I reread Jane Eyre in 2024, after 20 years

I've reread Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" after 20 years. In an era overflowing with stories, this 19th-century novel, with its rather plain plot and equally unremarkable heroine, may seem dull. Yet, there are many details worth savoring deeply.

"Jane Eyre" is not a work that transcends its time. As the daughter of a long-serving rural clergyman, Brontë's personal experiences heavily influenced the story's setting and plot. Helen Burns' death echoes that of Charlotte's sister, who died young at a charity school. The madwoman in Thornfield Hall has clear traces of the Gothic horror novels popular in the late 18th century. The characters of John, the childhood cousin, and later the cousins St. John and his sisters, bear resemblances to Brontë's own family members. Most importantly, the protagonist Jane Eyre is a reflection of Charlotte herself, with her worldview, values, and views on love vividly laid out in the plot and particularly in the detailed psychological portrayals of the characters.

The love between Jane and Rochester is a product of their time. Although seemingly grand and transcendent, it does not escape the era's confines. While Brontë strives for spiritual equality, the story ultimately hinges on material and social equality: Rochester's blindness and poverty and Jane's unexpected inheritance make their union socially acceptable.

It's not about clinging to an outdated perspective but recognizing that a person and a dog, despite forming a bond, cannot fall in love and marry due to inherent inequality. This exaggerated analogy underscores the point: two people with no common language or shared background cannot form a stable marriage. "Jane Eyre" illustrates this—Jane and Rochester are both orphans with similarly stubborn natures, and by the end, they achieve balance in status and wealth. Therefore, viewing this novel as a manifesto for women's liberation and equality in love is misguided. It tells a story of its time, ultimately depicting a love that aligns with societal norms.

The plot of this novel is not complex. In fact, it pales compared to the tumultuous lives of Charlotte and her sisters. This family, with none living past 40, produced three world-renowned writers, each unique and leaving a profound mark on literary history. While "Jane Eyre" may not transcend its era, it is a great novel. Its greatness lies in its meticulous portrayal of the people of that time, particularly the detailed psychological depictions. There are many passages I particularly like; here is one of them:

When once more alone, I reviewed the information I had got; looked into my
heart, examined its thoughts and feelings, and endeavoured to bring back with a
strict hand such as had been straying through imagination’s boundless and
trackless waste, into the safe fold of common sense.

Arraigned at my own bar, Memory having given her evidence of the hopes, wishes,
sentiments I had been cherishing since last night—of the general state of mind
in which I had indulged for nearly a fortnight past; Reason having come forward
and told, in her own quiet way, a plain, unvarnished tale, showing how I had
rejected the real, and rabidly devoured the ideal;—I pronounced judgment to
this effect:—

That a greater fool than Jane Eyre had never breathed the breath of life; that
a more fantastic idiot had never surfeited herself on sweet lies, and swallowed
poison as if it were nectar.

From Chapter 16