Students often want to know why they have to read a particular book, especially when it seems ancient or unrelatable to them. Most of the time my response would be what English teachers typically say, which is something along the lines of "the themes are universal."- Great Writing -- This probably isn't shocking since it ischosen for this class, but it is important to read good writing to become better writers ourselves. Not that any of us will ever become like Bronte, but it helps to see what great writers do in order to try and replicate it. If you don't believe me about what writers can learn, check out this link that lists 10 Things Writers Can Learn from Reading this Book.
- Lessons Learned -- I am not referring to some deep moral found as a theme in this book but rather the smaller lessons people can garner from reading it. The characters are far from flawless, and the plot has tons of disturbing events, yet it is because of these things that the reader is able to learn important lessons they can apply to their own life, and "yes, this means readers in the 21st century." Once again, don't take my word for it, read what this site has to say about the lessons this book can teach (it says women, but this doesn't mean women only).
- Unique Story -- I don't know how else to put it except to say it truly is "a one of a kind." I can't think of another book, old or new, which comes close to encompassing all the things this one does. The dark, Gothic horror and harshness of this book pulled me in years ago and continues to linger with me today. In addition to the mystery, the novel also touches on individuality with strong characters while also presenting a nontraditional, or distorted, love story, which probably appeals to readers, like me, more than an "on the surface" romance found in so many works of this era (or even in modern works). To be honest, I never cared much for the world of Jane Austen: fancy dresses, fake conversations, and pushy patriarchs. Instead, I found Bronte's world much more relatable and fitting for mytastes, and I hope you will agree. Although Austen and Bronte were both popular female writers of this time period, readers tend to like one over the other. (However, I did have a student last year who loved both writers, so who knows, maybe there is something similar about them that readers like.) Even Charlotte Brontee's own sister, Emily, wrote much like Austen with her most famous work Wuthering Heights. In fact, many literature classes choose this one over Jane Eyre, but I obviously did not, and I hope my choice was a good one.
I encourage each of you to give this book a shot, not because you have to for this class or because you want a good grade. If you allow yourself to get caught up in the story, characters, and setting, you might even find that you love it....O.K. maybe just like it....Alright, fine, you can tolerate it.
For your response to this post, you can click on one of the links above and comment on what you found of interest at the link. Or, if you can find one other person (teacher, parent, student, etc) who has read Jane Eyre and LIKED IT, provide a comment where you share what they said about the novel.
Comments do not have to be lengthy. In most cases, a solid, well-written paragraph should suffice.
Comments do not have to be lengthy. In most cases, a solid, well-written paragraph should suffice.
I am just testing out the comment feature. If you want to be notified of those who comment after you without coming back to the blog, put a checkmark in the box by "Notify me" when you publish your post.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have read from Jane Eyre, I have enjoyed very much, so when I read the article '10 things writers can learn from Jane Eyre' all of the points listed were easy to understand, and where things I agreed with as a reader and a writer. The point that shared about backstory interested me a lot. Backstory is what makes a good book. I have read books where the history of the character is revealed too soon in the series or book and this generally makes it less interesting and fun to read. The points of the article, "backstory is most powerful when 1) it's awesome and 2) readers have to wait for it," I definitely agree with. Having backstory can separate a good story from a bad story. I would like to learn how to do this in my writing especially if I ever write a story.
DeleteJane Eyre sounds like a very good book. What I found interesting in the Huffington Post article that I read is that it is still a book about women not conforming to the society. I am looking forward to reading about how she loves a man but can't date him. Then how she finds out he is married and has to wait for that to be over first. In the mean time she turns down another marriage proposal, which reminds me of the Pride and Prejudice main character. I also am looking forward to seeing how she portrays the quote, don't let them tell you you can't do it because you are a woman.
ReplyDeleteHave read many books such as this and if so what have you read from other books that may relate back to this book as well?
DeleteI asked one of m9y fellow athletes about the and she said,"I loved that book the mystery was what I liked about it the most" She said that she thought the book would be enjoyable for me since I have a love for mystery. The athlete asked not to have her name mentioned.
ReplyDeleteWhat were some of the differences between Bronte's work and Austen's not referring to romance?
DeleteIn the "10 things Writers can learn from Jane Eyre" by K.M. Weiland, she talks about how writers, as well as readers can learn a heck ton from the book and Charlotte Bronte's style of writing. While us writers may never be as good of writers as Bronte, we can still learn from her style of writing. Some of the things that Weiland mentioned was the way Bronte manipulated the weather to create tone, created cliffhangers to leave the reader in anticipation and how good antagonists can come in several different ways. I hope to enjoy this book, and look forward to reading it and maybe pick up on some of Bronte's style of writing to better my own!
ReplyDeleteI read about the lessons you can learn from Jane Eyre in the twenty first century. I thought it was interesting how most of the lessons were on empowerment for women. Many of the lessons told women to be strong and to speak their minds which is what I believe in. I think the lessons are more like inspirational quotes for women. I also thought it was interesting that Jane Eyre kind of acts like a twenty first century women in the book. I didn't realize that until I read this article.
ReplyDeleteI read about the 11 lessons a reader can learn from reading Jane Eyre. Women were supposed to be humble and silent but, Jane Eyre was outspoken when she needed to be and she stood up for herself against people who were cruel to her. This article tells people to be brave and to not be afraid to speak your mind and I think that is the best advice that can be given to someone. The article states lessons that are key in Jane Eyre and really shows how Jane Eyre was an advanced thinker for the women of her time.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about the things women can still learn from Jane Eyre. What was really interesting about this article to me was how even though Jane Eyre was released in 1847, readers can and are still pulling lessons from it today. Also, looking at the actual lessons that this book can teach is surprising. It teaches women to be more independent and self empowering, something that wasn't viewed as an acceptable trait in women in that time.
ReplyDeleteI asked a friend if she had read Jane Eyre and she told me it was one of her favorite books. When I asked her why she liked it so much, she told me she loved the mystery, romance, and how unpredictable it was. She also said it was very entertaining and she couldn't put it down. The theme and plot was very different than what she had read before, but that made it even for interesting for her.
ReplyDeleteI looked at the 10 things writers can learn, and I thought it had lots of good points. There were a few things to do with the fact that a good author can make the reader love even unethical characters/antagonists. I agree with that. It can be just as easy, if not easier to relate to a greatly flawed character, since we are all flawed. It's rare for us to think of ourselves as being as fabulous as the hero of the story. Another thing I found interesting was that theme is strongest when asking questions instead of answering. If it is just answering, I think it is more like someone is telling you, "do this". We are rebellious and don't like to be told what is right, we like to come to it on our own.
ReplyDeleteI read 10 things a reader can learn from Jane Eyre. What I learned and came to realize is that readers will love a brave character more than a nice or good one. One example that was used in the article gave examples and one of them was about heroic bravery, that of such Spider-Man or Indiana Jones shows in all the movie and books readers and viewers love. Brave characters show emotion that readers can relate to. I would consider Jane a brave character for standing up to Mrs. Reed and for finally telling her how she feels.
ReplyDeleteI just read the article about certain lessons that a woman can learn from Jane Eyre. Although I tried not to look at it too much, I found that there were unique problems that women struggle with today, yet Jane Eyre seemed to show a solution for. Learning how to be positive, even in dark times. Not staying quiet with your feelings and just asking a person you like out. With those, I am now extremely interested in how the author is going to show these lessons in the book, which is making me want to read the book even more. I will make sure to keep an eye out for these specific lessons that the article shows.
ReplyDeleteI read the article "10 things Writers can learn from Jane Eyre" by K.M. Weiland. I thought it was very interesting how Weiland pulled out ten different concepts and ideas a writer can learn from Jane Erye to make their writing better. This article showed that Jane Eyre is very well written, and will be popular for many years to come. The first example Weiland gives is the idea that readers love brave characters more than good characters. I believe Jane is a brave character because she finally stood up to Mrs. Reed. I'm excited to continue reading Eyre, and tie in more examples from this article to it.
ReplyDeleteI read 11 Lessons that 'Jane Eyre'Can Teach Women. I think that this article and book together have a lot to say about how women and girls can be comfortable in their own skin no matter what they are doing. Everyone has flaws and problems, and not everyone is going to be the best looking. As long as you are good at heart. You can overcome anything if you put your mind to it.
ReplyDeleteI read the "10 Things" and I agree with what is said, because I want get the deeper meanings. I want to get really into this book and I think that I can. It is a mystery, but it has so much more too it. Cliffhangers are great for me. I love to get to the end of the chapter and have that need to find out what happens next. I am excited to read this book.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about the lessons that can be taken from reading this book. The one that stood out the most to me was the lesson about respecting yourself. You don't need help from other people to become successful. It's okay to be independent. The article talks a lot about how you don't have to have the looks, you just have to know in your heart you're stronger than you think and you have the power to shape your own life.
ReplyDeleteI discussed Jane Eyre with a previous student in AP Lit and they said that they overall enjoyed the book. There was mystery and a bit of romance. But they also commented that it was difficult to get in to at first, because the writing is older and the author takes time describing certain things.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading books from a different time period or out of the genres that I prefer, I tend to ignore the story from the beginning and not let it interest me. Reading the article about how writers can learn and improve their writing from Jane Eyre spoke to me though. Even if I don't like the story it can still teach me how to improve my writing. There are many techniques I can learn to improve and,like other books I've read, I might need to just give Jane Eyre a chance. Books always have something for every reader to branch off of and grow from and I need to find what will help me the most.
ReplyDeleteI asked my sibling the thought they had shared of Jane Eyre when they had read it in high school. My sister felt the author, Charlotte Bronte, had done a very good job making her female protagonist relatable. Many books that are written in the past contain a beautiful female heroine. Overall, she felt that Bronte had wrote one of the first books in which a women was showed with true feelings and desires. "It was a great book with mystery to keep me on my toes."
ReplyDeleteI asked an older woman at the place that I work if she had ever read Jane Eyre and her face lit up with excitement when I asked about it. She said that she had read it during college and was happy to hear that kids were still reading it now. It has different aspects that readers can relate to and can be a good story for anyone to read.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about lessons that a reader can learn from reading this book. I enjoyed the one about overcoming your past. The past is for learning about your mistakes. You can't let your past be a reminder and of what happened. Your future is the only thing that matters, not the past.
ReplyDeleteThe Huffington Post article talks about how Jane is a heroine and yet she is simple, not beautiful and extravagant; that is why there is so much we can learn from her. Her character allows us to see how even when we aren't like a modern day heroine who is incredibly strong with long flowing hair, we can still stand up for ourselves and take risks and stand out.
ReplyDeleteI read the article, 11 Lessons That 'Jane Eyre' Can Teach Every 21st Century Women About How To Live. I really like the section they talked about if you really want something you have to be determined to reach it. For example, Jane is so persistent on living a good life even though bad events keep occurring. She strives to meet her goal.
ReplyDeleteThe article I chose to read was 10 Things Writers Can Learn From Jane Eyre. One thing I found interesting from this link was how much the author said readers can learn just from the characters of Jane Eyre. Five out of the ten points were about readers relations to characters and how the characters of Jane Eyre are so diverse compared to other novels. After reading this article, I will pay more attention to the characters while completing the rest of Jane Eyre.
ReplyDeleteI read, 11 Lessons That 'Jane Eyre' Can Teach Every 21st Century Woman About How to Live Well. The number of things we can learn from the book surprised me. In the article I realized how strong of a character Jane is. We can learn the importance of letting go of your past and persevering no matter what. Jane can teach us independence and how to look ahead in life. I look forward to seeing more of Jane's personality through the rest of the book and noticing more of what the article was talking about.
ReplyDeleteI read the article 10 Things Writers Can Learn From Jane Eyre. I found many things in this article very interesting. For example, when I read the third point that stated, "characters have to earn the things they want," it shined a light on a different side of the book that I didn't pay attention to beforehand. Also, the sixth point in the article mentioned how powerful a backstory can be in a novel. I personally never realized this until I thought back to books I have read with a intriguing back story and tried to imagine them without that aspect to them. Overall, I am excited to continue reading Jane Eyre.
ReplyDeleteI read '11 lessons that Jane Eyre can teach any 21st century woman about how to live well'. I thought the part that said 'don't let anyone tell you you can't do something just because you're a woman' was interesting. During the 1800's when this book takes place, I thought it would be unheard of for a woman to speak their mind, and do their own thing. For the Mrs. Reed being a widow, I thought it would be hard for her to do all of the 'men's work', but she doesn't seem to have a problem running the house by herself. I also find it interesting that this story teaches young women to be positive. Being positive is definitely something that helps young women. During Jane Eyre's time period, for a lady to be treated nicely she had to be smart, beautiful, and come from a wealthy family. It was quite hard back in those days to accomplish all of those. It is not easy to act positively when you are being insulted and treated like trash.
ReplyDeleteSo far I find Jane Eyre to be a touch slow, but I'm assuming the build up is leading to something great. The writing is eloquent, but sometimes a bit tricky to understand. My mom read Jane Eyre and was fairly found of it, but said, " the description gets lengthy and drags on. But with that, the story was good." I can see where she comes from with the description. It's hard for a story to move with description focus. It's nice to be able to see what the writer is seeing, but also the reader with never be able to truly see the exact same thing.
ReplyDeleteAfter asking a friend about Jane Eyre, I got confirmation that it truely is a good book. She explained how she loved the mystery, romance, and how crazy it could be at times. She continued by adding that it's one of her favorite books that she has ever read. The past student commented on how it's hard to get into at first since we're not used to that type of writing.
ReplyDeleteI read the 11 lessons that Jane Eyre can teach any 21st century woman about how to live well. I found some of the lessons very interesting. For example the 10th one talks about not being afraid to speak your mind. I believe that this is very important especially in a society like ours.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading 11 Lessons That 'Jane Eyre Can Teach Every 21st Century Woman About How To Live Well, I realized that Jane really does stand up for what she believes in. Doing so was not acceptable during the time. I've always been one to believe in that, whether it be men or woman. Overall, I think this article was a good reminder to everyone that you can do anything you set your mind to.
ReplyDeleteI read 11 Lessons That 'Jane Eyre' Can Teach Every 21st Century Woman About How To Live Well. I thought that the point about you are stronger than you think was interesting. It's interesting because it applies to pretty much anyone. In the book Jane is always talking about how she couldn't bear to do something or she would never be able to, but she always ends up being able to in the end. This is still something that still pertains to this time period. So it's pretty cool that themes applied to a story written 170 years ago is still important today.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about ten things writers can learn from Jane Eyre. Some of the things on the list seemed kind of obvious or we had already learned about it in class or from summer reading. The one that stuck out most to me was number ten. Number ten says readers will believe anything with good foreshadowing. I thought this was interesting because it basically says all readers are gullible and even more interesting because it's probably true. Readers always try to guess what will happen next so it wouldn't be that hard for an author to take advantage of this and intentionally keep leading readers on and making people want to read from cover to cover
ReplyDeleteI read '11 lessons that Jane Eyre can teach every 21st century woman about how to live well' and I found all of the main points to be very true. I especially liked number seven. It told readers that they could overcome everything, which I found not only inspiring but also enriching. I relate to this myself as I have grown a lot over the past few years and have learned this myself through experience.
ReplyDeleteI asked a friend about the book and he loved it. He really enjoys reading mysteries and boy is Jane Eyre a great mystery. He did have a few complaints about the book though, he really found it hard to get into at first because it was older writing and just a lot of sentences had him confused. He often times found himself re-reading sentence after sentence.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article "10 Things Writers Can Learn From Jane Eyre", the point that stuck out to me most was number two. It explained how characters through out the book, more specifically Jane Eyre, had to work for everything they want. This point stuck out to me for a couple of different reasons. It helps connect readers to the book, even if it might be a little old, and it leaves readers wondering what else Jane will have to fight for and that is why I am excited to keep reading.
ReplyDeleteI talked to my mom, who I choose to believe is a smart person. She found Jane to be a sympathetic character who put other's needs before their own. She said in comparison to other Bronte works, both Charlotte and her sisters, she found Jane Eyre to be less depressing or maudlin than other protagonists. char She also appreciated Jane's intelligence and perseverance. Because of Jane's selflessness, my mother rally enjoyed and related to the work.GW
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ReplyDeleteI ask my brother-in-law about Jane Eyre and he groaned. He told me that he didn’t care for the book. He said, he had read the book in high school and can't believe schools are still making people read the book. He said that readers can figure out the mystery in the book. So in conclusion he didn’t like the book and told me good luck trying to finishing it
ReplyDeleteAfter talking to Chloe Wittwer, I found that she loves Jane Eyre. Chloe loves Jane Eyre because she loves Jane. Jane always stands up for what's right. She is not a girl who sits on the sideline; Jane goes after what she wants and believes in. Similarly, Jane does not allow herself to be manipulated into decisions. She is an independent thinker. Jane was a feminist before it was fashionable. Simply put, Jane Eyre is a character who sees the value in women as equal to men; she does not see women below men. During the 19th century, the idea that men and women were equal was outlandish. Despite loving Jane Eyre for these reasons, perhaps the most interesting thing I learned from Chloe is that she goes back to read the book. Every time Chloe reads Jane Eyre, she finds something new that jumps off of the page. In conclusion, Chloe loves Jane Eyre for numerous reasons that have helped me to view this book in a more positive light.
ReplyDeleteI read the Huffington Post article describing the lessons that can be learned from reading Jane Eyre. What I found most interesting is that most of the lessons they describe have to do with empowering women. During the time the book was written, it was almost unheard of for a woman to be very outspoken. I also like how they related it to the quote about not letting anyone tell you that you can't do something just because you're a woman.
ReplyDeleteI read the "11 lessons" and was really surprised about how applicable it is, even to this day. These problems that Bronte wrote about are still being tackled by women everywhere. The lessons in the article are ones that apply to everyone, not just one demographic, and in some cases, are not only for women. This shows that Bronte was a realistic writer and that factor makes her and her works, extremely relevant today.
ReplyDeleteI asked both my mom and my dad how they felt about Jane Eyre. My mom, being an English teacher, enjoyed the book, pointed out similarities between both Charlotte's work and her sister Emily's. She suggested that I read Emily's writing, to understand how the lives they lived affected both of their writing. While she really like Jane Eyre, she also said that she would much rather read Emily's writing than Charlotte's. My dad also read the book. However, he didn't enjoy it because of the lack of action, and he said half the time he didn't understand what was going on. My mom says boys usually struggle with the book due to the lack of action.
ReplyDeleteI found the 11 Lessons That ‘Jane Eyre’ Can Teach Every 21st Century Woman About How To Live Well was interesting because I find myself learning from the book already. Jane Eyre did have a terrible life as a kid but she never gave up and it soon got better. She stands up for herself and doesn't keep quiet. She is strong and she stayed positive in times of doubt. There is lots to learn from reading this book.
ReplyDeleteWe read Jane Eyre because it teaches children and adults that they can overcome their past. It could be the worst past anybody has ever had, but you can still become better than it. You don't have inflict your pain on someone else just because you have had to endure pain yourself. It also teaches that because you're able to overcome your past, you can decide your own destiny. It isn't set in stone. You do want you want and become want you want, and nobody can tell you to not do that.
ReplyDeleteThe person who I asked was my older sister. She had read this book in highschool as well. Her opinion on this was that she liked it. The book held a lot of mystery and other types of emotions that caused her to want to continue to read. She only said one bad thing and that was: if she hadn't need to read it at school it would have interested her even more.
ReplyDeleteThe video link, 10 Things Writers Can Take From Jane Eyre, offered some good insight on the story I previously did not think about. Many of the scenes and how the characters act now seem to play into a bigger picture of a, behind-the-scenes formula, to engage the reader.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading 10 Things Writers Can Learn From Jane Eyre I was able to make connections between the main points and the discussed novel. I found it most interesting when it was stated that any character can be loved by readers if they are honest. This made me think about Helen Burns. She may seem weak at first because of her lack of interest to defend herself, but her saving grace is her brutal honesty. Jane asks Burns why she allows authority figures to punish her without standing up for herself. Burns responds by pointing out that she is a sinner and these refinements are meant to better her as a person. This air of honesty that Burns carries with her makes it hard not to become attached to her as a reader.
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