And they lived happily ever after

Since apparently today is the World Book Day, many newspapers have published a survey (carried out on the World Book Day website and responded by 1,740 people) on the readers' favourite endings. The most popular endings seem to be the happy ones. At the top of the list is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, though we'd guess this is affected by the recent movie, as these things go.

To Kill a Mockingbird gets the second position. And the third is for our Jane Eyre.

We warn you to read these aricles carefully since - as the situation perhaps demands though we are of the opinion that a book ending should never ever be disclosed, not even under torture - they actually write about how many novels end.

The Guardian comments with some surprise that the words "Reader, I married him" are actually pronounced in Jane Eyre, and publishes the very final words of the novel. They also wish for another kind of closure of Heathcliffe (sic) and Cathy's love, though they forget to comment on the bittersweet and much debated actual ending of the book.

The Times also writes about this survey.

Ah, if most readers only knew that there is a Brontë book where you can "choose" your own ending! Isn't that great? Though of course it's not a balanced kind of decision since the reader is pushed to take one side, but still.

Categories: In_the_News, Books, Jane_Eyre, Wuthering_Heights