Customer Reviews

Jane Eyre (Norton Critical Editions)

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This review is aimed more toward the Norton edition than to JANE EYRE. We all know this is a classic. Bronte was simply a genius and a harbinger of romantic, dramatic, gothic, and horror writing. (However, it still irks me that she couldn't end a simple sentence with a period. Every declarative statement, it seems, must be qualified with a colon or semi-colon. Oh well. Sign of the times.)

As for the Norton edition, it's the only one to buy. Bronte makes the assumption that you have read the Bible cover-to-cover a zillion times, and for those of us who have not read it through once, Norton's annotations are more than helpful---they're essential to understanding the novel's Christian allusions. This edition also provides the reader with critical essays, contexts of Bronte's life, Bronte's reactions to critics of her day, etc.

Bottom line: you can get the Dover Thrift edition for a couple bucks, but, if you are interested in giving this classic more than a cursory read, this edition is worth the extra money.

If you're thinking of reading Jane Eyre, and you want to understand it, this edition is the one for you. The footnotes are very helpful, explaining the allusions to the Bible or older literature that you might not pick up on, as well as some of the vocabulary. The contemporary reviews in the back are great - everyone must read Elizabeth Rigby's review. Our culture has changed so much, we don't understand how revolutionary books like Jane Eyre once were. The essays of modern criticism are also very helpful. Someone did a very good job with this book.

A few reviewers wrote that Jane Eyre is not entertaining or something. Actually, it is if you understand it. To me, Jane Eyre is up there with Shakespeare, the Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye as some of the deepest, most well thought-out stories I know of. It is a book to read 2 or 3 times before you draw your conclusion.

So - in short - read Jane Eyre, and use the Norton Critical Edition.

If you already love this book - with its lush style, gothic suspense, striking characters, and passionate romance - but are still looking for the right edition to purchase, search no more. You've found it.

In addition to nicely laid-out typeface and margins, this edition has truly helpful footnotes. They point out the origin of obscure quotations, the meanings of archaic words, and the translations of the smattering of French interspersed throughout the book. Footnotes are found at the bottom of the page within the text, taking away the need for unnecessary flipping to the back of the book. And unlike other footnotes I've read, they don't waste your time pointing out things that are fairly obvious.

At the end of the book is a section entitled "Contexts." This contains helpful biographical information about the author, not just in a summary format, but in actual source documents. We can read letters Charlotte Bronte wrote while at boarding school. Or parts of her journal while she was working as a governess. Or letters to her publisher. Or responses to her book written at the time of its publication.

A section of "Criticism" follows, containing six essays, which focus on everything from assessment of Jane and Mr. Rochester's interactions to a survey of film adaptations of the book. The essays are varied in their perspective and quite interesting to read. This edition was last released in 2001, so the survey of film adaptations doesn't cover the most recent versions, but is a fascinating look at the variation within the previous versions.

My only complaint about this edition is the cover. It is burnt orange in color, and the illustration isn't one I would have picked. But the quality of the edition certainly outweighs any aesthetic concerns with the cover.

Charlotte Brontė skillfully weaves together a memorable study of a woman's life, from childhood to adulthood, and of the unique challenges she faces. Jane Eyre is a wholly unprotected young woman, forced to make her way in the world in the only position she can respectfully acquire: that of a governess. Brontė herself was a governess and understood the distinct misery such a situation can cause. A governess in the Victorian age was a woman in social limbo: she was held to be above the station of the servants, meaning she was not accepted into their society (it would appear insultingly condescending on her part), and yet underneath the status of the family, who would shun her. A governess was one of the loneliest women in the world. Luckily for Jane Eyre, she is welcomed into the limited society at Thornfield and is even held in affection by her young French pupil. However, her world is turned upside-down upon the return of Mr. Rochester to his home. The bond between the tortured master and his young, inexperienced governess is strong and immediate, and the passion that grows between them is inevitable and consuming.

I would not dream of spoiling the delicious mystery and dramatic plot by saying much more. One can easily get carried away when discussing this book. I will say, however, that the book is beautifully written, if somewhat preachy, and the characters themselves are remarkably believable. No one is perfect in this book. Mr. Rochester is domineering, Jane herself is a little too morally strict for modern tastes, and many of the other characters, most notably St. John Rivers, have obvious flaws. This all combines to make the story, which is fiercely romantic, much more accessible than it otherwise could have been. I believe that any reader of both Victorian literature and modern romances and mysteries will enjoy this enduring classic.

Jane Eyre is a classic that pulls in the supernatural and spices up the ordinary classic past the sole focus of culture or a romance within those boundaries. Even the romance goes beyond the simple boy-meets-girl. Their problems go beyond their personal relationship issues and reveal weaknesses and strengths in places where it is little expected. The language and the culture is a strong point in the novel as well. Class is a pivotal problem throughout the story and a constant hurdle for the characters to contend with. The characters are the biggest draw for me. Each had their strengths and weaknesses that flesh out the figures in a more than realistic way, drawing in the reader and painting a vivid picture in the imagination. The only problem I had with the story was the end. The end was too perfect. It was wrapped up without Jane even needing to be there. Bertha was brushed away clearing the way for Jane and her happiness. There could have been worse things but I believe Bronte got cold feet at the end and wanted to tie everything in a neat little knot to make the audiences happy rather than to do the story justice.

"Have you ever read Jane Eyre?"
"Nope."
"You should. You would love it!"

I had heard about Jane Eyre, read about Jane Eyre, and still continuously put it off for whatever reason, even though I have wanted to read it for a while. At the beginning of this fall semester, Jane Eyre appeared at the top of our reading list and I was eager to finally be able to read it. I assumed it would be epic in all that it was, and I assumed correctly.

Want a romance story? Read Jane Eyre. Want a gothic tale? Read Jane Eyre. Want to learn about Victorian culture? Read Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre has it all for me; the romance, the self-realization, the complexity of narrative. Being an aspiring writer myself, I especially took to Bronte's writing style. She has a dreamy yet dreary, haunting yet hopeful approach to life through Jane Eyre. I thoroughly enjoyed following Jane's mind from one situation to the next, all brilliantly painted by Charlotte Bronte's irreplaceable technique.

The beginning starts slow, and also slowly builds, but I promise you, it is worth all of the action that takes place later in the book. The slow fluidity of daydreams and background is what's needed to make the drama even more climactic in Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is a tale of triumph through circumstance, and it ties together perfectly in the end. It is a book you won't be able to put down, and won't be able to wait to pick back up!

I ordered a critical edition and made the right choice. The selection of essays were very good and wide ranging.. A classic most often read in childhood as a romance, the essays give it depth as a literary masterpiece. I had forgotten the second edition was dedicated to Thakeray, one of my favorite authors. Jane Eyre is a very good novel and this edition helps you understand why.

Simply Stated: This is a story about the importance of not committing your life to love (to marriage) until you know who you really are. In order for you to have a successful, truly successful (by which I mean happy, rewarding, ever-growing, intellectually and emotionally stimulating) marriage, you have to be able to clearly identify and assert what matters to you: who you are, what you want and need in order to be fulfilled on both a daiy and on a lifelong basis.

Figuring that out may mean leaving someone you love (as it does for Jane), or hurting someone who loves you (as Jane must do), but the only way to return to the 'right' relationship (or to find the right relationship) certain you won't 'lose yourself' in it (lose your mind, lose your direction, lose your hope), you must first strike out on your own and endure (with your own strength, determination, and defiance) some hardships. You must try on some alternative lives (so you won't wonder about them later, won't sit at your kitchen table saying to yourself, "what if", won't bemoan the choice you've made when the going gets rough), and wear them around for a while, like so many shoes in a shoeshop. Sometimes, it takes walking around in heels for a while before you can really enjoy being barefoot. And it takes being barefoot for a while before you can truly appreciate that versatile, enduring and practical comfort of your tennis shoes.

The bottom line is, this is not just a message for women, or about women. It's about people. People in love. And while the book is pretty old, and the language is sometimes alarmingly eloquent, and the character's day-to-day lives involve horses not cars, and talking not internet, the message in it (and the way it's conveyed) is still highly relevent, highly accessible, and highly enjoyable...and I highly recommend it.

One of my favorites. I read it at least once a year. I can never decide if I like Rochester and if I want Jane to end up with him. But the language is beautiful.

absolutely great book coupled with great articles in the back that tell of the stories history.