Sofa Spotlight - Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

I’ve been wanting to revisit Jane Eyre for some time. I first read it when I was in my teens and so I wanted to read it again with adult eyes to see if I still felt the same about it.

When I first read it I fell in love with it and it was the book that started me on my Bronte adventure. It wasn’t so much the storyline, I remember thinking the characters were a little odd, but it was the way it was told that got me hooked. Until this point in my reading life I had struggled with the classics. Once I was through the first few chapters I was alright but they took a lot of reading and I found them hard work. Jane Eyre changed that. I was into it with the first chapter and found it an easy read all the way to the end.

So 14 years later I’ve read it again to see if it still has that same hold on me. And it sort of did but not in the same way. 

Reading it as an adult has given me a whole different take on those characters. Like I said, I thought some of them were a bit off but in my teens I couldn’t really tell you why. But now I could. 

The best example would be my feelings for Mr Rochester. I know that I wasn’t a huge fan of him the first time round, but this time I really didn’t like him. I could sympathise with his history - that was harsh and he was hard done by, but that never gives anyone the right to play games with someone else or lead them down a path that isn’t good. So by the end of this reading I wasn’t a fan of his. 

As for Jane I had more respect for her this time round. You could feel the turmoil in her and the cost of her decisions which she made for good reasons. Sometimes it’s not easy to do the right thing and you get a good feel for how hard it is for her to give up what she loves for what she believes to be right. 

Other characters - Mrs Reed - one of those you love to hate. Still felt the same way about her. Helen Burns, I kind of still felt the same way about her but I also found her a little bit hard to swallow - maybe I don’t buy that someone could be that patient. Could be wrong though.

And the gothic suspense that’s going through most of the story is just as good the second time round.

In conclusion I would say that this was a book I was glad that I did a second reading of and if you don’t know the story of Jane Eyre you should definitely have a read of this. It’s also an easy way into the classics if you’ve never really enjoyed them before. And I’d love to know your opinions on Mr Rochester and who you loved or hated in this book.