After some vacillation between the two novels that we had to choose to read at the start of this semester, I eventually chose Jane Eyre because its opening chapters, as shown to us in Mrs. Elliott's class, were far more interesting than those of Tess of the D'urbervilles, in my opinion. Although I initially dreaded to read the novel, intimidated by its sizeable stature and its miniscule font, the exposition of the book turned out to be much better than I had imagined, although still fairly slow. However, upon reaching the "meat" of the novel, I became increasingly engrossed in it, interested in how the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester would turn out.
In addition to the solitary reading that I did, one of Mrs. Elliott's lessons was serendipidously focused on one of the passages of the novel that I had spent some time ruminating about. Although I had formed in my psyche a dislike of Mr. Brocklehurst, there were various points in that passage that brought me some confusion. Much to my surprise and pleasure, Mrs. Elliott's lesson on Thursday, January 21 answered every question I had about the passage, as well as showing me a new perspective on "reading between the lines;" honestly, I felt as if I was dissecting every word and examining it for any significant meaning.
In short, Jane Eyre, although slow at its start and slightly confusing in certain areas, is a great piece of literature. I felt that the book really captured the essence of 19th century England, and brought to me a new viewpoint about the situation of females in that era. Also, the characters are amazingly detailed, and Jane's sophistication despite her young age never ceases to surprise me. By reading this novel, I think that I will gain an idea on how someone else would view life, and possibly become more attracted to reading classic literature.
-Byron C
Byron,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that Jane has hooked you with her story! She is a very engaging character and we can't help but be drawn into her tale, perhaps because we recognize these people in our own lives -- the bright, but socially awkward girl; the charming, but aloof man; the severe, cold authority figure. I hope the book continues to entertain and enlighten you!
This is a great response where it was interesting to read and had outstanding vocabulary. I agree with you completely when you said that the excerpt we read in class of Jane Eyre was much more interesting than Tess. Once I reached the "meat" as you said, I kept wanting to read more to see how everything turned out. Once again, great post and have a good time reading the rest of the book.
ReplyDeleteJoel B.(Dragonfist)
I actually found that the, though the excerpt of Tess might have been a bit slow, it had a sort of innocent optimism that I didn't really see in Jane Eyre.
ReplyDelete- Jake S.
Jane is a wonderful character. I completely agree with your response to the book. At first I also dreaded reading the book because of its size but the beginning chapters of this novel caught my attention more than Tess did. I enjoyed reading about how Jane and Rochester's relationship turned out.
ReplyDelete-Angela H
I found myself to be in the same position when I was first introduced to the idea of reading Jane Eyre. The numerous pages, small text, and what seemed like the never ending story, made me dread spending the time to actually read what it said. As I read the first two chapters in class however, I found myself interested in what the story would evolve into and actually wanted to continue reading. After finishing the novel I discovered that there was actually a lot that I could relate to, and I am very glad that I took the time to sit down and read it.
ReplyDelete-Lexie Cantarero