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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Your Favorite Bronte Original Work

Jane Eyre was the overwhelming favorite Bronte Original work on the poll held on this blog this past month. The favorites in order are as follows:

1. Jane Eyre, 60.7%
2. Wuthering Heights, 25%
3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, 8.9%
4. The Professor, 3.6%
5. Agnes Grey, 1.8%

Villette, Shirley, Poems, and Juvenilia did not receive any votes. I must say that I agree. Jane Eyre is my favorite Bronte original work. What about Jane Eyre makes it such a great book? Please sound off below in the comments. I know that to me, I love how Charlotte Bronte incorporated so much of her life story into the novel. The terrible trials of Lowood School and being a governess come through loud and clear. The love story of Jane and Rochester is passionate without the sex scenes of modern day works. Rochester sees through the “dowdy” exterior of Jane Eyre to the fiery soul within. The gothic elements and mystery make this book hard to put down. Overall though, it is Jane herself that keeps me rereading this novel. Jane grows into a woman with a mind of her own and her love story with Rochester is a story where she does not bend her morals or beliefs. Indeed, she comes to Rochester on her own terms at the end.

A new poll of this month is again about the Brontes, but to honor Valentine’s Day, let’s select our favorite Bronte romantic couples. Although there are great couples in all of the Bronte’s works, two are iconic – Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester versus Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff.

7 comments:

  1. Laura, I must admit that I haven't heard much about Agnes Grey.

    In the early days of my blog, I used to conduct polls about various matters. One of these days, maybe I will think of another poll to do. :)

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  2. SO far, tenant of Wildfell Hall and that's only because I haven't really read any others...I'm working on Villette right now.

    ann

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  3. I've read 4 of the 9 and Jane Eyre is my favorite. As I've mentioned elsewhere my favorite part of the book is the way it has grown with me and changed every time I have read it. I'm also a total sucker for Rochester, I love how sly he is.

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  4. I'm so sorry Villette didn't do better in your poll, as it is my favorite. I have read Jane Eyre countless times and, while I adored it when I first read it as a teen, it has lost much of its charm as I have aged. I still love the beginning - the red room and the scenes from Lowood - but the older I get the more impatient I become with Mr. Rochester and the less I understand why Jane condescends to love him.

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  5. I was surprised about Villette myself. I enjoyed that novel immensely as a teen and I really need to read it again. I think many people are just not familar with it.

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  7. I voted "Jane Eyre". Big surprise there, eh? ;) I'm reading "The Professor" at the moment, which I'm not taken by at all. The only other Brontë book I've read so far is "Wuthering Heights", which I just found to be weird and depressing. Well-written, but I don't like any of the characters at all! I've seen the adaptation of "Tenant" with Toby Stephens but that also isn't quite JE. Thing is, JE does have its issues, plenty of them, but I love it for the characters. :)

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