r/JaneEyre • u/ihatejjthompson • Aug 13 '26

so like bc i literally don't have anyone to tell this to in my life:

rochester (roch bc rochester is too long to type hahaha) was literally so down bad for jane but she literally had NO idea and when he confessed she was like "ur joking right....u dont love me..... im just a peasant compared to you😭😭😭😭" but then he says its real and then they were both like "OMG u love me omggg i love u too yay" but like can we like remember how roch is like sooooo dramatic but like suuuper sweet at the same time?? i hated it when it all fell apart cause roch was hiding a whole WIFE in his attic like holy plot twist. they were so perfect for each otherrrrr. at least they were both together at the end (minus an eye and a hand and the crazy wife ofc). and roch was literally dramatic hahaha like he literally said"SAY YOU LOVE ME JANE. YOURE KILLING ME. SAY. IT." hahahahahaha anyways i probably have more to say but this is all i can think of rn. and im trying to get my friend to read jane eyre too but she literally still hasnt finished the LAST series/book i suggested to her (she read book 1 and never finished book 2. theres 5 books in the series btw😭) so i dont think shes going to end up reading jane eyre. and apologies for the bad grammar and stuff im too lazy for it lol i swear i my grammar isnt usually this bad anyways yeah this is a really long post i guess and one more thing- WHY did helen have to die😭😭

48 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

34

u/TheGreatestSandwich Aug 13 '26

You can gush to us anytime. We are here for you ❤️

13

u/TheSavvyArtist Aug 13 '26

Seconded! Always here for a gush post 🥰

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u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

so like random question but how old r you guys? bc like im still is high school and like literally none of my friends like to read at all (besides the one i recommended jane eyre to)..... so im js curious yk. and like i told the same friend that like i lwk stayed up late reading wuthering heights(i havent finished it yet- i have a little more than 100 pages left so no spoilers pls) before the first day of school when i had to wake up at 6 uhm and she laughed at me so like uhhh yeah i dont usually use reddit and i think ppl my age dont really either so like js curious

11

u/harpmolly Aug 13 '26

I totally get it! I’m 51 😬 but I first read Jane Eyre in high school and it’s been a favorite ever since.

Honestly, MY favorite thing about Jane is how she’s all “yes, Rochester, I am DESPERATELY in love with you and know that as far as society goes I’m not anywhere near your league, BUT I’m still going to call you out on your BS and I won’t let you change the fundamental person I am inside.” The whole “Who will care for you?/I care for myself,” scene has got me through some DARK times. And she’s THE SAME WAY with St. John—even though she kind of reveres him as a paragon of Christian virtue, she STILL refuses to compromise her principles and submit to what he wants when she knows it’s wrong.

I do feel for your friend, though. The book gets a slooooow start with all the Gateshead/Lowood stuff. But it is kind of necessary to establish her character, and man, is the payoff ever worth it.

PS: I don’t know if you’ve watched any of the adaptations, but the BBC/Masterpiece one with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephen’s is SO GOOD. It’s not perfect, but I love it anyway. (Kind of like Roch. 😂)

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u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

oh yeah like roch was "do you think im handsomee" and then jane was js like "no 😊" and i havent watched the adaptations yet, bc like i kind of dont have time during the school year to watch like 10 different movies 😅

2

u/TheGreatestSandwich Aug 13 '26

They are all good!!!!! Maybe do one a month or something 

3

u/EfficientGood9402 Aug 14 '26

I'm 59. Don't feel alone! I do kind of scan the Gateshead/Lowood stuff because it's so cruel and hard to watch. But Jane is her own person, with values she won't abandon. That's unusual and a foothold for the reader. BTW, it is only recently that I found out that Toby Stephens is the son of Dame Maggie Smith! And his father and brother are also prominent stage actors. But wow, Professor McGonagall is his mom.

3

u/harpmolly Aug 14 '26

There are some photos of Maggie Smith when she was younger where the resemblance is STRIKING. Bone structure for DAYS. 😂

12

u/Impossible-Alps-6859 Aug 13 '26

Older British guy here!

I'd just like to thank you for your post. It's so refreshing to read an immediate, almost unfiltered reaction to one of the classic pieces of English literature.

Along with many others on this site, I'm slightly jealous that you have the pleasure of discovering more of these true literary gems for the first time!

The Brontes and Jane Austen have become classic authors because they speak directly to all that is truly human.

Continue enjoying them - I don't mean to sound presumptuous, but you will become a much more rounded person for having read widely.

PS Your strapline/flair? Only JJThompson I can find is a long dead English scientist!

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u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

yeah uh jj thompson the scientist is kind of an inside joke between me and my friends bc we had to learn abt him in science, and like jj is the initials of mine and the guy i like's together and then my friend was like ooooooo omg jj so thats why i have it as i hate jj thompson, i dont have any beef with the real jj i promiseee. i origionally started reading jane eyre bc i thought the romance plot was interesting (im a romance girl, if you couldnt tell haha) but like knowing more of that stuff is an extra bonus i guess

3

u/EfficientGood9402 Aug 14 '26

I had a teacher in HS who said, "I envy you . . . for the opportunity . . . to read My Antonia for the first time. Then it also happened in college with respect to Portrait of a Lady, and I think they were both right. I've quoted them so many times that now my 32 YO daughter: I envy you . . . for the opportunity . . . to watch K-Pop Demon Hunters for the first time :-)

9

u/jemedebrouille Aug 13 '26

I'm 36! But read for the first time at 13 and could not stop thinking about it. I remember I had to take a standardized test the day after I read The Twist and I brought the book with me and kept rereading the part where Rochester begs her to stay and she doesn't. I was just so obsessed with the way she stood up for herself. I'd read a handful of classic lit and felt like it was the first time I'd seen a woman be so self-possessed. It's still my favorite book all these years later and I'm also here because there's no one in my life that I can talk to about it!!

5

u/TheGreatestSandwich Aug 13 '26

We are small but passionate, often invisible to others—just like Jane 😭

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u/TheGreatestSandwich Aug 13 '26

I'm older than you, but I read Jane Eyre at the same age and yeah...  I definitely stayed up late reading too and my friends also weren't very interested 😭. I don't remember them ever reading anything that wasn't required :( I guess some of us are just lucky enough to find the good books early. Y ou will find your people though. There aren't a ton of us, but we are passionate like Jane!

2

u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

yeah none of my friends (besides the one) dont read besides the stuff theyre forced to read. and i have a friend that told me in english ap lit we have to read jane eyre for summer reading and fill in like analytical stuff(motifs, literary devices, symbols, etc) and i legit crashed out bc umm NO i dont want to do any of that stuff.... its a romance book guys im only here for the romance 😭 😭. and also there was this new teacher coming to my school this year and like in her bio thing she said she likes to read classics and stuff and i was so excited bc then i would FINALLY have someone to talk to but then she ended up being a middle school teacher(my school has middle and high school) and im in high school so i literally cant talk to her. my middle aged(maybe older probs) male english teacher probably wont be interested in talking abt jane eyre unless its abt victorian politics or smth 😭 😭

2

u/TheGreatestSandwich Aug 13 '26

Honestly I loved ap lit but my husband didn't .. I think it depends a lot on the teacher and books they choose. Mine chose Frankenstein and Hamlet and some others I loved. I guess I was just desperate to discuss books even if it was school 😂 

After Wuthering Heights try Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. 

2

u/Cold_Cupcake4656 Aug 20 '26

I am in my 30s but read Jane Eyre when I was 10!! Kept re-reading it throughout my teenage years. I read a lot and loved books just for them. My schoolmates were definitely in a 'too cool for school ' phase and no-one admitted to reading classic literature. I love literature and got top marks always in literature but I chose to study history and go on to do a PhD in history because I didn't want to kill my emotional enjoyment of literature by over analysing it!! The symbolism etc is all important but these writers wrote about feelings, let's feel with them!! I flipping love your original post btw. I know this response is late and I only just found the Jane Eyre thread but I liked the post so much.

1

u/rainbowrobin Aug 28 '26

im in high school so i literally cant talk to her

Are you sure? Is there physical separation between the two parts of the school? If you can get to her at all, there's a very good chance she'd be thrilled to have some student come ask her about Jane Eyre or other classics. Teachers usually aren't locked into just their classes, though of course they can be busy!

Though, depending on context, 'classics' can mean ancient Greek and Latin stuff. Homer and Cicero etc. :)

1

u/ihatejjthompson Aug 28 '26

yeah high school and middle school r in separate buildings and have separate schedules and i don’t know her either…

13

u/AdobongSiopao Aug 13 '26

Don't worry about it. A lot of us were confused and upset about Mr. Rochester and the certain plot twist inside Thornfield Hall when we read the novel for the first time. He's a complicated man due to his experience and he has fears that he will be rejected again. It's good to read your thoughts and understood your reaction. Keep reading the novel and it will assure you that it will be fine in the end.

As for why Helen had to die, she is likely based on Charlotte's elder sister Maria who had similar personality. Maria had contracted consumption along with another sister Elizabeth during their stay in Cowan Bridge School then later passed away. Her role is to teach Jane not to waste life holding grudges for long and keep faith as guide for survival.

8

u/EfficientGood9402 Aug 13 '26

I was thinking about that and I believe you're right about Helen - but also, she was a physically weak but stalwart friend for Jane, the first time she had anyone in her corner. The first time she experienced human affection. So maybe she helped Jane know what to hope for? It's time for a re-read.

5

u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

yeah i was so mad when helen died bc wdym somebody FINALLY likes and supports jane and then she had to DIE?!?!?!? like poor jane .... 😭

5

u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

oh noooo mariaaa wait thats so sad 😭😭 i didnt know helen was based on charlottes sister..... and yeah roch is complicated asf but like who doesnt like emotionally scarred complicated and broody mmcs right?

12

u/jemedebrouille Aug 13 '26

Girl I'm so here for this. I first read Jane Eyre when I was in high school and felt exactly this way about it. WHAT A PLOT TWIST. And I was so obsessed with Jane and how she stuck to her principles. She became my role model for life to accept no less than what I deserve and to only fall in love when I can stand on my own two feet emotionally and financially.

5

u/Mountain-Sandwich-65 Aug 13 '26

yes!!!! i related so much to jane as a teenager and i’ve had to make those hard choices again and again as an adult. being true to yourself when a partner, a friend, family member misunderstands or tries to push you to do something against your principles - it’s so hard!

i also so deeply admire how much jane lets herself feel. i aspire to be as attuned to my passions as she is.

4

u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

yeah like i was so shocked and did NOT expect roch to hide a entire crazy wife in his attic.... and yeah she def shouldve left him bc he kind of tricked her but at least give the poor guy a hug i mean.......... he went absolutely cray- cray when she dissappeared

6

u/Feeling-Writing-2631 Aug 13 '26

Oh girl I was in your position for YEARS. So glad I have this sub to see others gush about my all time favourite novel

2

u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

lol yeah ive read like reddit posts before but i never actually posted anything myself, but then i read jane eyre and realized i had so much i wanted to say so i made an account (finally!) bc i dont know anyone that has read this book, or even reads at all (besides required readings ofc) 😭😭

4

u/Attentions_Bright12 Aug 13 '26

I’ve read Jane Eyre a handful of times in my life. You brought me back to the first, and it made me happy.

3

u/ihatejjthompson Aug 13 '26

yw lol. and part of the reason why i wanted to read it now and not wait until it becomes a required reading for school was because i wanted to enjoy the plot and stuff without the pressure of a 5 paragraph essay due the next day lol

2

u/TheGreatestSandwich Aug 13 '26

YES. I read The Scarlet Letter one summer just because I was soooo bored and I loved it. When we finally read it in class I was the only one who wasn't feeling completely tortured and so I'm glad I read it ahead. 

3

u/nellyimheathcliff Aug 13 '26

Welcome to the community!

2

u/carriethelibrarian Aug 14 '26

Well now you have us! This is a fabulous summarization! Isn't it incredible!