pacavegano@bookwyrm.social reviewed Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Problematic, but it's a classic for a reason
4 stars
This was my second time reading this. However, the first time was when I was in junior high school, more than 40 years ago, and all that I had remembered was that I liked it. I still like it.
Jane is a very compelling character, and the writing is quite good. It is interesting that, reading it with my best attempt at a mindset appropriate for when it was written, it is clearly a very feminist novel, though reading it from a 21st century perspective there are many aspects that are problematic from a feminist perspective. It is also interesting to contrast the startling (for the time) feminism of the book, and its criticism of the abuse of children, with the fact that it is in most other respects very socially conventional--indeed, conservative. Brontë must have been a complex person.
Rochester...I frankly do not see quite what his appeal to …
This was my second time reading this. However, the first time was when I was in junior high school, more than 40 years ago, and all that I had remembered was that I liked it. I still like it.
Jane is a very compelling character, and the writing is quite good. It is interesting that, reading it with my best attempt at a mindset appropriate for when it was written, it is clearly a very feminist novel, though reading it from a 21st century perspective there are many aspects that are problematic from a feminist perspective. It is also interesting to contrast the startling (for the time) feminism of the book, and its criticism of the abuse of children, with the fact that it is in most other respects very socially conventional--indeed, conservative. Brontë must have been a complex person.
Rochester...I frankly do not see quite what his appeal to Jane was about. He is perhaps the most problematic character in the book for me (or he may be tied with St John for that distinction). I find it mostly impossible to like him, but while I don't personally get his appeal for Jane, I also didn't find her attraction to him completely unbelievable.
So, I would have to say that my favorite parts of the novel were parts that did not involve Rochester. Still, enjoyable overall--even the parts with Rochester.