Rather than reading this classic, I listened to it on about 16 CDs over several weeks on the train to and from work. I'd heard of Jane Eyre, of course, and had watched a movie version, so the general sweep of the story wasn't a surprise to me. But it's the sort of dense, description heavy book that I avoid reading, knowing that I'll skim read sections, and spoil the book.
I'd never listened to an audio book before, and I loved this one. Listening to someone read to me means that I get swept up in Bronte's lengthy passages on the weather sweeping across the moors, rather than skimming past them to get to the action. I found my writing altered a little while I was doing my listening - it was more formal and structured, just like the voice I listened to for two hours a day. It was a great experience, and I loved knitting away on the train as Jane gradually fell in love with Mr Rochester.
I loved the Gothic, throbbing romance of the story, and its dramatic ebb and flow. And Jane, of course - Jane is a wonderful character. So determined and independent, that despite growing a little weary of her emotional highs and lows towards the end, I still felt greatly affectionate towards her.
I rather surprised myself in enjoying this book so much. I mean, it's esentially a romance story - an enormously dramatic romance, but still a romance. And I've never been interested in romance stories - I find it rather dull when the process of two people falling in love is the entire focus of the novel, and you know they're going to get together in the end, because that's the whole point. But perhaps I've been reading bad romance novels. Because all those criticisms apply to Jane Eyre, and it's still wonderful.
I imagine that people have written reams on the underlying themes and meanings of Jane Eyre, and I can't possibly add to that. It was just a wonderful story, with great pace, and a heroine who has stuck in my mind, dark and small, walking away down a country path with Mr Rochester striding beside her.
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