Growing up

We were amused to read an article written by High School senior Kristen Powell on Jane Austen that ended this way:

I have really enjoyed reading these books [Austen's], but I worry about running out of things to read. I am too eager to space them out, so soon, I fear, I will be forced to move on to the Brontë sisters, who wrote about 50 years later, and perhaps Sir Walter Scott, who was Austen’s contemporary. I cannot wait to discover new books.

We love the last sentence, and recognise that imposing feeling some books give you before you read them. We are pretty confident that in a few lines the Brontë sisters' book will become less of an obligation and much more of a pleasure :)

Also on the subject of teenage reads we come across these opinions:

I did read what could be considered three literary classic romance novels: Ivanhoe, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights. And in all of these I did find a common thread that's influenced my view on life and what I needed to really look for in love and life. And that is: to thine own self be true. In all of these books, misery is caused when people don't stay true to what they know is right for them, when they don't stand up for themselves, and they find true love and fulfillment when they both follow their hearts but stand up for themselves.

I would say thanks to these books, I've never gotten into the sort of relationship where I'm more in love with the idea of the relationship than I am with my own common sense or self worth.
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The first romance that I remember really liking was between Jane and Rochester in Jane Eyre, which is still one of my favorite books. What really impressed me is that it was a relationship based almost wholly on intellectual attraction, rather than physical. They were friends first, and in fact didn't find each other particularly attractive, with the romance coming only later as they became more comfortable in each other's company. I found myself identifying strongly with Jane, who got her man not by being beautiful and charming, but by being nice, smart, tough and independent — in fact, repeatedly throughout the book she is the one who "saves" him, not the other way around. And it was written in 1847! Re-reading the book as an adult, I find the melodrama a bit cloying, but the mutual respect and affection between Jane and Rochester still makes my little heart go pitter-pat.
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I used to think Wuthering Heights's Heathcliffe was the most romantic man ever — when I was 12. By the time I was in college I realized that if ever I met someone like Heathcliffe, I'd need a restraining order!

Sweet and funny opinions :)

Categories: In_the_News, Jane_Eyre, Wuthering_Heights