Classic

Classic

10/23/21

These days we have a steady diet of bad news. On the morning news we hear of shootings, natural disasters, kidnappings, terrorist threats and accidents.

My library books all seem to follow a pattern of grief, racial unrest, and general sadness.

To counteract this I decided to borrow “feel good “ books and movies.

I usually take out about ten to fifteen books at a time, and even resort to reading old classics and children’s books if they will divert me from the grim realities of life.

The last group included a thriller by Brad Thor.

I was struck by the fact that if the author did not kill off four people in the first chapter, that he was not doing his job.

I tend to skip to the end if there is too much death and torture, so wound that one up in haste.

I decided that the next pile of bedside reading would be more cheerful and consist of books by good authors that I have read many years ago and should find enjoyable once again.

Charlotte Bronte is one of those authors.

Jane Eyre is not exactly cheerful reading, but since I knew how it ended was not too put out by descriptions of the harsh conditions of English life during the mid 1840’s.

Bronte uses large sentences, and big words, some of which I hardly understand, but can figure out from the context.

The harsh life that our heroine, Jane, goes through is necessary to set up her life in the great house of Thornfield Hall.

The plot is slow ,but the whole story takes place inside with brief outings in the country side for fresh air. 

This is not an action thriller.

This is an internal development of a young, poor and plain woman, and her growth.

Sometimes the religious parts become heavy handed and tedious, but that was how the people lived: in superstitious fear.

It is interesting to note that the book was published under Bronte’s chosen fake name, Currer Bell.

This being supposedly a man’s name, it was easier to get published, as women were not considered talented enough to write books which would become best sellers.

All my other choices in library books hopefully will be funnier than Jane Eyre.