JANE EYRE - 100 BOOKS YOU MUST READ! 

Rochester was a jerk!🤣 That so should be a review on Goodreads. He is a tad unusual, I'll give you that. Perverse at times. On of the facets that I love about Jane is her willingness to look for the inner character and its strengths.

"btw for me Rochester stands for jerk! why in the world she wanted to marry him I'll never know " Hahaha! I am almost done with my second reading and he is bothering me more now than the first time! I only put up with him because she loves him. Why, I don't know either. How can you ever trust a person again when they've so willingly lied/deceived you and in such a serious way?! It wasn't something minor. It's not like a one time lie that you say in a moment of weakness or even deliberate wrongdoing and immediately regret it. He kept on and on with it. Even after he's caught, he not only still wanted her to go with him, it's like he didn't even grasp why it was wrong! Plus, everything was always everybody else's fault. Maybe I will change my view once I finish up the last few chapters. But wow, he's a piece of work. As to the writing itself, the first time, I thought the ending was a cop out. While I was overjoyed for a happy ending, the situation was resolved too easily. It took the responsibility from him to have to do anything. I would have liked to see what HE would have done, had the circumstances not happened the way they did and "fixed" the problem for him. I think this is *almost* a perfectly written book. But the ending, to me, felt rushed and too easily resolved. Again, this is only my second reading and I am still a few chapters from the end. Maybe some part of my views here will change once I'm done. Except for my dislike for R. I don't think that will. ;)

Nope. Nothing changed in my reread. I still love the book. And I still think R is a jerk. ;)

Very well said!

I agree with much of what you said.

The real question is why Rochester didn’t seek an annulment? It seems he had grounds since he married under false pretenses and was deceived about her character & risk of madness. The Church of England allowed for petition of annulment (not just the Catholic Church). I don’t remember this being addressed in the book, but perhaps I missed it.

He didn’t love or care deeply for Bertha. As a young man he was flattered by and infatuated with her but, after discovering her true character & how he was deceived into marrying her, he quickly learned to despise her. He took care of her out of duty and honor and his own understanding of human kindness.

You couldn't have picked a better book to have alove affair with

What a fantastic analysis of this marvelous book. Thank you 🙏

This is the same for me!

From her perspective yes, but I don’t think it’s morally correct what has been done to both of them from a society who more highly value the image of propriety, than actual morality.

@@AnnaBananaRepublic yes they both had a bad deal. That conflict is what makes a good story.

Agree. Very strong and heroic. It takes great courage to stick to your convictions in the face of great suffering, to be convinced that it is better to do what is right than to do what you wish.

Thank you Sharona!😀 You are lovely. I hope you enjoy it. Lots of goodies in this one.

Thank you Meg, this is a great comment to have received and means so so much. I hope you have a splendid year.😀

@ Queens Of English Literature Debate Austen Vs Bronte @ Intelligence Squared channel with Real Actors Doing selected scenes will make You want to Read Wuthering Heights Equally as good as Jane Eyre.

How wonderful to have experienced such a beautiful novel so early on. It is such a moving story, and Charlotte Bronte has such a talent in finding just the right words.

Thank you so much Kimberly. The Classics are so rewarding. Jane Eyre is a delight.

Thank you Grace 😀

Hello Lucy, great to hear from you😀

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 and now that I’ve seen your video… thank you for this brilliant and lively analysis ! I loved your explanations about the names. I read Jane Eyre quite a while ago… I definitely need to read it again ! Thank you again, take care and see you soon ! 😀

Thanks Ralph. Good to hear from you.

Thanks Mandy. Good choice of favourite book.

Thank you so much Ellie. So lovely to hear from you also.

One can never have too much of Ane Eyre. 😀 Thanks for commenting, it's lovely to hear from you

So pleased that you enjoyed it Marina. Jane Eyre is such an excellent work. There was so much more I wanted to discuss. Maybe another video.😀

Hello Tuesdaymayhew. My wife really likes Vilette, though not as much as Jane Eyre. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. Please come back and share them.

I hope that you love it like millions of others do.

Oh I love the mayor of casterbridge. Thomas Hardy is marvellous. I do hope that you enjoy Jane Eyre.

It's a beautiful book. There is so much to it. It is a brilliant look at the individual and the desire to freely be oneself . So much more that could be said.

Hi Jane, great to hear from you! Hope you enjoy Jane Eyre there was s much more that could have been said.

I'm so glad that you enjoyed the video. Thank you so much for taking the time to be so supportive. I appreciate it very much.

Thank you Erich, I'm pleased you enjoyed the video. Thanks for commenting too. I really appreciate it.

Ooo, keeping off work to read and watch RU-vid. I believe that's what happens in heaven 😅 As for the Slow Reading video, if you click on my channel and select "videos," that one should be first on the list.

Hi Kandy! It is such a great book. There is so much more that can be said about this book.

Thank you.

@ The Queen's of English Literature Debate Austen Vs Bronte @ Intelligence Squared channel I believe You would Appreciate this. Has Real Actors doing selected scenes but on Wuthering Heights Equally as Brilliant.

Thanks for sharing this. That was really interesting. There is much of Jane Eyre herself in what you related, even though it was written before the events you speak of. It shows how an author frequently infuses their main characters with their own inner convictions.

Oh I say! What a book to do a thesis on. Would love to hear your thoughts. There are simply so many layers to this book.

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 It was about 30 years ago, but I remember the gist of it - I noticed that Bronte mentioned the titles of books that many characters were reading, and I thought that was an odd thing to do in a novel. I wondered if there was some sort of connection to any of the underlying themes. To my delight, there was! It was a fascinating journey for me . I have the paper somewhere in my home, but heaven knows where it is! I think I titled it "The Novels Within The Novel" or something along those lines.

@@katblack394 That sounds fascinating. I'd love love love to hear more about that if you ever discover it again.

Thank you for such an excellent and thoughtful comment, Mal! As you say, C Bronte was exceptional and worthy of imitation in how she handled her subject. Jane Eyre is certainly a 'proto-feminist' wwork of literature. It doesn't, though, succumb to vitriol or the very modern trend of extreme absolutism. Brocklehurst is drawn vividly as the exemplification of the hypocritical, double standards of various institutions and ideologies of the day. But then, Bronte draws Men with a frank and even hand. Rochester is by no means perfect, and he does have an advantage over Jane in both sex and station. But he is a product of his society and his past. He is also a very honest and good man. St John, too, is a good man in his way, but is not perfect by any means. He is more worthy of respect than of love. Jane admires him and so do his sisters, for his moral uprightness. What Bronte does is expose the problems in society without blaming the individual. This is the mark of an intelligent person. Unfortunately today, the propensity to anger seems to cast out rationality and balance.

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Thank you again, Tristan. You bring up an extremely salient point with regard to those who hold inflexible views without seeking to understand how they've arrived at said views. I bring this up because I was blessed to have travelled through Turkey not long after the 9/11 attacks. Travelling from Istanbul to the Hatay region which borders Syria. Thoughought my journey, and often with the liberal imbibing of Turkish beer, I remember being drawn into philosophical discourse by Muslim men...who were trying to understand and debate Judaeo-Christian views. I wouldn't call myself an evangelist at all, but I was happy to discuss history which included St George's origin. An uncomfortable fact about Turkey's Christian history. We had animated, heated discussions as though I were young Pierre before he became the Count, offering contrarian and unpopular views to the room. But afterward, my hand was shaken with warmth, they'd clap me on the back with a genuine smile and call me friend whilst agreeing to disagree. The same year I spent St Patrick's Day in Belfast. Not knowing the lay of the land, I ended up in a bar where I found myself being asked which of the Christian branches I identified with...a moment in my life which was like meeting a Bricktop-like character and quite disconcerting as entry was gained via an electronically locked cage, controlled from inside the bar, which would arrest any attempt at escape. It was obvious that a wrong answer would not be well received. I was able to sidestep the issue by discussing my homeland's idolisation of rugby, the pinnacle of which being the All Blacks rugby team. He treated me as a lost soul as opposed to his mortal enemy. Fast forward two decades and you are right, many people do get triggered. More recently I've encountered vocal supporters of Putin's war...people who've never stepped foot in Eastern Europe, have no ties to Russia and have never even touched any of the Russian giants of literature. One Putinist is one of my in-laws, admitted that he does his "research about Putin's war" on RU-vid, whilst trying to send me said "documentaries". He was happy to call me narrow minded and brainwashed when I politely declined. He declined my suggestion to him that he read War and Peace saying that he didn't have time. I also impressed upon him the relevance of The Gulag Archipelago which he also declined. I offered to watch all his suggested documentaries if he only read War and Peace as he does read fiction. But only that which is found in bookstores and public libraries found in the section known as Thriller. 🤦 Lord help us all. 🙏 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"power imbalances" , "lived experiences" , "structures that enable the them to be "jerks" are still around to this day." All the woke buzzwords. What a poison that mentality is.

@@Yesica1993 care to discuss the book? Or do you just read comments looking for phrases that trigger your fragility?

Spectacular passage. Thanks for sharing this.

@Intelligence Squared channel @video The Queen's of English Literature Debate Austen vs Bronte they delve into what the sisters had to endure with real Actors acting out scenes but not Jane Eyre Wuthering Heights Equally as Excellent.

@@4thlinemaniac356 That sounds very interesting. Thank you for the recommendation!

@@dreamstreetrose318 Enjoy...opened my eyes to the importance of Wuthering Heights on Society.

Great to make your acquaintance Flying Jay Jay. Did the link take you through to the Classics Reading Lounge?

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Yes I did find my way Tristan. I am there as "Hans W" ;-)

A very provoking idea 💡

Your not on your own Rara. My wife loves Vilette. What did you think of the ending?

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Ayy so glad to see your swift reply! ☆ To be honest I spoiled myself a little on the ending and so as to subdue any potential positive feelings on M.Paul I was determined to dislike him...however his sweetness grew on me! His character also made me realise and reflect on the people I know in real life, those who are temperamental and rage easily, but are secretly very sensitive and well meaning. I also found those "controversial" scenes quite amusing and shared Lucy's unbotheredness with M.Paul's sermonizing XD. Although his ending was unfortunate I appreciated that such things can reflect real life as well, so the experience was bittersweet. But thoroughly enjoyable! I ended up forgetting about Dr John (who I had a feeling knew the kind of effect he had on the opposite sex, so I didn't root for him as much) and was anticipating M.Paul's name on each page haha Edit: You both have great tastes!~☆ Would love to hear your thoughts and hers too! ^^

I can understand what so many people read this book every year. While I wouldn't read it that often, I appreciate it.

You've summarised Jane's attitude brilliant with this comment Charmaine. It's perfect.

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Thanks Tristan very kind of you

She certainly is the proto-feminist. Charlotte Bronte, more than anyone else, unleashed the pattern of what would become the New Woman. So many writers found their way from the track that Charlotte introduced in Jane Eyre. Not that everyone agreed though. And I don't mean just men. Plenty of men agreed in fact, and a host of women disagreed. It was a fascinating period of thought and change. Sadly it has been stripped of all its nuances in this modern age, which has become extremely lazy in its thinking and become what has been termed, a 'soundbite' society. But what Bronte did in this book I think was absolutely spectacular. To me she is a marvel (along with her two sisters) She put into words what hundreds of thousands of women felt and thought and it cracked the dam of sentiment already simmering in the public, by both women and men. In fact, as you read, consider Mr Rochesters attitude towards Jane. He loves her for who she is, her intelligence, her character, her immense abilities and fortitude, and he considers her opinikns far more worthy than any of his associates. Please get back to me after you've finished the book and tell me your thoughts. Happy reading!!! 😀

Quite! I wish I could have gone into that. Did you noticed the mirroring in this of Janes friend Helen Burns in Lowood School?

I agree. So many different layers and just an all round good story.

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Plus I learned something new today, I knew about assizes but eyre was new to me, thank you.

Adele is not Rochester’s daughter.

Hi Noa. The book club is going very strong. It has moved to another channel called the Classics Reading Lounge. I'll try and find the link for you.

JOIN the Classics ReadingLounge - HERE IS THE INVITE LINK discord.gg/ECez2GbNEE

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 thanks 😊

Thank you Molly. You are right. The thing about St John is that his personality seems so flat or statuesque that one doesn't find him attractive. Would you agree?

@Tristan and the Classics true, also you'd think Rochester was way more attractive than him if you weren't constantly being reminded by the book, that he was an ugly man, personality counts

This is brilliant! It may be the definitive answer to the question "What is a classic?" Step aside Calvino. Daniel Bradford is in town😅 This simple definition would allow us to say, once and for all, "Joyce's Ulysees is garbage!"😂 It may have more words than all of the Batman films combined, but I don't see it being actually put into film again. You have just liberated a host of anguished students, Daniel. On a more serious note, I am amazed at how good this criteria is. You have now sent me down a rabbit hole of research, and I thank you for it.

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 I once lectured my students on existentialism in Batman films and comics. Or as Batman once said: "The world doesn't make sense unless you FORCE it to!" (said while throttling some petty street criminal)

@@Falconlibrary wow! I'd love to hear you give a lecture. Do you have any uploaded somewhere?

Good point, I never considered that.😀