure house; if you go crazy, it will be my arm instead of the tight-fitting vest that restrains you—let you hold on tightly, even in your When I am angry, I always feel a charm... ——Jane Eyre said to Rochester

When we are beaten for no reason, we should fight back fiercely; I'm sure we should fight back fiercely, to teach the person who beat us, so that he will never dare to beat people like this again. ——Jane Eyre who dares to love and hate

Some people, no matter how I please them or hate me, then I can't help but hate them; some people, give me unfair punishment, then I can't help but resist. This is natural. Just as some people love me, I love them, or when I feel that I deserve to be punished, I will be punished willingly. ——Jane Eyre with clear love and hate. 

Human nature is such that it cannot be perfect! Even on the brightest planet, there will be such black spots; and Miss Sketchel's eyes can only see the small flaws, but can't see the star's radiant light. ——Jane Eyre

In my opinion, life is too short to remember hatred. In the human world, all of us have sinned, and it is impossible not to be so; but I believe that one day, we will be freed from our rotten bodies, and we will be free from these sins, and depravity and sins will follow us. The cumbersome body of flesh and blood leaves us, leaving only the spark of the spirit—the intangible principles of life and thought, as pure as when it left the Creator to give life to all things; where did it come from and where did it go back? ; Maybe it has entered into a higher creature than humans—maybe ascend according to the taste of glory, from the pale human soul to the bright archangel! ——Helen said

Your enemies must love them; those who curse you must bless them; those who hate you and insult you must treat them well. ——Helen quoted from "Bible · New Testament · Luke."  

Even if people all over the world hate you and believe you are bad, as long as you have a clear conscience, you will not be without friends. ——Helen to Jane Eyre.

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Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.” so speaks Jane Eyre, a free soul, filled with wild passion and fierce emotion.

The novel Jane Eyre was published in 1847, written by Charlotte Brontë, an English novelist and poet who was known under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Once published, its spirited voice immediately flung itself and its writer into fame, receiving both positive and negative reviews from literary critics.

Jane Eyre is a spectacular novel possessive of many powerful colors—a dark “brooding Gothic mystery”, a shimmering complex romance, a work of remarkable character development, a careful intertwining of reality with fantasies and fairytales, and finally a strong feminism novel, passionately demanding equality, rights, and respect for women. In our modern society, it can be said that gender equality has been achieved in many areas, with many women still striving for more. In Jane Eyre ’s time, women were scarcely permitted to express strong emotions or to freely display their talents. Jane is a refreshing, pure, and sprightly heroine in this Victorian era.

The novel follows Jane’s life for approximately a decade. The reader is first introduced to Jane, a plain and quick-tempered child of ten years, a “dependent” orphan, helpless where money and family are concerned. Living with the cruel and selfish Reed family at Gateshead with no friends, the beginning years of young Jane’s life are harsh, oppressive, unjust and abusive. Despite her cruel circumstances, however, Jane is not crushed, nor is her spirit broken. In fact, her sense of justice and striving for equality is ignited by an incident that occurs at the beginning of the novel, when John Reed, a “schoolboy of fourteen years old”, attacks her in a way that sweeps past the limit of Jane’s endurance. She fights back, for the first time, and from then on is a rebel and a fighter against injustice and inequality for the rest of her life.

Even at the age of ten, Jane is a complex child. While full of the aforesaid sense of rebellion, she is sensitive and imaginative, frightening herself into unconsciousness when locked up in an attic. She already possesses the power to stand up for herself. She has her own principles, including a sense of justice. She is a self-proclaimed bibliophile—the first book she is seen reading is “Bewick’s ‘History of British Birds’”, in which she pores over the pictures, but does not neglect the words, either—proving Jane’s thirst for learning. She states confidently that “with Bewick on my knee, I was then happy: happy at least in my way.” The limited access she has to books considerably brightens up her miserable childhood. Jane is also a girl of very strong emotions that brim over all the more as others endeavor to subdue them. At Gateshead, she only has one friend—Bessie, a young nurse, to whom Jane clings to in her young misery. Jane is starved for love, kindness, and acceptance. Yet she manages to balance her passionate wants with her own principles of righteousness.

When Jane’s new life at Lowood, a charity school for girls, is begun, it can be seen that, though not as violent, it is just as tyrannical as Gateshead. The girls are strictly and severely ruled, and the insufficient, miserable physical care provided is masked by the words, “not to accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying.” However, despite the iciness of the first few weeks at Lowood, Jane’s life begins to improve slowly and steadily. She is acquainted with a girl a few years older than herself, Helen Burns. Jane says confidently to Helen, “When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back very hard; I am sure we should—so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again. … I must dislike those who, whatever I do to please them, persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly.” Jane’s warm spirit extends over to Helen as well, who is unable to rage or “strike back”:

            Next morning Miss Scatcherd wrote in conspicuous characters on a piece of pasteboard … and bound it like a phylactery round Helen’s large, mild, intelligent, and benign-looking forehead. She wore it till evening, patient, unresentful, regarding it as a deserved punishment. The moment Miss Scatcherd withdrew … I ran to Helen, tore if off, and thrust it into the fire. The fury of which she was incapable had been burning in my soul all day…

Following the withdrawal of Helen from Jane’s life, the book swiftly skims past the next eight years of Jane’s life, Jane herself dismissing it as “the events of my insignificant existence”. Her story until this point has only been the beginning of what is to come. However, the eight years she spent in Lowood, six as a pupil, and two as a teacher, has taught her self-discipline and self-control. Eighteen-year-old Jane, unlike the determined and quick-tempered child, is a young lady who “to the eyes of others, usually even to my own … appeared a disciplined and subdued character.” Yet under that composed manner she has acquired, she is still Jane Eyre, with her rebelliousness and spirit concealed under her grave modesty. Spurred by the leaving of her inspirational teacher, Miss Temple, Jane sets her teeth and takes action for her future. With her persistence and confidence in her ability to teach, she soon is offered the position of a governess at Thornfield.

Demure and polite, yet intelligent and righteous, the simply-equipped Jane steps out from the small bubble of Lowood into the real world. Thornfield is the first place where Jane is treated with politeness and respect. It introduces a completely new set of characters: her new pupil, the adorable and childish Adela Varens, the kind housekeeper and maids, and Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester—the dark, mysterious, powerful, and irascible hero. The contrast between pure, quiet Jane and the rich, brooding Mr. Rochester is brilliant and amusing. The two argue and have frequent misunderstandings. Soon Jane’s peculiarity and piquancy succeeds in softening Mr. Rochester with his dark past and intense emotions, and the bond between them strengthens, especially through an incident where Jane saves his life. The gradual drawing together of the two is humorous and sparkling, stimulating and loving, witty and romantic; it is utterly grasping and scintillating. Yet there is always the sinister shadow of a woman locked up in the attic; including a fire set at the “dead of night”—“Ever the hour of fatality”—eerie laughs, and an eventual assault. Little is said about this, yet the mysterious and vivid community of Thornfield, and the intense bond between Jane and Rochester, must end one fateful day when the shadow springs to life. Jane, breaking free from the sweet temptations of love that she feels is wrong, runs away.

Jane’s story is complex, twisting, and unpredictable. Written in honest, descriptive, and deeply touching language of high quality, the characters flash into vivid existence. The plot carries on, leading the reader into a gorgeous, climatic ending—unexpected yet heartrendingly loving and satisfying. The character development is spectacular, and the combination of Jane’s fancies and imaginations with reality is flawless. Despite the old-fashioned vocabulary used in Jane’s era, the honest human emotions come strongly through. Jane is a fighter—she has always been one, against the abuse of Gateshead, the oppressing of Lowood, the rich folks of Thornfield. And after all her struggles and “scalding tears”, she has won: she has kept her spirit and personality intact, she has stayed true to herself, Jane Eyre.

“I can live alone, if self-respect and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.”

(Published in The Sequitur, September 2018, Westdale Secondary School, Hamilton, ON)

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