general

• quick summary - a coming-of-age story of orphan jane eyre, spanning from her neglected childhood, including her time in a boarding school, to when she becomes a governess at thornfield hall.
• key themes - independence, religion, gender relations, social class, family, morality, marriage, self-identity.
• fav character - jane, of course + the river sisters <3

interests

• what i found interesting - the relatability of an almost 200-year book for a young woman like myself. jane's loyalty to her morals and wishes for her life is admirable. seeing her navigate the society of her time with her hopes for independence and self-discovery was an amazing experience, and I admired the depth of her character. I also loved how comfortable she was speaking with mr. rochester and how she would just call him ugly lol I just wish he wasn't 20 years older than her because I thought their personalities suited each other very well. I also loved seeing how jane found herself a family with her cousins.
• what i learned - I had no idea that the british had occupied madeira island after the napoleonic wars, so that is an interesting topic to research as a portuguese person!
• fav quote - "my bride is here," he said, again drawing me to him, "because my equal is here, and my likeness. jane, will you marry me?"

books it reminded me of

• the tenant of wildfell hall - I read it about 3 years ago and absolutely loved it, and I think I'm due for a reread now.

further reading

• follow-up context research - I found out how much jane eyre is a way for charlotte brontë to 'rewrite' her own life and her passion for a married man, and I just think that is very relatable as someone who writes too. I would love to read her letters and find out more about her life + wide sargasso sea kept being recommended by the audioguide I listened to and I would love to experience this story through a different perspective

rating

• 5/5 - I do not like naming a book 'feminist' in a time when feminism did not exist as we know it, but I understand why some poc refuse to see this book as the epitome of feminist fiction literature. personally, jane's journey resonated a lot with me and that's why I give it the rating I do, however, I am aware of the underlying racism that did not age well in the book. still very much a classic though, and lovely to read on a gloomy winter day.