Thursday, 6 December 2012
In Praise of Charlotte.
I think that Jane Eyre
will be quickly read. Charlotte Bronte was a woman of keen intellect,
high compassion, emotional strength, incisive awareness and mental clarity. It shows
in her writing, which carries you along on a style that is elegant, precise and
lyrical. She can describe the emotions of a child as eloquently as she can draw
you into a forbidding landcape, and it’s hard to put her down. I limited myself
to three chapters tonight, since I like to keep a winter novel burning slowly
along with the winter fire. They’re both rare pleasures that complement one
another naturally. It won’t be easy, though. Charlotte Bronte is just too good
a writer.
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4 comments:
Ah, wonderful. Jane Eyre is one of my favorites. I've read a lot of classics since moving overseas, as that's what's most readily available in English. Many -- except Romantic poetry, ugh -- were a joy to read. That said, I didn't mind Dracula quite so much as you seemed to. Perhaps I was just desperate for the written word.
In fairness, I did enjoy Dracula for the plot, but I don't think it's at all well written and that's what frequently irked me. I could list a number of examples but I wouldn't dream of boring you further! Suffice to say that I found Stoker's writing clumsy and immature.
Charlotte Bronte, on the other, is probably the most elegant and generally accomplished writer I've ever read. My introduction to her was Villette, which I know isn't very popular but which hooked me completely. Isn't it ironic, therefore, that all the Bronte sisters felt the need to use male pseudonyms in order to be taken seriously?
Engaging plot but lackluster writing seems to be a consistent trend throughout the ages, hah.
Villette! I was fortunate enough to find a used copy in a bookshop a few years ago; it was my intro to Charlotte's work as well, and a very good one at that.
I should say there was just one thing about Jane Eyre that irked me, but perhaps you'll feel the same as you read. Let's see.
It certainly is a shame. I wonder if they'd be pleased to know they're highly regarded these days...
OK, now I'm curious.
I think Charlotte would be pleased, since she seems to have been quite 'normal' in her desire for a bit of fame and fortune. Emily, on the other hand, appears not to have given a tuppeny toss what people thought of her, a trait which Charlotte remarked upon and found difficult to comprehend.
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