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Finished Jane Eyre & Thoughts
Jane Eyre was an interesting follow-up to Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice - let's put that on the table. It's a deeply psychological novel, one concerned with the independence of women, the nature of love, and the processing of abuse.
Faith is a theme that's brought up time and time again. Jane develops hers as she matures, adapting her understanding from the likes of Helen Burns - that no man, truly repentant, is denied heaven and that God is inherently benevolent. It's a deciding factor in her refusal of Mr. Rochester and comes into play when she does the same to St John Rivers. At the end, faith is restored to both Jane and Mr. Rochester after the trials and tribulations of their courtship, separation, and reunion. St John Rivers, as I understand it, leans too far towards faith - duty without love, faith for faith's sake with none of the love of the material.
Faith also comes into play as Jane explores her independence and what it means to be a good woman. It was, at that time, accepted that the Bible made woman subservient to man, but Jane refutes that. By not living in sin, by living by a moral code, by refusing duty when it would cost her happiness, Jane is still in accordance with her God.
Happiness and independence are two major points of debate. Jane is often tormented by the difference between "pleasure" and "happiness" (one being sinful and the other not) and how her desire to be independent of her circumstances and of others fits into that. At one point, she claims that "The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself." but I don't think that's entirely true or accepted by the author. There's a line between being independent and being entirely alone. There's strength in one's self, but you're not complete without others. This is evident in her refusal of St John Rivers, who would have her be independent of love in their marriage and sees himself as a solitary figure in service to God.
Overall, I found Jane Eyre to be a more mature and inwardly dramatic book than any of Austen's I've read so far, though I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. (Though I'll make it, as they're the only 19th century books written by female authors that I've read... ever.) I've learned that I love a good gothic romance, and I look forward to Dracula (next on the list) and Frankenstein (as sort of a thematic sibling to this). I would heartily recommend this book! It was easy to pick up and just read - unlike Austen for me - which is a major plus. The ending felt somewhat unsatisfying, like a series of coincidences, but it flowed well enough and by that point, I was invested enough to just go for it.
Many thanks to those who have followed these posts! I'll start Dracula ASAP!
Faith is a theme that's brought up time and time again. Jane develops hers as she matures, adapting her understanding from the likes of Helen Burns - that no man, truly repentant, is denied heaven and that God is inherently benevolent. It's a deciding factor in her refusal of Mr. Rochester and comes into play when she does the same to St John Rivers. At the end, faith is restored to both Jane and Mr. Rochester after the trials and tribulations of their courtship, separation, and reunion. St John Rivers, as I understand it, leans too far towards faith - duty without love, faith for faith's sake with none of the love of the material.
Faith also comes into play as Jane explores her independence and what it means to be a good woman. It was, at that time, accepted that the Bible made woman subservient to man, but Jane refutes that. By not living in sin, by living by a moral code, by refusing duty when it would cost her happiness, Jane is still in accordance with her God.
Happiness and independence are two major points of debate. Jane is often tormented by the difference between "pleasure" and "happiness" (one being sinful and the other not) and how her desire to be independent of her circumstances and of others fits into that. At one point, she claims that "The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself." but I don't think that's entirely true or accepted by the author. There's a line between being independent and being entirely alone. There's strength in one's self, but you're not complete without others. This is evident in her refusal of St John Rivers, who would have her be independent of love in their marriage and sees himself as a solitary figure in service to God.
Overall, I found Jane Eyre to be a more mature and inwardly dramatic book than any of Austen's I've read so far, though I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. (Though I'll make it, as they're the only 19th century books written by female authors that I've read... ever.) I've learned that I love a good gothic romance, and I look forward to Dracula (next on the list) and Frankenstein (as sort of a thematic sibling to this). I would heartily recommend this book! It was easy to pick up and just read - unlike Austen for me - which is a major plus. The ending felt somewhat unsatisfying, like a series of coincidences, but it flowed well enough and by that point, I was invested enough to just go for it.
Many thanks to those who have followed these posts! I'll start Dracula ASAP!
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Have you read Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights"?
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Also, YAY! for English majors!!!!
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Are you one of our cursed kind too? ;)
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What is the cursed kind?
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