Jane Eyre Book Review

Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Bronte

1st Published: 1847

My rating: 5/5 stars

Jane Eyre is the story about a young girls journey through life starting as a forgotten unwanted orphan to a young governess who falls in love with her employer.

Jane Eyre when first published in 1847 was an instant success. Everyone was interested in it. To some it was considered very improper and unladylike. Others thought it an angry rebellious novel. In general it was successful, but had many mixed reviews. Jane Eyre was quite a shock to society at the time. Now how Jane behaves would seem normal to us, but when Jane Eyre was written it was very much against how society worked at the time. Charlotte Bronte was a very daring in this novel.

Despite what some people thought, it was universally recognized as an amazing work of literature! Charlotte Bronte uses very vivid descriptions and amazing language to tell her most famous story of one of literature's most beloved governess.

My thoughts: I have greatly enjoyed this story. I find it very hard to put down after the opening lines, probably one of the main things that sticks out is how from the very beginning you just cannot put it down! Charlotte Bronte immediately catches your attention with her vivid and very real story, and real characters. I have very recently become interested in classical literature, and Jane Eyre is an instant love. Another thing that I love is how Charlotte Bronte is constantly through out the book presenting moral and worldly views that opposes each other and comparing them in this book. I wish there was a little more about Jane growing up in the book, but then that would probably slow the story down.

I really cannot think of any thing negative to say about this book. It is difficult to find anything negative when you love the book so much! :)

Interesting things: One of the things that sets Jane Eyre apart from most romantic novels is that the main character Jane is not a dramatic beauty, nor is Mr. Rochester. It is a romance were the main characters are not extraordinary because they look extraordinary on the outside, but because they are extraordinary on the inside.

Jane Eyre is a very independent you might even say feminist character. She does not depend on men for what she needs. She also makes known her individuality. This was very shocking for this time, and not done. Charlotte Bronte when she wrote this book was addressing the fact in this book that women were often miss treated at the time, they were considered less than men. She by writing this character (and by the very fact that she wrote a book!) takes a stand against this view. She says that women and men are equal(I agree with this, I am very anti modern day feminist though). What Charlotte Bronte wrote about in her book did need to be addressed and because she addressed it, that made her book all the more shocking for the time.

Blessings

~Elizabeth