A week or so ago something made me think I should reread Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre, to see whether my original low opinion of it has changed in the last fifty years. Well, It has, but for the worse. I found a copy for $1.00 at the charity shop. It definitely suffered because I've been reading Jane Austen, but the quality of writing is a valid point by itself. It's a shame, really. Somewhere, buried in CB's gothic exaggeration and purple prose, there's a lively story. It was even successful in its time, more successful than the equally famous novels by her sisters. It has the usual flaws of a first published novel, with obvious self-insertion and flaws of timing common to beginning writers. Dickens had been publishing for ten years at the time, and the theme of the maltreated orphan was classic anyway. Unlike Jane Austen's usual, Charlotte Bronte didn't
SPOILER FOR A 200 YEAR OLD BOOK
have her main character marry the clergyman, though the option was offered and I'm sure her first readership expected it to happen.
All three Bronte novels have strong female main characters, but very different approaches. Wuthering Heights has the most gothic plot, and the most despicable characters. In my opinion The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has the best heroine, who manages to escape a bad situation with intelligent planning. If you absolutely must read a Bronte novel, I suggest The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
SPOILER FOR A 200 YEAR OLD BOOK
have her main character marry the clergyman, though the option was offered and I'm sure her first readership expected it to happen.
All three Bronte novels have strong female main characters, but very different approaches. Wuthering Heights has the most gothic plot, and the most despicable characters. In my opinion The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has the best heroine, who manages to escape a bad situation with intelligent planning. If you absolutely must read a Bronte novel, I suggest The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
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