jane eyre book review

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.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: Book Review & Summary

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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: Book Review & Summary

About the Author: Charlotte Bronte

Book: jane eyre.

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

Jane Eyre - The Most Captivating Love Story of All Time

Book Review

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)