I wrote in January that I wanted to read Jane Eyre at some point this year. It’s October, and I’m finally getting around to it. For years I’ve said that it’s my favorite book, but I had lately started to worry that if I reread it now I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I did when I was younger. Look for a post in the next couple of weeks about whether or not I’m finding that the book lives up to my memories.
Today’s “Other People’s Thoughts” is taken from a scene early in the novel, in the lead-up to Jane meeting Mr. Rochester for the first time — such lovely, picturesque description of the countryside:
“I was a mile from Thornfield, in a lane noted for wild roses in summer, for nuts and blackberries in autumn, and even now possessing a few coral treasures in hips and haws, but whose best winter delight lay in its utter solitude and leafless repose. If a breath of air stirred, it made no sound here; for there was not a holly, not an evergreen to rustle, and the stripped hawthorn and hazel bushes were as still as the white, worn stones which causewayed the middle of the path. Far and wide, on each side, there were only fields, where no cattle now browsed; and the little brown birds, which stirred occasionally in the hedge, looked like single russet leaves that had forgotten to drop.”
I remember now why I loved and identified so much with Jane all those years ago — she can sit on the roadside and ponder a field and linger from 3:00 “till the sun went down amongst the trees, and sank crimson and clear behind them.” My favorite time of day, my favorite way to while away a few hours.
The storyline is so good they can make numerous good movies from it, but the book itself is matchless because of passages just such as the one you quoted.
Jane Eyre is my current favorite. *Sigh* I really do love it. The writing styles of the Bronte sisters are above and beyond other authors I’ve read thus far. I think other than C.S. Lewis, I’ve never been more captivated by a story than by the writings of the Bronte sisters. I hated every minute of Wuthering Heights, by her sister Emily, but still couldn’t put the book down. I really hope you find that you love Jane Eyre even more than you remember!
That’s interesting, Kayla, because I feel the same way about Wuthering Heights. It always really annoyed me for some reason. It’s really been a thought-provoking read of Jane Eyre this time, since I’m coming at it from a different point in life, different way of thinking theologically than I did 10 or 15 years ago, etc. I’m still enjoying it, but I think in very different ways than I did the last time(s) I read it.
I found that Wuthering Heights was so hard to read because I couldn’t ‘cheer’ for any of the characters. I couldn’t identify myself with any of them either. There wasn’t one redemptive thing about any of the main characters. Maybe it was more realistic in that way though. There truly is no good thing about any of us without redemption through Christ. The story offered some hope toward the end, but the actual ending was eerie.
…I can’t wait to hear your insights into Jane Eyre though. I’d love to hear how your theology shapes your thoughts on the book. I need to read it again too.