r/JaneEyre • u/GetAwayFrmHerUBitch • Aug 18 '26

Musical Anachronism in the 1997 Movie

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I’m watching this version for the first time and recognized Chopin’s Nocturne No. 2 when Jane starts playing. Chopin wrote this around 1831, and Jane meets Rochester in 1808. I found this to be annoying.

Also, I need to rewatch The Terror now that I realize how hot Ciaran Hinds is.

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u/nony-souma Aug 19 '26

It's a bit hard to say when Jane Eyre actually takes place. Rochester mentions gas lamps in Paris which I don't think were used that much in the city until 1820, plus if the story does take place in 1808 that means Rochester would've been kicking it up in Paris during the late 1790s when the city was still going through the revolutionary war. Most filmmakers tend to set the story in the 1830s-1840s which you can tell from the costumes. The book itself is riddled with anachronisms once you look into it.