by Zhenzhou Hu

 

The European Literature class was assigned to read the classic novel Jane Eyre over the summer. We decided to interview both the teacher, Ms. Permar, and her students on how they “really” feel about Jane Eyre.

Question 1: Jane Eyre is the first novel we read this year in European Literature. Why is this book special? What do you like about it？

“Jane Eyre presents a sassy young heroine who must navigate her need for individual liberty through the challenges of 19th-century English society. Despite growing up an orphan, suffering the death of her only friend, and falling in love with her boss, who, coincidentally has a crazy woman locked in his attic, Jane maintains a surprising amount of composure. Also, there’s MAGIC.” –Ms. Permar

Question 2: Did you find Jane Eyre to be interesting or boring?

It is an umfangreich [enormous] book [that] helps us get to know the background information and society during [The] Victorian Age–Anonymous

“I am . . . not a big fan . . . . In my opinion, this ‘gothic’ novel did not take me off of my seat. It mainly consisted of what my grandpa says, spoiled drama.” –Brian Sadler

“Jane Eyre’s life proves that Suffering breeds success.”–Zhenzhou Hu

“I like the book because it shows a story that you can never predict. Everything is a mystery, and it keeps my attention.”–Anonymous

“The book was a little slow in my opinion. It had points that were interesting and parts I enjoyed, but it definitely was not one I would willingly read again.”–Gaige Griffin.

“It depicts the growth of Jane Eyre and the series of things that happen to her. They are very meaningful.”–Jim Wang

“Most importantly the movie of Jane Eyre is really good.”–Edward

“[T]he book was okay, [but] it was just a bit too long. It had an interesting plot with strong character development.”–Jacob Langlois

“I think the story is good, but it is boring . . . . The coming of age style of [the] story is helpful for learning but overused.”–Elliot

“It is . . . unlike many books written in the 18th century. It really set a foundation for gender equality, and that is why it is important.”–Emily

“It shows an independent woman chasing her life. Although she had a poor childhood, she met a lot of nice people during that time and became a strong independent woman. It encourages me to be an independent person.”–Anonymous

“[In] this book . . . we can see that if we are strong and go through horrible things, we can still [have] success in our life. [We] just need courage and a strong mind.”–Anna Kleckerova

“Jane Eyre, in the book, showed a new type of love, which is a love stronger than anything.”–Anonymous

“It was really boring and tiring to read the whole book. Their lines were too long and symbolic to easily understand, and the characters all spoke like they were in a Shakespeare play.”–Anonymous

“Yes, it was interesting because you followed Jane growing up, and it emphasized gender equality” -Karey G

“It is really just not my cup of tea. I prefer more interesting books such as Macbeth.”–Trey