Entertaining the Alien

7. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë*#

I love this book. It's definitely not as brilliant as Wuthering Heights, but it's still marvelous. I read it back in high school, but I'd forgotten a lot of things--like oh, exactly how it ended. I had not, of course, forgotten about the huge plot twist, heh. What I didn't remember, and what was such a pleasant surprise on re-reading, was what a thoroughly modern and independent character Jane is. As much as I love Wuthering Heights, neither of the two Catherines are a patch on unconventional Jane. Every time she stands up to someone, I wanted to cheer. In short, Jane Eyre is such a feminist novel. The heroine may end up marrying the hero, but she only does so on her own terms, and after the balance of power between the two of them had gone through a complete reversal. I'm thinking there's a paper topic or two in the power dynamics going on here.