brodi727's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
peytonktracy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Death, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Death of parent
erica_cronje's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Immediate Initial thoughts
I am absolutely in love with this novel. It is the perfect combination of character and plot and descriptive language. I adored annotating and as such, analyzing this novel and all it's characters. Everything was absolutely amazing, it was much better that Pride and Prejudice in my opinion, the entire character development, love story and progression of the love story, i just enjoyed it much more, it felt like there was more depth with the characters even though, there is arguably less information and character growth in Jane than in Pride. In simple terms, I enjoyed Jane more in every wat possible.
Day-after-thoughts
There were so many aspects of this novel that just, it was just perfect, in my opinion. The characters, the plot, everything, the progression in the characters and such.
Spoiler
Plot and Characters: although it is not perhaps the most essential part of the novel, there is no lack of plot. The thing that made this novel so wonderful to read , is the characters and the plot intertwines with each other. The characters thoughts and actions are integral parts of the plot. The characters and the plot is not two different things, instead they work as a team, enhancing each other even more. For example, when Jane is shoved into the Red Room, we see her lash out, people commenting on her behavior and yet the plot moves on, they keep tying her to a chair, we keep seeing Jane's thought process, it should be a very chaotic scene, yet it is perfectly balanced.Its almost like it is a long personal letter to a friend, almost like she wrote it for you.
Chapter 2, pg. 13, "The reproach of my dependence had become a vague sing-song in my ear, very painful and crushing, but only half-intelligible.
Chapter 9, pg. 75, "When mists as chill as death. . .for the forest on its banks, that showed only ranks of skeletons.
pg.76. " Disease had thus become an inhabitant of Lowood, and deaths its frequent visitor.
pg. 116, "a blue sea absolved from taint of cloud, the moon ascending it in her solemn march, her orb seeming to look up as she left the hilltops, from which she had come. . .
pg. 158, " Memory had giving given her evidence of the hopes, whishes and sentiments I had been cherishing since last night. . . Reason having come forward and told, in her own quiet way, a plain, unravished tale, showing how I had rejected the real and rapidly devoured the ideal.
In conclusion, there s nothing about this book that i do not love, it is is unbelievably perfect, from the plot, to the descriptions, to the commentary on society and all the themes prevalant in general.
Graphic: Classism and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Mental illness and Misogyny
Minor: Colonisation and Suicidal thoughts
kelisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Blood, Classism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism
sienasarah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
elara_h's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
aegireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Racism
flowergirlannaaaaaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Spoiler
Bertha Mason, one of the characters, is handled. She is written off as unfeminine, insane, and disgusting, and is frequently juxtaposed to Jane. It seems as though Bertha's exclusive purpose within the story was to be a plot device: her agency is only relevant when it comes to developing Jane and Rochester's toxic romance. If Bronte wanted to write a trendsetting feminist novel, she should have done so by not weaponizing lack of femininity and mental illness as a means of degrading any woman close to Rochester other than her beloved protagonist. Bertha was his lawful wife, but Rochester decided she was 'too Black' and 'too unfeminine,' to be around, so he locked her in his attic and was confused when she began acting genuinely erratic and hostile. Bronte portrays her repeatedly as a monster rather than as a person. It was painfully obvious reading that book that those who hail it as iconic and inclusive refuse to acknowledge the flaws in the "happy ending." As a segway into that, Jane is seen to have no flaws throughout the book, other than her lack of ability to exit a toxic relationship, which isn't at all portrayed as a flaw in the text. On the contrary, Bronte treats Jane's return to Rochester as a 'deeply sympathetic act.' This only further promotes the widespread mentality of the time that women must give up and devote their lives to men 'out of the kindness of their hearts,' regardless of how much abuse they endured. He tried to trick her into committing bigotry when she did not consent. He held his past suicidal thoughts over her head to justify how he locked Bertha in his attic for decades (and our 'feminist' protagonist took no issue with the notion of locking 'unfeminine' women in attics). He threatened Jane. He intentionally flirted with other women just to make her jealous. And yet she still went back to him. Why? 'Because of true love?' That is not feminist by any stretch, it's just a bad romance novel. Jane also is never seen struggling to cope with her trauma or lashing out, because 'God forbid an accurate portrayal of mental illness, or just God forbid a woman being mentally ill. God forbid having a protagonist like Bertha.' The "happy ending" is a mary sue protagonist being put on a mantle with a horrible husband, and it sure as hell isn't happy for Bertha, who commits suicide towards the end of the book. And look, maybe Jane didn't know that Bertha was dead when she went back to Rochester, since the suicide happened beforehand. But Charlotte Bronte sure as hell did. She made the conscious choice to have Jane and Rochester be wed immediately after Bertha Mason kills herself. It leaves an incredibly bitter taste in my mouth to know that the female character most fucked over by the patriarchy, Bertha, was only treated as an obstacle so the male and female lead's relationship wouldn't be 'too easy.' I listened to someone suggest once that she 'killed herself so Jane and Rochester could be together' and wanted to vomit.Spoiler
is unafraid to portray Rochester's manipulative, controlling disposition from a lens that isn't rose-tinted. Bertha Mason is the main character, and it's the (different) author's take on how she came to marry Rochester, be abused by him, and go insane.All in all, I found this a highly boring and uninteresting read. Once again, the prose itself was gorgeous, but that's all I can say in its favor. I wouldn't hate this book so much if it weren't for the reputation and reception it tends to have. I had to read this for a feminist literature curriculum and was embarrassed by how terrible the feminist themes were executed. It made me sick to read what felt more like a blatant attack on feminism. Yes, it was original for its time, but that's where it ends. Stop teaching that this book is the pinnacle of feminist literature, old or new.
Spoiler
Teach about the history behind neurodivergent, 'unfeminine,' 'unruly,' and colored women (people in general, but especially women) being shoved into asylums that equated to torture facilities because they didn't fit the mold.3/5 from me exclusively on the basis of significance and prose.
Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
quinna_corinne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
annapox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Ableism, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, and Medical content