Brontë Books

Jane Eyre / 0-451-52655-4

Unlike many of the classics, which contain a superb message under vernacular that is sometimes hard for us to read, Jane Eyre still flows easily to our ears and eyes, and the plot is gripping and suspenseful.

While Jane may seem, to our modern sensibilities, to be something of a weak heroine in her jealousy of her master's suitor, her insistence upon actual marriage in spite of the cruelty of the situtation, and her weak acceptance of her missionary suitor's almost vampiric leaching of her spirit (in spite of his own sisters' exhortations to stand up for herself, no less!), Jane is still a strong and modern female in light of the standards of her own day. Her bravery in taking up her post as governess in a strange land, her 'presumptuousness' in courting (or being courted) by her master, her daring in considering to be a missionary's wife, and her final decision to set out again in search of her lost love all point to a strength of will and character which would have made her character - at the time - to be quite 'mannish' indeed! We can admire Jane her strength and will, while marvelling happily at how far things have come, and wonder hopefully at how much farther they may yet go.

What can I say about this beautiful classic that hasn't already been said?
My only word of caution: DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION if you've never read this book before. Ms. Jong feels the need to fill you in (spoil is more I like it) on several key details/events that any hungry reader would rather devour on their own. Skip her.

I consider 'Jane Eyre' to be one of the greatest works of art ever achieved. Certainly better than almost any other work of literature and on a par with Michelangelo's 'David' and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

Jane Eyre is the story of a young girl who grows up and is forever contrary to her society. The book foreshadows the penalties that society gives for such opposition, but Jane still remains opposed to the role society wants her to have. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses foreshadowing, symbolism, and conflict to show her society how a woman can overcome the conventions of her society to live a happy and full life.
An example of foreshadowing comes during Jane's engagement. First there is the splitting of the chestnut tree (page 226), soon after Rochester and Jane become engaged: "Before I left my bed in the morning, little Adele came running in to tell me that the great horse-chestnut at the bottom of the orchard had been struck by lightning in the night, and half of it split away." This event foreshadows how the upcoming wedding between Jane and Rochester will divide the two, sending one away, because they are not ready for marriage. It is not until Jane and Rochester both overcome the conventions of their society that they can have a happy marriage.
The most dramatic example of foreshadowing comes right after Jane's dreams. After waking from her disturbing dreams, Jane sees a light in her room and finds a grotesque female figure standing over her (250). The figure is Bertha Mason, who came to terrify Jane out of marriage. After rending Jane's veil in two, Bertha leaves and Jane collapses. The rending of the veil foreshadows the obstacle still in front of Jane's upcoming marriage, and it is not until this obstacle is dealt with that Jane can marry.
Aside from foreshadowing, Charlotte Bronte uses symbolism, mostly of birds, to show how Jane's society confines her. For example, Jane's surname comes from the word for a bird's nest, aerie. Rochester gives an additional example of the bird symbolism on page 232 when he says "Jane, be still, don't struggle so, like a wild frantic bird that is rending its own plumage in its desperation." Rochester says this when he is trying to convince Jane that they can be married. At this time Jane is struggling with the barriers that her society places on their union. Jane is the bird that society traps in a cage, keeping her away from the man she wants to marry. Eventually, Jane does find a way to overcome her cage and obtain happiness with Rochester.
Bronte also uses people to symbolize certain aspects of her society. Mr. Brocklehurst, for example, is the epitome of hypocrisy, as shown during his inspection of Lowood. While surveying the girls in the school, Mr. Brocklehurst condemns one for having naturally curly hair, a vanity of the world in his opinion, and yet Brocklehurst goes so far as to buy curled wigs for his wife and daughters. In addition to this, Brocklehurst manages the funds of Lowood and never allocates enough money to keep the girls sufficiently warm or well fed. Instead of teaching the girls to live pious and frugal lives, he leaves them weakened in front of the onslaught of winter illnesses. These characteristics of Mr. Brocklehurst make him a symbol of the typical man from Jane's society. Jane's ability to overcome the wrongs he does to her shows her society how to rise above society and obtain a happy life.
Throughout this book, Jane clashes with the conventions of her society until she rises above them. The greatest example of Jane's opposition to her society is in her successful marriage to Rochester. "Reader, I married him," Jane says on page 397. Jane does not say that they were married, or that Rochester proposed to her again. Instead, she states that she took the active role and married Rochester. Such assertion from a woman went against the standard role of women in Bronte's time. Jane opposes the role that society has established for her and rises above it, obtaining the thing that truly made her happy.
Charlotte Bronte focuses on overcoming the conventions of her society by having Jane Eyre oppose and surmount them. Foreshadowing shows how society will react to such opposition, such as when Jane and Rochester are initially engaged. Symbolism also helps to illustrate the confines of convention; they cage Jane just like a bird. And the various clashes between Jane and other characters, even her society, further illustrated the limitations of conventionality. But opposing and overcoming the conventionality of society can lead to true and lasting happiness.

Jane Eyre is my favorite book. I love it.
I read it first when I was 10, but it did not appeal to me at all, so I stopped reading it. I tried a year later. It immediately became my favorite book. I have read many other good books too, like Rebecca, but Jane Eyre is #1! I have recommended it to all my friends who love reading. This book is very great for someone my age (12) who is not bored with descriptive writing. (I've read worse.)
You should definitely try this book!

Firstly, I would encourage the purchase of the Modern Library Classic edition above other editions. The text is larger and the books hold up better than other editions - which, in a long book such as this one, is highly recommended. I tagged the French translation at the end to make it easier to flip back and forth. I really enjoyed the commentary by A.S. Byatt also.

Villette is a wonderful story and while in some area's I felt Charlotte wandered and got lost in the story, dragging it out in some area's and skipping over area's which I felt she could have created more substance behind the character by telling us more. Overall though, it was an excellent read. I think I enjoyed it the second time more. And the much discussed ending I actually enjoyed. I want more substance in a story then the neat and tidy 'happily ever after' ending. (The ending does create great discussion for a book club.) The ending is not left open for the readers interpretation. If you read closely the comments in the book, one in the beginning about the sea and, one at the end as the character looks back and comments from an elderly perspective, you can understand completely the ending Charlotte had in mind.

I like to read all of an authors books to get a better understanding of their life and writing style and have enjoyed all the Bronte's works. I enjoyed this very much. For those who must compare it to Jane Eyre, it was as enjoyable as Jane Eyre, although, I would submit the merit, quality and story line of Jane Eyre is better.

I came to "Villette" after having read and fallen in love with "Jane Eyre". When I first began reading "Villete" I knew that I should expect a long exposition leading to a thrilling climax. While the climax did not begin until about page 400, I was not disappointed. Lucy Snowe, while eccentric, speaks to feelings of loneliness that can be extrapolated far beyond this novel. I also found it gratifying that the relationship between Lucy and M. Paul - if rather sudden in its appearance - seemed of a deeper and more genuine sort than that between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. "Villette" is not the sweeping romance with a happy ending like "Jane Eyre". I was somewhat disappointed with the ending until, shortly after completing the book, I was perusing a biography of Charlotte Bronte from my college's library and discovered just how intensely personal the story of "Villette" was. In fact, the biography used excerpts from "Villette" to illuminate the relationship between Charlotte Bronte and M. Heger, a schoolmaster in Brussels. Now I appreciate how insightful "Villette" is for anyone wishing to get to know Charlotte Bronte better.

P.S. Get an edition with notes that translate the French phrases. You'll lose whole chunks of dialogue without the notes unless you can read French.

"All these weary days, I have not for one hour forgotten you." -- Lucy Snowe in Charlotte Bronte's Villette.

too much French; too much detail. slow reading. amazing command of language. thin on plot and action.

"Villette" was Charlotte Bronte's final novel, and while it covers some familiar territory, it doesn't quite live up to the standards of her masterpiece "Jane Eyre", or even the much more cohesive "Shirley". The narrator is yet again a rather plain ordinary woman without many prospects, who must rely upon teaching to make her way in the world, chancing to become a teacher at an established school in France. Yet the narrator, Lucy Snowe, lacks charisma and too often rambles away from the story at hand, making "Villette" a slow-paced read with too little payoff in the end.

The story begins with Lucy Snowe living with her godmother, Mrs. Bretton, her son John Graham, and their young visitor, Paulina Home. Lucy details their lives and the relationship between Graham and Polly, before quickly moving on to her time as a companion to a sickly woman. From there, the narrative jumps to her spontaneous trip overseas and her immediate luck in finding a post within Madame Beck's pensionnat, where she eventually becomes an English teacher. Lucy then spends much of her time chronicling the life of the school and the characters that reside there, especially Madame Beck and M. Paul Emanuel. As the novel progresses, Lucy finds herself reunited with her godmother and John Graham, and even Paulina Home as a young lady, for the novel covers at least ten years within Lucy Snowe's life, before wrapping up in a somewhat ambiguous manner.

The main trouble with "Villette" lies with its narrator: Lucy Snowe is an extremely faint shadow of Jane Eyre, her retiring nature making her seem weak and a pushover, rather than being a pleasant and noble characteristic. She allows others to walk all over her and doesn't speak her mind, and the man she falls in love with is such a study in contradictions that readers may have difficulty liking him and rooting for them to be together in the end. The story is poorly paced, spending a huge amount of time on what seem like tangential stories and details, and skipping other details that might enhance the main character's likability. All in all, "Villette" is a credit to Charlotte Bronte, a profound examination of one woman's conscience and character, flaws and faults included.

Although some of the plot elements seem preposterous today the story remains a great read. What a love story! A great tale of people sometimes setting in motion awful events due to their desire to do what they see as right in their own eyes. Recommended. Well-written.

Set on the moors, it is a pity that the Hound of the Baskervilles didn't get 'em. This would have saved a lot of characters a lot of grief. An orphan is taken in, and the problems start there as he grows up, has his own problems and inflicts them on others. The great detective has something to say about such places : "But look at these lonely houses, each in its own fields, filled for the most part with poor ignorant folk who know little of the law. Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on, year in, year out, in such places, and none the wiser. Had this lady who appeals to us for help gone to live in Winchester, I should never have had a fear for her. It is the five miles of country which makes the danger."

Heathcliff is a fierce, pitiless, wolfish man inside and out. His character makes this an interesting story. But it was a little tedious to read. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: none. Setting about 1775 to 1805 England. Published about 1847. Genre: obsessive historical romance.

(Like the curmudgeonly CAT in the COMIC...get it?)

Great old-style classic novel. One of Henry Miller's favorites; that's what attracted me to it.

I liked the style of the narrative, largely told through the reminiscences of the housekeeper Nelly. This is one dysfunctional family!

Like many novels from this period it's all about the interpersonal relationships; there isn't anything external happening to anyone here of any particular consequence. But the masterful storytelling and imaginings of the authoress really do make this a worthwhile and rewarding literary journey.

Read it! Classics rule!

This is one of the Best ways of learning SAT vocab, or simply vocab for your own personal gain. Read the classic work on the right, SAT words are bolded and defined on the left. The real kicker is that words are repeated throughout the book. After seeing words over and over you learn them extremly well. Great Concept, Great Study Aid, Great Book!