Shelf Control #61 – 17/02/2023
Happy Friday and welcome to today’s Shelf Control post! Today I feature a classic novel that I’m willing to try. If it were a more modern book, it’s not something I would really choose for myself. However, it is it’s fame that makes me want to give it a try. Even if I don’t like it, I can say I’ve tried it!
Before I share the details of the book, here is a recap of what Shelf Control is all about.
Shelf Control is a regular feature on my blog. It’s a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies… a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!
If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
Now, let’s dive into today’s featured classic novel!
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
Genre: Classic / Romance
Pages: 532
Audience: Adult
Publication Date: 16 Oct 1847
Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.
But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?
My Thoughts
Romance isn’t a common genre to find on my reading list. Despite that, there are a couple of instances in which romance has been a hit with me.
I have never read a classical novel in this genre. The Brontë sisters are very well-known in the classical world. Even if I don’t particularly like their books, I would like to at least give them a chance. I have heard a lot of mixed things about Jane Eyre. It is just one of those books that I’m going to have to pick up for myself in order to make my own mind up.
Arguably, I am more likely to like Jane Eyre compared to contemporary romances based on the setting and tone of the book. It’s not flowery. If anything, I have read that it is more gloomy, almost Gothic in nature. For the most part, I’m not a fan of happy ever afters and the predictability of modern contemporary romance. They have their place and I’ve enjoyed a couple in my time. But they are not catnip for me like they are for others. The complete change of tone, and I hope elements of historical fiction (or at least the historical setting) will help with the appeal of this novel.
If nothing else, I want to try and pick up Jane Eyre as I want to slowly work my way through the classics. Reading classical novels is completely different to reading something modern. Very often, the language and setting is very different. Characters and culture can portray very different attitudes to that of society now. As a result, there is a lot to gain from a book like this from a historical point of view.
I hope you have enjoyed today’s Shelf Control post.
Have you read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, or any other books written by any of the Brontë sisters?