Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Reader, did she carry you?
Did Bronte's tale of love and loss grip you, or was Jane little more than a social climber? Discuss Jane Eyre on our forums.
Northanger Abbey
Don't believe everything you read in books - Catherine Morland, heroine of Austen's novel, discovers that reality doesn't match the promise of Gothic literature when she arrives at Northanger Abbey.
A year in reading: 2006
Selected to surprise, delight and entertain, sample some of our books for 2006.
Stephanie Forward introduces Jane Eyre
When ‘Jane Eyre’ was published, in 1847, it met with extreme reactions. One enthusiastic supporter declared Charlotte Brontë’s novel to be worth ‘fifty Trollopes and Martineaus rolled into one counterpane, with fifty Dickenses and Bulwers to keep them company.’
Opponents, many of whom were female, denounced the book as ‘dangerous’, with its ‘outrages on decorum’, its ‘furious love-making’ and its ‘grossness’. There is definitely something compelling about the relationship between the Byronic Mr Rochester and the vulnerable governess.
Jane is a remarkable heroine. Starting out with the disadvantages of a bullied orphan, forced to make her own way in life, she faces her troubles with courage, retaining her dignity and integrity.
At times she is restrained and demure; but on other occasions we witness her anger and passion. She asserts her right to think for herself, telling Rochester that they are equals: ‘I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart!’
As you follow Jane on her journey, notice the place names: Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Ferndean etc. How do the names reflect the phases of her life?
And if you enjoy ‘Jane Eyre’, follow it up with the haunting novel ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, by Jean Rhys, about the life of the first Mrs Rochester...
Jane Eyre was the March 2004 title for the Open2 Book Club where everyone is invited to join in the discussions on this or any other literary matter
Content last updated: 24/02/2004
