Rouse this pensive heart of mine

The Times begins this December of Anne Brontë's bicentenary year by quoting from her poem 'Music on Christmas Morning'.

Music I love — but never strain

Could kindle raptures so divine,

So grief assuage, so conquer pain,

And rouse this pensive heart of mine —

As that we hear on Christmas morn.

So go the words of Anne Brontë’s poem Music on Christmas Morning, in which she captures the stirring intensity and warm familiarity of that music played once a year. However, I doubt she would have felt such adjectives as “divine” suitable if she had heard me trying to record the bass line of O Come, All Ye Faithful on Zoom for my university choir’s carol service. Although “grief” and “pain” may ring some bells. (Henry Bird)

The astrology section of Anchorage Press also quotes from Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn novelist Anne Brontë (1820–1849) said, "Smiles and tears are so alike with me, they are neither of them confined to any particular feelings: I often cry when I am happy, and smile when I am sad." I suspect you could have experiences like hers in the coming weeks. I bet you'll feel a welter of unique and unfamiliar emotions. Some of them may seem paradoxical or mysterious, although I think they'll all be interesting and catalytic. I suggest you welcome them and allow them to teach you new secrets about your deep self and the mysterious nature of your life. (Rob Breszny)

A contributor to The Quadrangle claims that Jane Eyre saved her mind during the pandemic.

You’ll find, as I did, that Jane chooses the course of her story, from making the most of the situation she’s in to changing the course of her life. Upon examination, Jane fulfills the core characteristics of a feminist protagonist, even by modern standards. Her autonomy and self-conviction allow her to protect herself, and allow us readers to look to her for inspiration. It is very rare that I find a role model in a novel, flawed but steadfast in her decisions. 

I felt like everytime I opened the pages I was checking in on Jane. I began to limit myself to only a few pages at a time, hoping to extend our time together. When I finally closed the book, I felt a pang of melancholy: the story was over, and had been for over 170 years. Lucky for us, there is more fun to be had in this literary world. I first read Jane Eyre with my heart, delighted by each new setting and gasping to myself at several scenes that seemed closer to an HBO drama than a summer reading list novel. 

The story is not without its flaws. A closer look at some of its plot points and characters suggest colonialism, responded to in Wide Sargasso Sea, written by Jean Rhys in 1966. Although Jane Eyre made strides in feminist literature, it cannot be lauded as a perfect text. Over one hundred years later, Jean Rhys retells the story of a pivotal character from her own point of view. The story improves upon themes of colonialism and patriarchy. 

Beware, Reader. This book is long and wordy. There are parts which feel as though they are happening in real time. Yet part of its particular pleasure in reading this story now, is that my life has at times, felt slowed to the point where one may not be able to tell the time difference from a description of Jane’s days and my own. The comfort came when I realized that the sameness of her life, however, did not prevent her from having thoughts, feelings or worth. 

If you’re breaking back into reading, Jane Eyre is a no-brainer. If you’re feeling bored, lonely or without purpose, I prescribe this book to you like medicine. (Samantha Walla)

A contributor to The Point came to Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights as a young reader.

From there it was the Brontë sisters. I read Wuthering Heights three times, Jane Eyre six. (Luma Simms)

A young woman with a complicated medical history shares her journey on Metro.

Seconds after being told about the brain tumour I asked my mum, who was close to unconsciousness with shock, whether I still had to complete my school reading – I never did finish Jane Eyre. (Cecilia Adamou)

20 minutos (Spain) recommends Jane Eyre 2011 among other period dramas not to be missed.

Jane Eyre

Adaptación del clásico de Charlotte Brontë. Después de una mísera niñez en un orfanato, Jane Eyre acepta un trabajo como institutriz de una vivaracha niña francesa en la aislada y sombría mansión de Thornfield Hall. Jane se enamora del señor Rochester, el inquietante señor de Thornfield. Después de convertirse en su esposa, Jane averiguará el tortuoso y oscuro secreto que esconde la mansión. (Palin) (Translation)