a few days ago i finished jane eyre by charlotte bronte. if you have never read this book, change that and read it. this book was amazing from start to finish. as i've mentioned in previous posts, i have read this book before during high school or in some part of my schooling - we read a good number of classics as part of home schooling, both read aloud together and read separately - but i don't remember quite how incredible it was. getting older has probably helped me understand the depth of it as well.
one thing through the entire book that stood out to me was how often they refer to strong christian doctrine. not just nice christian phrases or mentions of prayer, but deep hard truths about God and people and moral responsibility. as i scanned charlotte bronte's biography, i recalled that she was the daughter of a pastor, which made sense why theology and doctrine were so present in the text; but beyond that i thought of how in charlotte bronte's day these truths were something christians knew and referred to on a regular basis. so even apart from really enjoying the excellent writing and storyline, i found myself encouraged by the profound truths about God that charlotte bronte - through the character of jane eyre - applied to the circumstances and occurrences in the book.along with the quality of the writing i think this book benefits from the large portion of mental dialogue that is constantly going on in jane. i always enjoy books that are written from the main character's perspective and with a lot of the book coming from the position of the character's thoughts as they goes through the circumstances of their life. it gives you a window in the character that mere conversations and narrative aren't able to accomplish. you feel jane's every up and down, the anguish and the exultation, the determination and the weakness. everything that is happening to jane is happening to you as you read it.
now i understand some of you may think "well thats a bit dramatic", but if you have never read a book and felt so close to the character that their emotions start to become your emotions as you read - you are missing out. not all books can do this - but the good ones can. and jane eyre does.
i won't ruin the ending, for those of you who don't know the storyline, but it ends in such a redeeming way that you are left utterly satisfied. i love the last few lines of the book. after jane concludes talking in a contented manner about how her circumstances have ended up she refers to a character who is a missionary and is nearing death. it ends this way:
The last letter I received from him drew from my eyes human tears, and yet filled my heart with Divine joy: he anticipated his sure reward, his incorruptible crown. I know that a stranger's hand will write to me next, to say that the good and faithful servant has been called at length into the joy of his Lord. And why weep for this? No fear of death will darken [the character]'s last hour: his mind will be unclouded; his heart will be undaunted; his hope will be sure; his faith steadfast. His own words are a pledge of this: -- "My Master," he says, "has forewarned me. Daily he announces more distinctly, - 'Surely I come quickly!' and hourly I more eagerly respond, - "Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus!'" (Jane Eyre, p. 466)when was the last time you read a book which had an ending like that? what more uplifting of an ending is thinking about the joy of heaven! goodness after i finished i wanted to be lifted up with the character right then and there! "amen; even so come, lord jesus!" indeed.
all in all i picked a fantastic novel to start out renewing my love of classics. i am quite sad that my journey with jane eyre is over, but its nice to know that all i have to do is pick up the book and there she is again.
so -- after such an amazing book my thought was, "what next?". i knew that it would be hard to transition from such a powerful book to another storyline, so i picked at random: pride and prejudice by jane austen.i have never actually read pride and prejudice. i grew up with all the movie versions (yes- the 5 hr one was a favorite!) but haven't ever actually read the entire thing. so i started it and WHOA. what a change from jane eyre. i think i got whiplash. i admit i'm still not completely into it yet. the writing style is so different and the storyline is so light and in some ways very trivial that i was discontented with it. but its a pleasant enough read and i'm persevering. i'm more into it than i was at the beginning and i'm sure it will get better as the plot gets more complicated later in the story. for now there is just a good bit of simpering females and basic plot layout. i shall keep you updated on my progress.
after such a long and serious post - here's a little light enjoyment.
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