Book 12 - Jane Eyre

Now I've been diverted down the classics path. A friend lent me the latest BBC production of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, which reminded me of the deep affection I developed for this book while studying it for my HSC. So down off the bookshelf it came, and I devoured it in a day or two. It made me realise again how great a difference there is between merely reading a book and actually studying it. Despite having last read it nearly 10 years ago, so much was familiar to me - not just plot and character but also themes, significant quotes, the symbolism of locations and visual cues, even structural elements and facts relating to the author's life. There are few books that I know so thoroughly, and of them this is perhaps my favourite. I must also give my heartfelt thanks to my English teacher, who really did inspire in me a love (or at least healthy respect) for all of the texts we studied.

So - back to Jane Eyre. I'll start by saying don't just read my pathetic summary - go and read it!

Jane Eyre is an orphan, perceived to be a wild and passionate child by the relatives who eventually cast her into a cold and heartless charity boarding school. Trust me, this is probably one of the most horrible descriptions of what a boarding school can be. She somehow emerges from it as a strong-willed yet quiet woman who takes a post at Thornfield Hall as governess to Adele, ward of Edward Rochester. Rochester is a cynical and abrupt man embittered by a secret past, yet he finds himself drawn to Jane's integrity and quiet determination. He proposes to her, but unfolding events force Jane to chose between her passionate love and her personal integrity and morals.

Jane narrates the story, and she truly is a unique individual - passionate yet retiring, fiery yet restrained. Bronte has a genius for dialogue - the repartee between Jane and Rochester positively zings with wit and unsaid feeling. I could read those conversations again and again. The BBC miniseries does a fair job of bringing this across, although it seems to miss some of my favourite passages in the book. The plot has a couple of improbable moments but these are more than made up for by the richness of the narrative. Watch for the clever use of symbolism - the interaction of the elements (air, fire, ice, earth), names of locations and people, Jane's fey dreams. As I mentioned earlier, this book has such depth that it can be read again and again while retaining its freshness and providing something new each time. I strongly recommend you read it as one of the more unique love stories ever written.