Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
(#10 on The Big Read. My combined score: 22)
First published in London on 16 October 1847 under the name Currer Bell.
- English novelist and poet.
- Born 21 April 1816 – Died 31 March 1855
- Eldest of 3 sisters
- 31 years old when Jane Eyre was published
- Married in June 1854 at age 38
- Became pregnant shortly after marriage and died of severe morning sickness along with her unborn child.
- Queen Victoria was in the 10th year of her reign
- Alexander Graham Bell and Bram Stoker were born.
- James Polk was president
- There were 29 states
- The Mexican-American war was ongoing.
Writing: 8
Characters: 7
Story: 7
Total: 22 out of 30
When I first decided to do this project, Jane Eyre was one of the books I wasn’t particularly looking forward to reading. I don’t know anything at all about it, but I’ve always thought of it as a cross between ‘chick lit’ and ‘literary’. Basically two of the worst things you could call a book. There is something just kind of intimidating about the name Bronte. Like it would roll much to easily off of the tongue of an English professor. But then I readPride and Prejudice and my attitude changed. Suddenly chick lit didn’t seem so bad, at least not classic chick lit. And then I readEmma and I’m basically back where I started. I have no idea what to expect from this book. I’ve never seen any TV or movie adaption either and I don’t know that they even exist. As high as this book ranks in the Big Read I assume they must.
Overall: A heavy read but still a really good book. Definitely not for everyone but I’m glad I read it.
Recommendations: Fans of Gothic Romance. I don’t know much about the genre but it’s hard to imagine that it gets much better than this.
Available on Amazon.com
Free Kindle Edition: Jane Eyre
Paperback Edition: Jane Eyre (Collins Classics)
DVD: Jane Eyre (2011 Starrying Mia Waskowska and Michael Fassbender)
7/10 This is a faithful adaption for the most part. Of course it’s rushed like any movie trying to fit everything from a book. All the gloom and rain of the novel are there. And it was nice to hear a lot of the dialogue lifted right from the page. And Judi Dench is in it. Judi Dench makes anything better. A lot of little things seemed to have been changed for no reason. And isn’t St. John supposed to be attractive? I’m sorry but Jamie Bell reminded me more of a gnome than an Adonis. I was looking forward to the scene with the old gypsy woman but I can understand why it was left out. All and all it’s a good movie. I’m not sure I would have liked it if I hadn’t read the novel but if you like the book I’d recommend it. There were only two real problems. One, leaving out Mrs. Reed pushing Jane back into the Red Room. That was the defining moment of Jane’s childhood. And two, it’s probably pretty hard to play sad introspection and madly in love at the same time but I did not see any spark at all between Jane and Edward.