"Jane Eyre" by one of the Bronte sisters (they were sisters, and their name was Bronte -this explains that) mainly deals with 1) self-denial and 2) wishing one were pretty. This ought to give you an idea of how fun the life of the eponymous Jane is.
Throughout the novel, the author will keep remarking how less-than-pretty her two protagonists are, especially when compared with lesser admirable characters. ...Is she trying to tell us something here, I wonder.
The other constant theme characters bang on about every five pages is Christian suffering: homilies about self-restraint, humility and blah blah blah.
Other fun topics include: retribution / comeuppance - forgiveness - consequences - social standing - passages from a stage to another one. Poor wee Jane is regularly compared to a lamb, presumably in contrast to a big bad wolf (that's how subtle your woman is when she tries a simile).
Bronte is also fond of (pretty modern) sudden switches to the present tense.
What is startling about the story is how fundamentally wrong the main -male, note: male- character arguably is. Bronte is at pains to present him as a wronged victim but... er... Rochester is pretty much an Adidas buying Bernard Tapie of his time: sorry mate but you entered into a contract, you respect it! "For better or for worse", remember? And this, from a female writer: ?!?
Super culchured people will know that Jean Rhys wrote a stunning spin-off / reply novel presenting Rochester's "situation" from another angle (brilliant stuff altogether).
Super culchured people will know that Jean Rhys wrote a stunning spin-off / reply novel presenting Rochester's "situation" from another angle (brilliant stuff altogether).
Finally, "Jane Eyre" suffers from the same sudden / rushed conclusion as "Wuthering Heights": so we had dozens of page fillers about them wee little birds and clouds and flowers and trees and stormy skies and carpets and furniture and what-have-you and then, in the space of 3 / 5 pages, bang! The author springs on us a massive twist regarding the formidable main male character and brings the story to an end faster than you could say "Hermione! Why on earth won't you go out with me???" ... Right-so.
Oh, and Jane is not pretty (in case you didn't know).
Oh, and Jane is not pretty (in case you didn't know).
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