Poor, poor Jane. She's at a literal crossroads at the beginning of this chapter, and that's one of the most memorable images from this book, for me. One of those moments that instantly spring to mind when I think of this book, especially the second half of it.I'd forgotten how Romantic this chapter is. Romantic as in the Romantic Era, not as in lovey-dovey. I knew it was considered a Romantic novel as well as a Gothic one, but I'd forgotten how very into "nature is pure; people are corrupted" it got, and how Jane felt that you could see and feel God when you were out in nature.
I don't have a lot to say about this chapter because I don't like it much at all. It's one of those chapters I have to just slog through to get to better stuff. I do really like these two sisters, Mary and Diana -- they're sweet. And there's some foreshadowing here regarding them too -- Jane felt as though she was "intimate with every lineament" of their faces, and don't they sound familiar to you? She "cannot call them handsome -- they were too pale and grave for the word" (p. 386). Hmmmmmm... now who does that sound like?
Possible Discussion Questions:
Random speculation here, but do you think the faithful servant Hannah in Little Women might be named after the Hannah here? They rather remind me of each other, and both have dialog that gets written in dialect.
Hannah... I wouldn't have even thought of that! But I'm betting that it is.
ReplyDeleteIt's also a common name, so it could be entirely coincidental, but you never know!
DeleteI always found this part of the book rather boring, too, although this time I rather liked the description of the barren England wilderness. (I had to google whether lizards existed in England, though, when one was mentioned in the book. I was quite skeptical, knowing England tends to be cold. It's true, though!)
ReplyDeleteThis Hannah always reminded me of the Little Women Hannah, too, although I can't really say whether Lousia "stole" the character. Do you know if she read Jane Eyre?
Natalie, I do have a great desire to see a moor one day, so I like bits of that, but overall, the time she spends with the Riverses doesn't thrill me.
DeleteYes, I believe that Alcott's first novel was patterned somewhat after Jane Eyre. Whether the borrowing of the name for a faithful servant was intentional or not, I don't know.