Best known for her Gothic masterpiece JANE EYRE, Charlotte Bronte grew up in Yorkshire, England with her literary sisters, Anne and Emily, and her brother Branwell. Their childhood at the Haworth parsonage (where their father was the parson) was marked by imaginative play--stagings of dramas, stories, and other creative work, often using a set of wooden soldiers. In THE PROFESSOR, she draws on her painful experiences in Brussels, where she experienced unrequited love for her employer. A shy, sol more...
Best known for her Gothic masterpiece JANE EYRE, Charlotte Bronte grew up in Yorkshire, England with her literary sisters, Anne and Emily, and her brother Branwell. Their childhood at the Haworth parsonage (where their father was the parson) was marked by imaginative play--stagings of dramas, stories, and other creative work, often using a set of wooden soldiers. In THE PROFESSOR, she draws on her painful experiences in Brussels, where she experienced unrequited love for her employer. A shy, solitary woman who longed for love, Bronte married late in life and died in childbirth.less...
I've never understood why this book is considered a classic of English literature. The characters are petulant and self-absorbed, bound by class. While this could come across as tragic, it fails to do so and instead inspires contempt at the unwillingness of said characters to work towards their own happiness. Specifically annoying is Jane's refusal to accept Rochester, whom she loves, until he is disfigured and therefore somehow more acceptable to her. Early chapters are more enjoyable, with thin symbolism employed, such as the name of Miss Temple, the 'good Christian' type who instructs Jane in the orphanage. Jane is alternately a slave to ineptitude in managing her personal life and a dismal failure in achieving the goals she is constantly in reach of. I did not enjoy this book, although I have enjoyed ones considered in the same class of novel. Save yourself the hours; you'll never get them back.
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I've never understood why this book is considered a classic of English literature. The characters are petulant and self-absorbed, bound by class. While this could come across as tragic, it fails to do so and instead inspires contempt at the unwillingness of said characters to work towards their own happiness. Specifically annoying is Jane's refusal to accept Rochester, whom she loves, until he is disfigured and therefore somehow more acceptable to her. Early chapters are more enjoyable, with thin symbolism employed, such as the name of Miss Temple, the 'good Christian' type who instructs Jane in the orphanage. Jane is alternately a slave to ineptitude in managing her personal life and a dismal failure in achieving the goals she is constantly in reach of. I did not enjoy this book, although I have enjoyed ones considered in the same class of novel. Save yourself the hours; you'll never get them back.
