Classic Romance

Jane Eyre far exceeded my expectations. What made me cringe at eleven made me swoon at twenty-three.

Bronte masterfully draws the reader into the improbable romance between Jane and Edward while maintaining Jane's feminism and virtuous morality. Although the reader knows that a relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester should be improbable, Bronte captures her readers by maintaining realism through Mr. Rochester's flamboyant character and Jane's practice of self-control. The complications of social status, age, and relationships both strengthen and deepen the characters of Jane Eyre, creating persons the audience can relate to.

Of course, I wonder if Jane is a partial refection of the author herself who was the daughter of a minister but fell in love with a married man. Jane's inner thoughts concerning her love for Mr. Rochester must have come from a mind which was also self-disciplined to overrule the emotional tendencies of the heart.

So after twelve years and a second chance, Jane Eyre has made it onto my "must read" list. The themes of retribution, love, and virtuous morality have created a story that I will gladly read from cover to cover.