Brontë Week: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

[@dayanafacanha5685]

I've just read it for the first time, and I loved loved loved the dialogues between Jane and Rochester.

[@TheNovelNomad]

I love how often you said 'love' in this video, I too love Jane Eyre for all the tensions, complications and introducing me to Victorian Gothic. Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson are perfect leads and I utterly adore that adaption, I think they captured the flirting and playfulness perfectly.

[@katiejlumsden]

+The Novel Nomad Ha yes, 'love' and 'brilliant' are probably my most overused words in videos :P I love Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson so much though :)

[@nhmisnomer]

The more often I read Jane Eyre, the more impact she has on me. Rochester's chief attraction for me is that he sees her inner strength. The gypsy scene strains credulity but the dialogue is perfect because he expresses his understanding of her.

[@katiejlumsden]

It's such a wonderful novel.

[@kategoman2969]

Jane Eyre is my favourite novel! Loved it for 18 years! Xxx

[@katiejlumsden]

It is a great one!

[@radiantchristina]

My all time favorite book. It is the only book I have re read several times.

[@elenaasavelieva]

Just like myself! Yay! Mum gave me this book when I was 12 years old. And I have loved it since that time. It was the first foreign author I read then (I am Russian). And a victorian, too. I reread this novel so many times! Actually, read it almost every summer. My most favourite novel!

[@katiejlumsden]

It's such an amazing novel!

[@hellebartelsen8208]

I love Jane Eyre! I am already looking forward to my annual December reread.

[@katiejlumsden]

Agreed, it's a lovely book. I must reread it soon!

[@EmilyHornburg]

I'm reading Jane Eyre right now, so I was really excited for this video! And I think I agree about Mr. Rochester. He's not nice and "good" all of the time, but he's a great character. I go back and forth because he makes me so frustrated sometimes lol. But, yes. I love him still.

[@katiejlumsden]

+Emily Hornburg Exactly! I don't necessarily approve of him, but I still think he's a wondrous character.

[@fr.michaelsakran1076]

At your recommendation, I started Jane Eyre as my first Victorian novel (other than "A Christmas Carol," which I've read before.) But Jane Eyre was my first focused foray into Victorian Lit. I absolutely fell in love with it, and read it cover-to-cover in a week, which is a remarkable pace for me considering the length of the book. I just couldn't put it down. I'm really excited about reading more Victorian literature after this! Happy Victober, by the way!

[@katiejlumsden]

Very glad to hear it!

[@elisasantos2864]

I have read it a couple of years ago, but now i feel like rea-reading it, because of your enthusiasm! You put so much in your reviews/recs that i want to read or re-read them all! Jane Eyre is my fave Bronte, without a doubt. But i need to read the other less knowed novels, to get my assertions correct.

[@katiejlumsden]

+maria santos Hoorah, I'm glad you're enjoying the series, and I hope that you enjoy rereading it! I have loved rereading it whenever I have :) Although I highly recommend the lesser known Bronte novels too!

[@bookhunterrr3973]

I just read Jane Eyre and I'm still under the spell of Rochester! Haha he is indeed problematic but no other male book character yet stirred such emotions as he did to me. Love to hear your thoughts on this book and got curious about your number 1 :)

[@katiejlumsden]

Glad you've enjoyed it - such a good book!

[@taaptee]

great video about my favorite victorian novel till date, will check out the adaptation you talked about 💚

[@nowvoyaging8881]

I love Jane Eyre and in June I'm doing a buddy read of Wide Sargasso Sea! Now I'm so excited to see your top two!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Now Voyaging I hope you enjoy Wide Sargasso Sea! It's a fascinating novel, so I'm curious to hear your thoughts :)

[@peterbrown7688]

Thornfield is a place I have inhabited most of my life.

[@HamzaTalksFootball]

In terms of Bronte Novels, where is this on your list of favourites. I've just finished this and had only Read Wuthering Heights before this. I enjoyed both but Jane Eyre, her journey, backstory and the way it's revealed in increments throughout, her ups and downs and everything in between was a great experience to take in! Where do you rate this in terms of Bronte Novels/your favourites amongst them?

[@katiejlumsden]

Wuthering Heights is my favourite Bronte, and Jane Eyre probably my second favourite these days.

[@dzandalus5536]

Hi again! I couldn't read the first pages of Jane Eyre so I typed Books and things in order to be motivated.. and I was Not wrong. Thank you!

[@katiejlumsden]

Haha glad to help :)

[@bighardbooks770]

I'm now going to watch the 2005 Tony Stevens and Ruth Wilson film, thank you!

[@katiejlumsden]

I definitely recommend - it's so good.

[@AmandaQuotidianBooks]

Toby Stephens as Rochester, though... the stuff of dreams! Jane Eyre was the first classic I had to read in high school that I actually read. I've read it 3.5 times now and the copy I have is so annotated to be almost unreadable at this stage. It's just awesome.

[@katiejlumsden]

+Amanda Center (IntrovertX) Ah, the glorious Toby Stephens... And what a wondrous book Jane Eyre is :)

[@saintdonoghue]

Bronte Week has been SO good!

[@katiejlumsden]

+Steve Donoghue Thank you ^_^

[@babettesfeast6347]

What are your top twenty favourite books of all time?

[@JenniferDoucette]

Jane Eyre. God Iove this book! After I finished re-reading it a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to just carry it around with me. Jane is amazing. I look up to her in so many ways, even if I think there are some things she just accepts too easily. And Rochester really is lovable despite being rather awful. I do find the boarding school time of her life drags a bit. And after the recent re-read, I've spent a lot of time thinking about her time away, and St. John, and wondering all sorts of things. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on Wuthering Heights now. For me, I love Jane Eyre more :) But I'll save my thoughts on that till that video! :) (I also picked up a used copy of Villette today, so there's that video to anticipate, too!)

[@katiejlumsden]

+Jennifer LeBlanc I hope you love Villette - I think it's brilliant :) I love Jane Eyre a lot; it's been a couple of years since I last read it and I'd love to reread it; it brings me such joy and is the sort of book where you keep on noticing things the more you read it!

[@omfug7148]

Definitely the Victorian novel "gateway drug" for 13 year old girls. My favorite screen embodiment of Jane and Rochester stars our old friend Ciaran Hinds and Samantha Morton from 1997, the reason being is that neither Jane or Rochester are supposed to be traditionally pretty people (which could not be said about Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson.) Every time Jane is dramatised producers just can't seem to help themselves and inevitably cast Jane as beautiful--the best thing about this adaptation is the time they gave it. Have you read the Jean Rhys' short novel, "The Wide Sargasso Sea" which is an imaging on how Mrs Rochester came to be crazy? Pretty amazing, I highly recommend it.

[@katiejlumsden]

I have indeed and it is a great book. I haven't seen that 1997 adaptation though - I really much!

[@RebeccaYoder]

I really enjoy your vocabulary in these descriptions. It's varied and interesting unlike so many other videos I've seen. I've never read the book but am very familiar with the movie. I watched it many times and my sisters could never understand why I liked it so much. Mr. Rochester was played by a William something or other I believe. he looked slightly old and the actor that played Jane actually looked very plain but intelligent. I just loved how it was realistic in that sense. I will have to look up which film it was exactly. Your term "literary flirting" is excellent. I love passionate feelings hidden within words. And just curious what was your major at university?

[@katiejlumsden]

+Rebecca Yoder Ha thank you :) I really do recommend the book - I love it so much! We don't exactly do majors in the UK; most people study just one subject at uni - but I did two, a half-and-half a degree, joint honours in English Literature and History

[@RebeccaYoder]

I was wondering how it's called there. So do people got out university to be doctors and stuff or is that called something else?

[@RebeccaYoder]

Oh and the actor was William Hurt in the 1996 version. That's my favorite! I've seen the Toby Stephens one but didn't care for the actress for Jane. lol

[@katiejlumsden]

I haven't seen the 1996 version I don't think - but I am so in love with the 2005 version, Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson being two of my favourite actors. She is just exactly how I imagine Jane! And yep, in the UK, people who want to be doctors go to university and study medicine, etc; people who want to be lawyers can study law at university, or go to a specific law university for another year or two after their first degree, to 'convert' to law.

[@ellenkingsley]

I love Jane Eyre I was 14 when I first discovered Jane Eyre it was the first time i clapped eyes on a Victorian Novel when I was 17 I watched the adaptation of Jane Eyre from 1983 with Timothy Dalton as Rochester it was true to the book but I felt it was too long the 2006 version was perfect with added extra scenes with Jane and Rochester

[@katiejlumsden]

The 2006 version was so good!

[@ellenkingsley]

@@katiejlumsden it is actually my all time favourite adaptations of Jane Eyre

[@ziadnadda4740]

Hello, Which brontë book you think is a good starting place ??

[@katiejlumsden]

I'd recommend Jane Eyre or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall :)

[@LoveMeSomeSarcasm]

How do you feel about Wide Sargasso Sea and the post colonial element (or lack thereof)?

[@katiejlumsden]

+LoveMeSomeSarcasm I don't know! I love Jean Rhys's writing and I love Wide Sargasso Sea a lot, but for me it's sort of separate to Jane Eyre. I think its a fascinating take on Jane Eyre, although for me Wide Sargasso Sea doesn't present Rochester as being blatantly evil as some people seem to think it does - it just complicates everything more and more.

[@LoveMeSomeSarcasm]

I studied it so much at uni that I struggle to remind myself it's not canon because it feels like such a good extension of the story. Even though it is controversial.

[@katiejlumsden]

It was interesting; I was reading an article in the Guardian about Jane Eyre and one of the writers was saying that she can never read Jane Eyre without Wide Sargasso Sea. I think because I knew Jane Eyre very well before I read Wide Sargasso Sea, I can just about separate them.

[@bookgal8616]

Did you see the 2011 film version of Jane Eyre with Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester?

[@katiejlumsden]

+Rani Weinman Yes, I did. I quite liked it, although for me it wasn't a patch on the 2005 TV adaptation.

[@priscillaviolette8153]

Ya I too liked the 2011 film version but I feel like its too different... And I personally love and always recommend others to watch the 1983 film version and 2005 film version....

[@rashmika9742]

This is a very stupid question, but I noticed in Jane Eyre that they never used the word "open": doors were always described as "unclosed." Does anyone know around when the word open was coined? Just curious. :)

[@katiejlumsden]

I have no idea! I've never noticed that before, but I'll look out for it!

[@JayEllis]

Haven't said hello in a while. Hello :D

[@katiejlumsden]

+JayEllis Hello!