Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

We are glad to welcome a novel of the order of "Jane Eyre," — a work which has in it the elements of permanent interest, and which, while it affords the pleasure usually derived from fiction, opens a vein of thought and feeling that is not often touched in the present day. The story is told with a truth and earnestness that carry conviction with them. The heroine is not a mere conventional figure, but a real woman, with passions, principles, and a will of her own. The character of Rochester is drawn with boldness and originality, and the dialogue between the two is managed with singular skill. There are scenes in the book which for power of description and intensity of feeling have not been excelled in recent fiction.

This is a very remarkable book, though it is one which we cannot recommend to the general reader without some qualification. The story is told with an earnestness and a truth of feeling which cannot be gainsaid; but there is a harshness and a want of refinement about some of the scenes which we could wish away. The character of Jane herself is drawn with great power and consistency; she is a being of strong passions and high principle, and the conflict between the two is exhibited with a dramatic force which is not often found in works of fiction. Mr. Rochester is a less agreeable person than the author seems to suppose; but he is at least a distinct and original creation. The book will be much read and much discussed.

"Jane Eyre" is a work of no common power. It is a story which, whatever its defects, bears the stamp of genius. The character of the heroine is drawn with a boldness and a truth which are truly admirable. She is a woman of strong passions and high principles, whose struggles against the oppressions of fortune and the temptations of the heart are depicted with a vividness that cannot fail to interest the reader. The style is clear, forcible, and unaffected. We look forward with interest to the future productions of the author, who, if we are not mistaken, has a distinguished career before her.

We have no hesitation in saying that the tone of the book is decidedly anti-Christian. There is a pervading spirit of rebellion against the order of society and the dictates of religion which is deeply to be deplored. Jane Eyre is, indeed, a remarkable creation; but she is a creation of which we cannot approve. The autobiography of a woman who, without any of the softening influences of feminine grace or beauty, yet contrives to attract the devotion of two men of superior station, is at once improbable and unwholesome. The author, if we mistake not, is a woman, and we cannot but think that she has greatly overstepped the bounds of propriety in the expression of feelings which, however natural, are better left to the silent understanding than exposed to the public gaze.

Jane Eyre is such a feminist book and I love it. Jane is poor and plain and she doesnt care — she knows her worth and refuses to settle. The "reader I married him" ending is deserved because she earned it on her own terms. Rochester is a mess and Jane knows it. The gothic elements (the mad woman in the attic, the mysterious laughter) are just icing on the cake. Essential reading.