I admit she's too good for him - but isn't that part of the point?
Legolas Send a noteboard - 26/04/2012 10:08:13 PM
Recently I was talking about the zombies adaptation type trend in books and how I hate it and believe it is cheating but then someone mentioned putting vampires into Wuthering Heights and I was just, whoa, that's perfect, it totally makes sense that vampires would belong there. Oh the angst. The ANGST! I have no idea why Wuthering Heights is considered a classic. I saw no redeeming value in it.
As I said, haven't read it, but based on the movie version I saw and general knowledge of the plot, one does wonder. I'm tempted to say Kate Bush's song is the best thing to come out of it.
Jane Eyre- yes. It helps if you don't see Rochester as a romantic hero and you don't see it as a happy romance. Because it's awful! You have to keep in mind that Bronte wasn't even subtle with how awful Rochester is, we shouldn't forget that just because Jane chose to marry him in the end. Just because it was her choice doesn't mean that it was a good one. I hate Rochester so much, to an extent that seems ridiculous given that it's just a fictional character.
It being her choice is indeed pretty much the point, I think, even though she's too good for him. Jane Eyre is a rather impressive character, even if the inheritance thing at the end was silly, and I understand Jean Rhys' indignance about the first wife.
[Just occurred to me- was Rochester's "I like how you're obscure, little and plain" the original neg?] Gee, thanks! Now that you've underscored my insecurities and you're ok with it of course I have no choice but to see you as the best I can do! And I don't care if Rochester said that because his first wife was terrifyingly gorgeous and sexy and he wants the opposite now, it was still an awful thing to say to Jane regardless of his reasons it's not all about him. [Except that for someone like Rochester it is in fact all. about. him] Not that that was the only occasion in which he manipulated and played Jane. Anyway!
Does Jane Eyre really seem like the kind of person that kind of manipulation would work on?
And it's really not that horrible a thing to say, considering Jane is aware of her looks and doesn't mind it. But you have to read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys... Though I read Jane Eyre first and and Wide Sargasso Sea really made sense to me, in my opinion it was very consistent with Jane Eyre.
I read the Wikipedia article on it after reading Jane Eyre, but didn't immediately make the connection when you first mentioned it above. Can't say I'm particularly attracted to it, but as I said, yeah, I can see how the book would be problematic to people from the former British colonies and the West Indies in particular.
Just read Pride and Prejudice again.
- 25/04/2012 04:21:27 PM
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honestly...I liked it better with zombies.
- 25/04/2012 05:15:12 PM
1120 Views
Never read that.
- 25/04/2012 10:14:51 PM
1116 Views
it has a lot of the charm of the original, and then the additional charm of zombies
- 25/04/2012 11:36:55 PM
1228 Views
I don't know what it is about that book, but yes, I do love it.
- 25/04/2012 06:56:28 PM
1167 Views
I love Thomas Hardy.
- 25/04/2012 08:33:41 PM
1088 Views
Hm. I never could. Which book particularly?
- 25/04/2012 10:09:16 PM
1191 Views
Jude the Obscure.
- 26/04/2012 03:10:25 AM
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Mary's still presented as better than Lydia and their mother. Kind of.
- 26/04/2012 08:40:40 PM
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Re: Mary's still presented as better than Lydia and their mother. Kind of.
- 26/04/2012 09:40:14 PM
1373 Views
See, I keep thinking Jane Austen books are "chick lit" but I like them anyway.
- 26/04/2012 02:43:07 AM
1100 Views
Oh, come on. Jane Eyre is a great book.
- 26/04/2012 08:42:17 PM
1125 Views
Hated Wuthering Heights. (but not as much as I hate Rochester of course)
- 26/04/2012 09:31:13 PM
1144 Views
I don't think the first adaptation is cheating
- 26/04/2012 10:04:14 PM
1012 Views
I admit she's too good for him - but isn't that part of the point?
- 26/04/2012 10:08:13 PM
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Could someone explain to me why Jane Austen's prose is considered good?
- 27/04/2012 12:24:00 AM
1305 Views
Dialogue, wit, characters. The plot and descriptive prose are merely functional, true.
- 27/04/2012 11:26:27 PM
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