Austen vs. Bronte

If you ask a lady what her favorite book is, I'll be you'll get one of two answers: Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice. Ironically, those who cherish Jane Eyre can't stand Pride and Prejudice and the Austen lovers tend to loath the Bronte fanatics. What's the big deal?

Of course, for the majority of my life I have been an avid Austenite (though I have yet to get through Emma--to much a of girly novel for me). I loathed Jane Eyre on principle. Now I am faced with a perplexing problem: was I wrong to set the two novels at odds? Can I not love both?

Honestly, I do not find the two novels comparable. Bronte's novel is a macabre romance while Austen's remains a light romantic comedy. The events of Pride and Prejudice occur in a few short years, while readers of Jane Eyre grow with Jane from adolescence to maturity. Austen presents a window into the social life of the times while Bronte challenges social and religious conventions.

And here I am perplexed: can one truly justify upholding one while degrading the other? Both captivate the audience drawing the reader out of reality. Both romances correctly address the inner conflict of the heroine while creating a charming hero that any girl could fall in love with (despite Mr. Rochester's age). Truly if you were to ask me "Austen or Bronte" I would have to retort "both," for both have become treasures of my library.