tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post718917179627564315..comments2024-03-27T07:09:32.146+07:00Comments on Fanda Classiclit: Jane Eyre: Final ReviewFanda Classiclithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-44123348865387531442014-12-01T09:26:49.767+07:002014-12-01T09:26:49.767+07:00Agree... it's always wonderful to have these k...Agree... it's always wonderful to have these kinds of discussion. Bronte herself might not even thought about these things when she wrote it. :) That's what makes it classics; that people keep discussing it centuries after its publication.Fanda Classiclithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-11611035586643874592014-11-30T01:24:31.670+07:002014-11-30T01:24:31.670+07:00I kind of thought that the focus wasn't suppos...I kind of thought that the focus wasn't supposed to be on Rochester and Jane, but on Jane herself. She could have married him and (before the appearance of Bertha's brother) no one would have been the wiser, but her self-respect was too important. Her marriage may not have affected any outward appearance but she knew that because it was morally wrong, the fact that she knew the truth would eat at her soul. She shows the same wisdom with St. John. Brontë somehow keeps her humble and empathetic to the reader without making her moralistically repellent or romantically saccharine. For me, it was all about Jane ....... she sets the standards and she is in power <i>all</i> through the novel no matter what her outward circumstances, because of her inner standards and self-knowledge. I think feminists can forget that the show of outward power does not necessarily mean that the person, sect, etc. actually <i>has</i> the power. Our self-identity is something that no one can take away without our consent. It is always our choice. <br /><br />What a wonderful conversation, you two! I wish there were more comments like these on blog reviews. They further help to explore a book and draw out subtleties and meaning. Just excellent! :-)<br />Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-80043458671248319732014-11-28T12:18:56.308+07:002014-11-28T12:18:56.308+07:00I don't know whether I am what others call fem...I don't know whether I am what others call feminist, but if I was to write the book, I won't make Rochester crippled. I think it's enough that: 1) The 1st Mrs. Rochester has died. 2) Jane is now financially independent. These 2 reasons should be more than enough for Jane to marry Rochester. Making him crippled feels (for me at least) like Charlotte wants to make Jane more superior, like (rich+healthy) vs (rich + crippled). Haha...maybe I'm NOT a feminist anyway :D<br /><br />About our different viewpoints, it's OK.... it's what makes our blogs more alive with disucssions, isn't it? ;)Fanda Classiclithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-82725663406872745262014-11-27T18:09:00.317+07:002014-11-27T18:09:00.317+07:00Yes, terrible!Yes, terrible!*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-53306957658572537992014-11-27T18:07:24.374+07:002014-11-27T18:07:24.374+07:00I know. & I always forget to say it's a sp...I know. & I always forget to say it's a spoiler until after! :) Oh, I see. Maybe I misunderstood your comment. I do think she consents to marry him only after he's crippled, but I think we have two different interpretations about why that is. I don't think she's trying to overpower him; rather, I think she's trying not to be overpowered. But yes, I think the Victorian factor makes all the difference in how the ending might be viewed. The same ending in a 2014 novel would have a different emphasis, maybe. (I don't mean to critique your viewpoint. I hope I don't come off that way. I adore <i>Gone with the Wind</i>, & you don't, & I respect that - lol.) :-) I had read the final questions in your posts as questions about how a feminist might view the work. Being a feminist I supposed I might offer a viewpoint. That's all I meant by commenting. Cheers!) :-)*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-29236584425051165502014-11-27T08:31:26.465+07:002014-11-27T08:31:26.465+07:00Good point, Marianne!
And that horrible christian,...Good point, Marianne!<br />And that horrible christian, as you said--I think his name is Brocklehurst or something--is indeed horrible and very un-christian! -_-Fanda Classiclithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-64128206849185671732014-11-27T08:21:18.645+07:002014-11-27T08:21:18.645+07:00LOL... I don't think anybody who haven't r...LOL... I don't think anybody who haven't read the book would care to read our comments :). Anyway, I actually had the idea about women empowering men from several book studies on the internet. There are several talks about feminism, and they tend to think that Jane consents to marry Rochester only after she is rich and Rochester is crippled. I don't feel it's the case. I think you're right, the problem lays at how Victorian society looks at women.Fanda Classiclithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-81943458752537560142014-11-27T08:13:15.288+07:002014-11-27T08:13:15.288+07:00That's what interesting about classic works, i...That's what interesting about classic works, it would unfold different thoughts and ideas everytime we re-read it (especially if we re-read them when we are adult).Fanda Classiclithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642429343958941266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-33286829874573164472014-11-27T02:40:45.426+07:002014-11-27T02:40:45.426+07:00Sorry! THE ABOVE SHOULD READ SPOILER!!Sorry! <b>THE ABOVE SHOULD READ SPOILER!!</b>*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-57413391027669751452014-11-27T02:40:12.820+07:002014-11-27T02:40:12.820+07:00Oh, meant to say - when he is blinded, I don't...Oh, meant to say - when he is blinded, I don't think this is meant to suggest feminism is about women overpowering men. Rather, in that era, it suggests that his blindness, lack of money, and lesser confidence afforded her the first opportunity to be equal with him. Which implies more (I think) about the lack of power in women than any belief that women SHOULD overpower men. I think it spotlights the subtle suggestion that a Victorian women <i>was herself</i> blind, destitute and of faltering confidence. Once Rochester falls to the same level, Jane is able to approach him as an equal.*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-62191463847396633742014-11-27T02:35:42.158+07:002014-11-27T02:35:42.158+07:00spoiler - Referencing your last paragraph: Jane ha...<b>spoiler</b> - Referencing your last paragraph: Jane has been through a sort of pilgrimage in the novel, facing temptation along the way, meeting "guides" and "obstacles" who test her. She ends up rich, independent, & able to care for the man who began the story with all the control. She has switched places with Rochester & (unlike Rochester) has maintained her moral integrity throughout. I don't think Bronte was suggesting women should have power; I think she was simply writing a story that put power into the hands of a woman, to watch it test the woman's character. Victorian women were often not able to be tested by the world's impact upon them. They were domestic either by choice or circumstances. Though the circumference of Jane's adventure is rather insignificant, perhaps, she does manage to go out into the world and see how it effects her character. She is able to declare herself relatively independent at eighteen, though she must work for a living. She meets a kind, gentle Christian (Miss Temple), a horrible "christian (the guy who runs the school -- I forget his name), and an unemotional Christian focused on accomplishment over heart (St. John). These are tests, I think. She is not easily swayed -- maintains her self-reliance throughout, forms her own conclusions, follows her own barometer even when she is tested. She reminds me of Fanny Price (Mansfield Park.)*ೃ༄ Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139487177036647728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584058713548027639.post-27034650555865453212014-11-26T22:48:24.521+07:002014-11-26T22:48:24.521+07:00Interesting thoughts.
I read it a long time ago an...Interesting thoughts.<br />I read it a long time ago and enjoyed it well enough. I hope to re-read it sometime and see how I feel about it now. Lois Tinúvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01113667315479652015noreply@blogger.com