Jane Eyre

Review By Brendan Paholski


Jane Eyre (The book)


Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is the story of a penniless orphan's journey from childhood ostracism through to marriage and a career as a governess. When we first meet Jane, she is in the care of her resentful Aunt, Mrs Reed(I use the term "care" advisedly, as it usually abuse, both physical and mental, that she endures). After being locked in the "red room" as punishment, and seeing visions of her dead father in the room, Jane is sent to Lowood school.


Jane's situation is not improved at Lowood, where she is accused of being deceitful, and is publicly humiliated by Mr Brocklehurst for dropping her slate. Eventually she is cleared of any wrongdoing by her teacher, Miss Temple. She prospers at the school where she eventually becomes a teacher herself.


After eight years at Lowood school, Jane takes matters into her own hands and advertises herself as available for the role of governess. Ultimately she becomes governess at Thornfield Hall to Mr Rochester's child, Adele. The real story of Jane Eyre's life begins.


The novel is an excellent example of writing (and subject) which is ahead of its time. In our protagonist, we have a woman who, though reserved initially, is forthright in her opinions. Jane tells her own story as she sees it, and is an acute observer of people and situations within the household, as she often overhears gossip and tittletattle. She can often be found one room removed from social functions at Thornfield. The first-person perspective allows the reader to see Jane's vulnerabilities as well , and allows for the perfect unraveling of the tale.


The novel embraces many genres, being part romance, part Gothic (Jane's vision of her uncle, her dreams of children and the "fortune teller"), part coming-of-age and part autobiography (the death of Jane's friend Helen Burn mirrors Bronte's own experience, where two of her sisters died in childhood of pulmonary tuberculosis). It remains a favourite among readers.





Jane Eyre (the 2011 film)



Since 1915, there have been sixteen film adaptations, and ten television adaptations of his classic story. (including I walked with a Zombie, a 1946 movie loosely based on the novel). The latest movie version (2011) stars Mia Wasikkowska and Michael Fassbend in the the principal roles, and features most of what you expect from such a retelling (dark interiors, nast weather and some cruelty early in the screenplay).


The most remarkable aspect of this version is its structure: it dispenses with a linear retelling, opting instead to begin proceedings with Jane's flight from Thornfield. Thus the mystery is able to continue, as she is ushered into the household of St John Rivers, and reveals her name to be Jane Eliot to all who question her.


The film seems to have the right balance in terms of the main actors and Dame Judi Dench is perfect as Mrs Fairfax. As the younger Jane, Amelia Clarkson is excellent. All the exterior locations create a spectacular backdrop for the retelling of such a novel. The interior shots are also suitably gloomy.


Comparing book and film


This is always difficult. Any movie interpretation of a well-known novel draws plenty of different opinions, and this one is no exception. As I've mentioned, many versions of this story exist on film
and each will have its good and bad points. Its easy, when reading the novel, to see why its become such fertile ground for those in film and television over the last one hundred years. It would provide a challenge to any screenwriter or producer to find something different to say from a well-worn tale.


In its 2011 incarnation, the story has been given a begining with a dramatic tableau, so that much of the story is then told backwards. Parts of this idea work wel, but I found that several jumps in the story seemed to jar, and were not explained clearly and assumed a reading of the text. (How was Jane liberated from Lowood? When she is permitted to attend school , how does that arise?)


My other major problem with this movie is that it all seems to end very abruptly. When the film ended, I found myself wondering " What happened?" because the entire denouement seemed to happen so quickly. It was as if the entire cast and crew couldn't wait to get out of there.


I was left wondering whether Gary Fukunaga (director) or Moira Buffini (screenwriter) had read the book that closely. I'm not sure that this would rate among the best interpretations of the novel on screen.