Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

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The first book I’m going to review is one of my favourite ones: Jane Eyre.

It was written by the English writer Charlotte Brontë, under the pen name of “Currer Bell” on 16 October 1847.

Probably the most known of the Brontë’s sister, Charlotte start her writing career with the novel “The Professor”, that was firstly rejected by the publishers. She also wrote other two novels: “Shirley” and “Villette”, but her most known and loved novel remains “Jane Eyre”.

The book follows the life experience of a girl, Jane, who sooner became a real icon of feminism and girl power for the new generations.

It starts with talking about her childhood in Gateshead. Jane has to live with Mrs. Reed, her aunt, who doesn’t love her, and so her children, because her parents died for typhus. They didn’t recognize her at the same level as them, even though she was from a pretty known family, the Eyre. The only person in that mansion to actually don’t hate Jane, seems to be Bessie, the nursemaid.

Because of this not returned love from her family, Mrs. Reed decide to send her to a catholic school, Lowood, where they will teach her to be a good girl, and not someone who, as her aunt always said, always has been a bad and ugly person.

Here she will spend eight years of her life, six as a student and two as a teacher. She will mature, and learn a lot of new things, as French, drawing and playing the piano. This part of her life was needed for her to grow, but she soon got tired of it, once Ms. Temple, the principal of the school left. She was like a figure of example for her, an inspiration.

The fulcrum of the story comes when Jane finally leave Lowood to look for another work. She will find an opportunity at Thornfield Hall, as a teacher to the young French girl, Adele. Here Jane will be greeted by the housekeeper, Alice Fairfax, a nice and kind old lady.

One night, while Jane is walking to a nearby town, a horseman passes her. The horse slips on ice and throws the rider. Despite the rider’s surliness, Jane decides to help him to get back onto his horse. Later, back at Thornfield, she discovers that this man is Edward Rochester, master of the house. Adele is his ward, left in his care when her mother, a French actress, abandoned her.

At first she didn’t like him because he seems to be cold and arrogant, but soon they start to love each other’s company.

Odd things start to happen such as  a strange laugh, a mysterious fire in Mr. Rochester’s room, from which Jane will save him, and an attack on a house guest named Mr. Mason.

«I would always rather be happy than dignified.»

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«I am no bird; and no net ensnares me;

 I am a free human being with an independent will, 

which I now exert to leave you.»

«I am not an angel, 

and I will not be one till I die: 

I will be myself.»

To conclude this review, Jane is an inspirational character. She has the courage to stand for herself against the cruelty of her aunt, and she manage to take the lead in a conversation with a man. She's smart, a good friend, a good listener, a good girl. She's not the typical girl of every novel, but a real feminine heroine from the 19th century. The love story with Mr. Rochester is one of the greatest ever written, because even though the age gap is huge, they're meant to be together and that makes you realize that age is just a number.

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