Charlotte Brontë

Michael Mason

Retells the classic story of an orphaned young woman who accepts employment as a governess and soon finds herself in love with her employer.

Jane Eyre

Vanessa

He made me love him without looking at me. 

Stanislas Dehaene

In this riveting investigation, Stanislas Dehaene provides an accessible account of the brain circuitry of reading and explores what he calls the "reading paradox": Our cortex is the product of millions of years of evolution in a world without writing, so how did it adapt to recognize words?

The New Science of how We Read

Reading in the Brain

Non-phonetic writing systems like Hanzi addressed elsewhere but left out in the argument for the evolution of proto-letters in non-human primates. Can the theory explain these, too, given their much higher visual complexity?

里森

our cortex did not specifically evolve for writing—there was neither the time nor sufficient evolutionary pressure for this to occur. On the contrary, writing evolved to fit the cortex. Our writing systems changed under the constraint that even a primate brain had to find them easy to acquire.

The ability of this cortical region to recognize words and transmit their identity to other areas results from a two-step evolutionary process: The slow emergence of efficient mechanisms of invariant object recognition that have appeared in the course of mammalian evolution. The rapid cultural adaptation of writing systems to fit this cortical niche, in the course of cultural evolution over the past five thousand years.

If reading has thus taken possession of our minds, to such an extent that it now constitutes an essential feature of our literate culture, it is because it has found its natural cerebral niche in the occipito-temporal cortex and its connections.

As stressed by the primatologist David Premack, Homo sapiens is the only primate with a sense of pedagogy. Only humans attend to the knowledge and mental states of others in order to teach them. Not only do we actively transmit the cultural objects we find most useful, but—as is particularly apparent with writing—we intentionally perfect them.

In a much-cited article, François Jacob pictured evolution as a tireless tinkerer who keeps a lot of junk in his backyard and occasionally assembles pieces of it to create a new contraption.

There is thus nothing contradictory in talking about rigid learning mechanisms, or even the “instinct to learn,” to quote Peter Marler.153 The old antagonism between nature and nurture is a myth—all learning rests on rigid innate machinery.

At each stage, the recombination of responses by neurons from the lower level allows new neurons to respond to increasingly complex portions of the image.

The brains of monkeys, like those of humans, contain neurons that are so specialized they appear to be dedicated to a single person, image, or concept. For instance, a neuron that responded exclusively to Hollywood superstar Jennifer Aniston was once recorded in the anterior temporal region of a human epilepsy patient.

the areas that Brodmann labeled 20 and 37 are present in both species and both deal with visual recognition. Crucially, the “letterbox” area, which is activated when we read, falls squarely within Brodmann’s area 37. Thus reading is not handled by a new and uniquely human brain area.

Darwin was the first scientist to draw a systematic comparison between language learning and the acquisition of singing behavior in birds.

Man in his arrogance thinks himself a great work, worthy the interposition of a deity. More humble and I believe true to consider him created from animals. —CHARLES DARWIN, NOTEBOOKS, 1838

When we read an irregular word like “colonel,” our brain activity resembles that of a Chinese reader as we must rely largely on a lexico-semantic route that parses this string as a known “character” with its own pronunciation. In contrast, when we read a new but regular string such as Nabokov’s “Lo-lee-ta,” we, like an Italian reader, rely on a direct spelling-to-sound route that goes through the superior temporal lobe.

Our visual system is exquisitely sensitive to the minuscule difference between “eight” and “sight,” and it amplifies it in order to send the input to completely different regions of semantic space. At the same time, it pays very little attention to other much greater differences, such as the distinction between “eight” and “EIGHT.”

Our word recognition device meets two seemingly contradictory requirements: it neglects irrelevant variations in character shape, even if they are huge, but amplifies relevant differences, even if they are tiny.

These constraints are an integral part of our visual apparatus and cannot be lifted by training. One can certainly teach people to optimize their eye movement patterns, but most good readers, who read from four hundred to five hundred words per minute, are already close to optimal. Given the retinal sensor at our disposal, it is probably not possible to do much better.

neither the hypothesis of an intelligent creator nor that of slow emergence through natural selection seems to provide a plausible explanation for the origins of reading.

Our species alone rises above its biological condition, creates an artificial cultural environment for itself, and teaches itself new skills like reading.

English is an abominably irregular language. George Bernard Shaw pointed out that the word “fish” might be spelled ghoti: gh as in “enough,” o as in “women,” and ti as in “lotion”!

I abhor such fanatical phantasimes, such insociable and point-devise companions; such rackers of orthography, as to speak dout, fine, when he should say doubt; det, when he should pronounce debt—d, e, b, t, not d, e, t: he clepeth a calf, cauf; half, hauf; neighbour vocatur nebor; neigh abbreviated ne. This is abhominable—which he would call abbominable: it insinuateth me of insanie.

Both the lexical and phonological pathways operate in parallel and reinforce each other.

“I took a speed-reading course and was able to read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.”

Jane Eyre, on what a relationship should not look like. 

Bethany Jenkins

As for me, I daily wished more to please him; but to do so, I felt daily more and more that I must disown half my nature, stifle half my faculties, wrest my tastes from their original bent, force myself to the adoption of pursuits for which I had no natural vocation. He wanted to train me to an elevation I could never reach; it racked me hourly to aspire to the standard he uplifted.

Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, where she endures loneliness and cruelty, and at a charity school with a harsh regime. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds a position as governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre (1847) dazzled and shocked readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.

envee

"Am I hideous, Jane?"
"Very, sir; you always were, you know"

💀💀💀💀

Sarah Sammis

After blundering through the Thursday Next series which begins with The Eyre Affair, I thought it best to go back and reread the book that inspired the series. I also read it for the Classics Challenge. My initial thoughts on Jane Eyre are: I loved the book, Jasper Fforde's depiction of Jane doesn't do her justice, it ends just like Harry Potter 7.

Jane Eyre for the most part reads like a modern novel. I suppose if Charlotte Brontë were publishing now her book would end up with a line drawing of some shoes and a pink cover and put with the chick lit. The story is told in first person by Jane with full commentary on her thoughts and reactions during scenes but done in an actual humorous and ironic fashion.

She breaks her autobiography into three parts with a short coda to tie up loose ends. Part one covers her childhood and education. Part two covers her employment at Thornfield Hall and her romance with Edward Rochester. The final part covers her disgraceful flight from Thornfield and her finding her family and fortunes. The coda then wraps everything up in a nice happy package with the sacrifices being made by Edward rather than Jane (as would be the case if it were a modern chick lit).

Who should read this book? Anyone and everyone. It's a classic and it's well deserving of its status. It's a damn good story!

This Is Not My Hat

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen won the 2013 Caldecott. It's the sequel to the equally delightful and minimalist, I Want My Hat Back. He also earned an honor for his illustrations in Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett.

While the first book was told from the perspective of the hat-misser (a bear), this one follows the hat (and the stealer of said hat). As the fish explains, the hat doesn't even fit on the owner's head.

Here, then, the excitement is in the chase. If the previous book was a mystery (where is the hat? who stole it?), this one is a thriller. We know who has it and we wonder how and when he'll be caught.

I don't know if there will be any more hat books from Klassen, but I'm in love with his illustrations and somewhat dark sense of humor.

Udit

The Penguin English Library Edition of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 'The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself' Passionate, poetic and revolutionary, Jane Eyreis a novel of naked emotional power. Its story of a defiant, fiercely intelligent woman who refuses to accept her appointed place in society - and instead finds love on her own terms - has become famous as one of the greatest romances ever written, but it is also a brooding Gothic mystery, a profound depiction of character and a transformative work of the imagination. The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

Much to my surprise, this really managed to suck me in. "Jane Eyre" is a fascinating exploration of the female psyhe from childhood through adolescence into adulthood and we have, historically, done it a great disservice by focusing the social and cultural conversation on the romance.

Charlotte Bronte has exercised great literary mastery and both conceiving and executing the novel, playing with imagery and metaphor. All the while, Jane is a character that feels incredibly contemporary and I cannot help but feel she will resonate with many women.

My edition also benefitted from an essay by Elaine Showalter on the novel which I wholeheartedly enjoyed.

Much to my surprise, this really managed to suck me in. "Jane Eyre" is a fascinating exploration of the female psyhe from childhood through adolescence into adulthood and we have, historically, done it a great disservice by focusing the social and cultural conversation on the romance.

Charlotte Bronte has exercised great literary mastery and both conceiving and executing the novel, playing with imagery and metaphor. All the while, Jane is a character that feels incredibly contemporary and I cannot help but feel she will resonate with many women.

My edition also benefitted from an essay by Elaine Showalter on the novel which I wholeheartedly enjoyed.

Claudia Beneyto

for me this was such a wild ride i can’t begin to express what i feel about this book. i must say i didn’t like it at times, and i still feel those feelings are valid. however, i do think, in retrospect, that it might have been influenced by the obligation to finish it, as well as other factors to take into consideration. i might need to revisit it to fully love it — even though i couldn’t get enough of the last fifteen chapters or so.

giulia

"It is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame."

maybe the greatest love of all is truly who the eyes cant see :)

Beautifuly, beautifuly written book. The life lessons, advices, and experience of the main character will always be relevant. Jane is a true example of virtue and purity of a human's soul.

Camilla

Kendall McClain

Lol finished this like a month ago and forgot to log it but she is very good and Jane is my main girlie! Taking off two star because this took me AGES to finish because at times I just simply didn’t care oops still brilliant though

Erin Darlyn

I must say, I read Wuthering Heights before I read Jane Eyre and I absolutely hated it; then I watched a terrible screen adaptation of Jane Eyre that made me wonder how anyone in the world could possibly ever like this story (after seeing a different adaptation and reading the book, I can now conclude that that particular adaptation was just especially poorly done). For these reasons, Jane Eyre actually sat on my shelf for quite a while before I finally gave in and read it. It is my mother-in-law's favorite classic, so I figured it must at least have some redeeming qualities and I eventually acquiesced and began reading it. Having now finished it, I can say that I am glad I did, and that I actually thoroughly enjoyed it! I will likely even read it again at some point - what a happy surprise - and am already thinking about which Bronte book I should try next.

Charlotte's writing is so beautifully descriptive and engaging and her world-building so engrossing that you can picture every element of the story so vividly. Her characters come alive on the page. I found myself thinking the first few chapters about Jane's childhood reminded me of the first few chapters of Dickens' David Copperfield. I couldn't help but like Jane, just as I couldn't help but like David. Rochester has his issues, of course, but is also a well written, well developed, complex character and the story itself is a good one. I would definitely recommend it for someone who wants to get lost in a good book for a while!

There are a couple of words / ideas that have not "aged well" present in the book, and there is a significant age difference between the male and female leads that might be disturbing for some. Trigger warnings would include narcissism and spiritual abuse.

Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartless aunt and later attends a charity school with a harsh regime, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds a position as governess at Thornfield Hall.However, when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre (1847) dazzled and shocked readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.

it took me an embarrassingly long time to read this but i literally loved every word of it

sophie

i would have enjoyed it more if i didnt have to read it for school

3 stars

lexie

although it was too long and too many sufferings, i loved this book. jane eyre is kind and well mannered woman that should be looked up to.

Betty

ཐིཋྀ

“every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and in sickness it would still be dear. your mind is my treasure and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still..” the entire speech he does for Jane when she leaves him left me broken but the entirety of the book will always have a special place in my heart… is it too much to ask for pure devotion?

I won't lie, this book was marvelous. I kind of Dnf-ed it because it just wouldn't end 😭. But I will be giving it 4 stars because I'll finish it at some point this year. 

It's worth the read, trust me. That's if you don't mind those novels with long chapters. I don't mind long novels (400 pages max) but if it's got long chapters I lose interest even if it's the best written book in the world.

Atli 💗🧚🏽‍♀️

While reading I was stunned thinking "Sure this is from the 19. Century?" Cause Jane was so empathetic. She sure would have loved Taylor Swift.

Nina May

While reading I was stunned thinking "Sure this is from the 19. Century?" Cause Jane was so empathetic. She sure would have loved Taylor Swift.

But I can't ignore the age gap.???

'Such a strange book! Imagine a novel with a little swarthy governess for heroine, and a middle-aged ruffian for hero.' Sharpe's London Magazine (June 1855) Jane Eyre is an orphan grown up under the harsh regime first of her aunt and then as a pupil at Lowood Institution. She leaves to become a governess to the daughter of the mysterious Mr Rochester; gradually their relationship deepens, but Jane's passionate nature has yet to endure its deepest blows. In this new edition Sally Shuttleworth explores the power of a narrative that questions the rights of women, the nature of servitude and madness, martyrdom and rebellion in a story whose emotional charge is a strong today as it was more than 150 years ago. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Hannah Yang

Since yesterday I have endeavored to read as much brilliant literature as I can before I must inevitably return to my schoolwork - which would not allow me to set aside entire afternoons to finish one book. (As I write this, I'm laughing at how grand this proclamation sounds. In two days I've read over a thousand pages of sophisticated, old-fashioned speech. Forgive me for letting it taint my writing. I am cringing as I read what I type.)

Jane Eyre is a classic that I have always meant to read, and am very glad I read. Her story is an interesting one, but what I enjoyed the most about the novel was Jane's character. Though at first, as Helen Burns notes, she cares a lot about what others think of her, she grows into a lady of independence and self-respect while remaining refined and considerate. She faces many trials and takes all of them in stride, unwavering in her belief in herself. She has suffered injustice, especially in her childhood, but is able to forgive and become better because of it. That is the kind of person I hope to become: someone who will make the best of every situation she is in, who will stick to her principles when it is difficult.

I think that this is a book that everyone must read at some point - it lives up to its reputation beautifully.

Siete

Part of the Vintage Classics Bronte Series: three sisters, three major novels, beautifully designed. 2016 CHARLOTTE BRONTE BICENTENARY As an orphan, Jane's childhood is full of trouble, but her stubborn independence and sense of self help her to steer through the miseries inflicted by cruel relatives and a brutal school. A position as governess at the Thornfield Hall promises a kind of freedom. But Thornfield is a house full of secrets, its master a passionate, tormented man, and before long Jane faces her greatest struggle in a choice between love and self-respect."

Anushka Saha

Briar's Reviews

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë was a book I always wanted to pick up. I had seen many of the various adaptations and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. For years it was just a whisper in the back of my head, until I got to take a gothic literature class. And man, that is the BEST way to read a book like this! Get a professional explaining the ins and outs and making you understand why things are the way they are. It was one awesome opportunity and I am SO glad I took that class!

So, a Briar summary:
- Jane Eyre - bildungsroman (young women moving from innocence to experience)
- Abusive household of distant family as a child (orphan Annie... I mean Jane), sent off to an academy for all girls (also not the best experience)
- Leaves, gets a job as a Governess (teacher) for a young girl who may or may not be the Master's daughter
- Meets Mr. Rochester (ugly rich guy) and falls in love with him, but he's chasing an older broad named Blanche
- Finally gets with Mr. Rochester and things get... difficult
- She leaves and gets another job
- She finds her way back
- Throughout most of the book she is sassy and independent! 

This book is a bildungsroman disguised as a romance. We have a woman coming into herself and learning to accept that her passion will not meet society's expectations of a young woman. They must be humble and kind and not passionate or sexual. She has morals and stands up for them, and does not understand why people don't do the same. She wants to marry who she wants to marry, and doesn't want to wear the veil. She's a strong lead for the time period. You can argue whether or not she is a feminist character (she still marries the guy at the end, gives away a lot of what she wanted too), but she is a strong lead. You have to remember when the book was made to really understand why things happen the way they do.

I'll be honest, I would not have enjoyed this book as much without my Professor going into deep lengths about it. When I had to write essays and understand the book I found it way more enjoyable. That's how I am as a reader though. I dislike slow moving books unless I have some accountability or learning from it. I'm an odd reader.

So what's my overall opinion?

This book is a really interesting classic. It's a relatively slow, dramatic book that can make you appreciate writing if you read it under the right circumstances. There is definitely one section of the book nobody likes (oh my gosh, I already hate slow and that part was PAINFUL - if you've read it, you know what part I'm talking about), but it's still a great read. I'm blown away by Charlotte's skills and I will definitely be picking up more books by the Brontë sisters.

But, Mr. Rochester? Jane. You can do better. He's a bit of a cow, if I'm being honest. 

Side note: If anyone wants to chat about this classic, hit me up. The theorizing with this book and the themes... I love it. I get all nerdy about these kind of things!

Five out of five stars.

Rohit Arondekar

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The writing is very good and felt modern. The pacing is handled well throughout. It's slow at the right moments and moves quickly when there isn't any need to dwell. Charlotte Brontë has captured emotional observations really well which in hindsight was my favorite feature of the book. The story has everything and some of the plot twists were surprising. There is a lot more to be said about the book but being a classic I don't think I can say anything that hasn't already been said.

This is the second book I've read along with other book lovers as a group read and enjoyed the experience. It's fun to share thoughts and listen to different perspectives. Looking forward to reading more classics and doing more group readings.

Wilde

My all time favourite book. Jane Eyre is a tale of feminism, growing up and devotion. It doesn't end how you want it to but that's ok.

Jane Eyre

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