carolinecronj's review against another edition
4.0
What I greatly enjoyed about the book is its superb writing. Charlotte Bronte's command of the English language is nothing short of astounding, and her description of the various setting and a treat to read.
However, my main problem with Jane Eyre is the romanticisation of abusive, manipulative and toxic character traits and relationships. I could not help but cringe at many of the supposedly sweet or romantic interactions throughout the book.
Furthermore, there are some deeply misogynistic archetypes, and the language throughout the book is at times ableist, racist and colonialist.
In its own time and society, Jane Eyre was in many ways a revolutionary piece of writing and I definitely recommend it to be consumed as a historic product of its time. But if you are looking for a sweet and unproblematic love story, you should be looking somewhere else.
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
cait's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
town_scar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Colonisation, Classism, Ableism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Misogyny
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness
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
mallory10100's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
lamnhi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Gaslighting
lindseyhall44'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
Jane Eyre remains one of my favorite classics I have read this year, and ever. I look forward to returning to this masterpiece time and time again.
Jane Eyre follows orphan Jane as she navigates the cruel home of her aunt, desolate boarding school of Lowood, consuming gothic mansion of Thornfeild and its resident, and ultimately life in pursuit of moral/financial independence.
Jane is by far the most strong willed character I have ever encounter in literature. Her will for the good in life despite the horrors which she was subjected to growing up is truly remarkable. That being said, the journey through Jane’s adolescence through adulthood is tedious, and fans of fast paced novels might struggle with the length. However, Brontë is a master class in character development, and I love seeing the depth and complex nature of our protagonist.
For fans of beautiful writing, atmospheric setting, and an engaging plot, I would highly recommend Jane Eyre.
Graphic: Classism, Bullying, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Confinement, Child death, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
naomi_k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Classism, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Racism
Minor: Gore, Death of parent, Cursing, Medical content, and Blood
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