Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics)
by Charlotte Brontė, Michael Mason
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Book Summary Information
Author: Charlotte Brontė, Michael MasonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-02-04
ISBN: 0142437204
Number of pages: 576
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: "I Must Resist Those Who Punish Me Unjustly..."
Summary: 5 Stars
After her uncle dies, Jane Eyre is grudgingly raised by her aunt (bound unwillingly by a promise made to her husband), in a home where she's constantly reminded of her inferior birth, orphaned state and dependence on her relatives. To top it off, she is of unremarkable appearance and is as poor as a church mouse. Yet there is something in Charlotte Bronte's protagonist that sets her apart from the rest of the world, a sense of self-worth and self-discipline that gives her strength and resilience against the many hardships that she'll face in her lifetime.
Charlotte Bronte's story begins with Jane as a young girl, living unloved and neglected amongst the untouchable splendour of Gateshead and the Reed family. Jane's only escape is in her love of books and learning, for her spiteful aunt and cousins have no control over the power of her mind - though reading must be done on the sly as John Reed will stoop so far as to deprive her of books he has no interest in himself. When such an event occurs, Jane summons up the spirit to defend herself against her cousin and is duly punished for it. Estranged from human company, her aunt orders her locked in the red room, the chamber in which her uncle dies and which holds imaginary horrors for Jane. This terrifying experience is the catalyst of her childhood which will be remembered in all frightening and unnatural occurrences henceforth in her life.
Relief from her extended family comes only when she is called away to school, and despite the poor living conditions and the zealous religious restrictions of Lowood School's patron Mr Brocklehurst, Jane finds a new outlook on life through her somewhat sentimental friendship with the pious Helen Burns. Amazed at Helen's patience and resilience with teachers that constantly heckle and beat her, Jane discovers Helen's devotion to God which puts to shame her own practice of fighting back at those who wrong her. An important stage in her inner growth, Jane takes upon herself Helen's teachings, survives illness at the school and enters the world as a governess.
It is here that the story begins proper (not that the proceedings are unimportant), as Jane takes up a governess position for the young ward of Mr Rochester at Thornfield, stretching her wings for the first time. Here she befriends the elderly housekeeper Fairfax and her young charge Adele, and finally comes to meet her master, the intimidating and elusive Mr Rochester. Sharing a prickly and awkward acquaintance at first, Rochester soon recognises the intelligence and wittiness hiding behind Jane's modesty and plainness. Respect turns to friendship, and from there comes the first inklings of love...
But something is amiss in Thornfield in the novel's most overtly Gothic thread. Jane becomes increasingly aware of sinister goings-on in the house: mad laughter rings throughout the halls at night. Mr Rochester's bedchamber is set alight and only Jane's quick action saves him from death. A stranger arrives at the house whose presence upsets Rochester and who is found badly wounded that very night. Jane suspects the quirky housemaid Grace Poole, but ultimately this mystery has a far more devastating answer, which once more upturns Jane's life and ambitions.
Charlotte Bronte's heroine is one of literature's most unique and introspective characters; an ever evolving and maturing individual, who constantly searches her soul and conscious for meaning and identity. Jane's self control is remarkable, as his her ability to rationalise problems and follow through with the decisions that she makes. By today's standards, where self-indulgence and reward-systems are the norm, Jane's state of mind is like a bucket of cold water over the head. When the moment of Jane's great choice comes, she reacts exactly as should be expected, not as some overly-virtuous, too-good-to-be-true Victorian girl. Unlike other heroines, who might be repulsed or frightened at Rochester's offer, Jane is very sorely tempted. It is from herself and the knowledge of her own weakness that she flees, not from Rochester and his pleas. In this moment the strength of her conviction and will-power is sure to impress.
It is important to know that this is not just a romance novel, though it is certainly the driving force of the latter half of the novel. What is most fascinating about the relationship between Jane and Rochester is the complex power struggle that goes on between them, something that often does away with romantic disillusions and deals with the practical and often uncomfortable components of attachment. Mr Rochester is Jane's employer, her social superior and a man considerably older than our teenage protagonist, yet Jane is constantly attempting to exert a sense of control over him and her feelings for him, knowing the cost that would come in succumbing to the man she describes as nearly taking the place of Almighty God in her estimation. The games they play with each other, the testing and the intrigues formed between them are riveting stuff and explore the darker power-struggles of male and female relationships that are almost always lost in typical romance novels. Bronte creates an astonishing amount of equality between the two lovers, for as the novel progresses Rochester becomes more and more reliant on Jane.
Jane Eyre is in many ways a feminist novel, addressing to its contemporary audience the drudgery and monotony of female existence that "confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags". Jane's `adventures' through school and into the world of employment, her experiences of passionate love and destitution in the wilderness, reflect Charlotte Bronte's own struggles in a man's world. Most (if not all) of the men that Jane meets in her travels attempt to control her in one way or another, and Jane is constantly fighting to walk her own path. As she says at the crucial point in her life: "I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself." The loneliness apparent in this passage, and the aloneness in which she spends most of her time is what makes the character of Jane so memorable - here is girl that has no one to look out for her but herself, and yet she keeps her kindness, faith and honour without falling into self-pity or bitterness.
"Jane Eyre" is one of those classic books that everyone's heard of - but it's up to you to take the next step and read it for yourself.
Summary of Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics)
Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead and subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a richer life than that traditionally allowed women in Victorian society.Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Michael Mason
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