Talk:Jane Eyre

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Infobox added, to the best of my ability. May need some better editing.--Psipes 20:19, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe the "Spoilers end here" portion should be moved after "Background". Read: Helen Burns


Can't anybody get a better image than one from SNL? Really, people. That image detracts from the whole article, even with the caption that states it's satirical. And a screenshot from any other real version of Jane Eyre would probably be more 'fair use' than this one is. --TexasDex 23:13, Nov 23, 2004 (UTC)

I agree that the image is not informative nor appropriate to be at the top of the article. I have moved it and the caption here to the talk page below. -- Infrogmation 23:22, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I thought the very same thing about a month or so ago and went picture hunting but could not find anything satisfactory. The only thing I like was this painting, but I couldn't find a full size version. Gamaliel 23:42, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I can't belive that the Saturday Night Live comedion would do that weird picture of Jane EYRE ethior.

Contents

[edit] Quotes section

Quotes section is too long should go to Wikiquote. Mandel 07:44, May 26, 2005 (UTC)

I have shortened this section and added a link to the Jane Eyre Wikiquote entry, as requested. --Psipes 15:54, 23 August 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Musical

It's also been adapted into a (quite nice) musical. I'll try to add something about that later, but anyone who wants to do a little research and help, that'd be great. -- WikidSmaht 19:56, September 3, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Mesrour

Someone has suggested that the article Mesrour (Rochester's horse) be merged with this article. I'm all for it, since it seems to be inadequately notable for an encyclopedia article and could merge quite neatly into what is already here. Any comments? Onlyemarie 04:17, 11 December 2005 (UTC)

I agree - go ahead. CarolGray 08:52, 11 December 2005 (UTC)

Uuhhh...sure, but does Rochester's horse really nead mentioning?
I can't help but think that since Mesrour has so very little significance in the story, it should not be added into the Jane Eyre article. It wouldn't really fit comfortably into the article any way. I can't find any logical place it could go when I read it. In and of itself, the horse does have some meaning and some small bit of significance, so I think that if it should be included on Wikipedia at all, it should be any article by itself, not a part of thee Jane Eyre article. 67.141.209.6 14:49, 11 February 2006 (UTC)Mosier
Someone actually created an article about Rochester's horse? The mane is mentioned no more than a couple of times in the book. --Shayan g 07:27, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
heh, I don't see why there's an article on Mesrour and not Pilot... it seens to me that Pilot plays a bigger part... ~Sushi 05:14, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] keep mesrour

There should be an entry for Mesrour, I think, but it should mention the Arabian Nights first, rather than Jane Eyre. Mesrour was originally a character from these tales; the name was widely appropriated in the 19C as a reference to blackness and/or the Orient (in Vanity Fair, the Eastern traveller Bedwin Sands has a black slave named Mesrour; H. Rider Haggard's The Brethren also features a eunuch named Mesrour).


[edit] --- For Place Names

Joes anyone know why there are ----- in the book where there should be place names?

eh, I have no idea, but it's really annoying... I thought it wuz just an error in the book that I wuz reading (like the publishers, not the single book in itself) ~Sushi 05:16, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

This was a common device used in 18th and 19th century texts, to create the effect of omitting information for propriety's sake. It could be that Jane Eyre might want to conceal information about her exact identity or whereabouts to the reader. Or Charlotte Bronte may have not wanted to reveal that Lowood was in Lancashire because then it would be even more obvious that Lowood was based on the Clergymen daughters school that she attended in real life. So, Lowood is located in -----shire.

[edit] Industrial Revolution

Can anyone tell me if there are any references to the Industrial Rev. in JE? I know that it was written a bit before the major boom happened but, any ideas?

None that I can think of. Economics enters mainly via the plantation system in the West Indies, and trade via Madeira. Remember, too, that the book is set 20-30 years before it was written, and in the isolated north of England.Exitr 17:01, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Criticism

Might I be allowed to add in the Criticism section the common opinion that the book is terribly boring? I can site sources. Of course these sources will range in age from approx. 13 to approx. 45 and be of both genders. I should have no trouble finding many such opinions. --72.12.30.143 07:41, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

I take it this is a joke from someone forced to read the book over the summer. I guess this person doesn't know anyone over the age of 45, or figures that people older than that don't count. --Psipes 19:13, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Although the book has many fans, I see no reason why it should not be criticised for being boring, so long as it is completely justified with sources. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and although I cannot for the life of me think why, I appreciate that some may find the novel dull and this viewpoint could be addressed in the article. 14.07 11th Aug 06

I don't quite see the significance of a book being criticized for being boring, since this is so common a criticism it can be applied to (really) any book, and so highly objective that everyone has to decide for himself (after all there are some people who seem to actually have enjoyed 'Jane Eyre'). Imagine yourself in the position of an Editor giving reasons why he would want to turn a book down:

Editor self #1: "Well, I think it's boring."

Boss #1:" So, why is it boring ?"

Editor self #1: "Well, it doesn't have pictures or dialogues.."

Boss #1: "I see, books without pictures or dialogues, really..."

Now contrast this with...

Editor self #2: "Well, I think it's boring."

Boss #2: "So, why is it boring ?"

Editor self #2: "You know what boring is, no? B-O-R-I-N-G? As opposed to interesting? I fell asleep at least twice. I wished I could die on the spot, that kind of boring."

Boss #2: "Ah, yes, I see. You mean it's boring. You really have a point there. Send the rejection letter out, telling the author his book is boring, so he sees we really don't dismiss him just so. "

Wouldn't you rather be Editor self #1 ? 15:43 , 13/08/2006


[edit] Bertha's supposed syphilitic infection

I believe this idea is from the book Can Jane Eyre Be Happy: More Puzzles In Classic Literature by John Sutherland, but I haven't read it myself so I'm not sure if he originated this thought or if he cites other scholars who originated it.

I've removed the entire Critcism section because the issue of syphilis seems just a tiny tangent of the enormous amount of scholarly criticism that exists on Jane Eyre. If someone is willing to tackle a more comprehensive survey of this topic, fine; otherwise it seems odd to focus on this one topic. --Psipes 15:35, 23 August 2006 (UTC) Nice Article

[edit] Beauty of Lowood chapters

Can we get some specific examples of people in the field of literature who believe the Lowood chapters feature some of the most beautiful rhetoric in English, rather than saying "many" hold this opinion in the background section?

[edit] Adélè

At the start of the book (at least, when Jane first meets her) the girl she's suppoz to teach is called Adela. Later this changes to Adéle. In this article, it says Adélè. What's her real name? ~Sushi 05:22, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

Her name is Adèle. In the book, Mrs. Fairfax sometimes calls her Adèla - whether by mistake or on purpose is not made clear. --Psipes 15:08, 23 August 2006 (UTC)



[edit] Wide Sargasso Sea

I've moved the info about Wide Sargasso Sea from the Criticism section to the Related works section. Although it can be read as a criticism of Jane Eyre, it can also be read as coexisting with the ideals of Jane Eyre, depending on how you interpret each work. In any case, discussion of this novel as a critique of Jane Eyre would fit better on the Wide Sargasso Sea Wikipedia entry. --Psipes 19:13, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Renaming

I don't think this renaming is a good idea. Where there is one name which is by far the most common (as is the case here), it should be under that title. If Jane Eyre (the character) is made into an article, the approprite naming scheme would look like this:

Jane Eyre -the page about the novel

Jane Eyre (disambiguation) -containing links to all the others:

Jane Eyre (character) Jane Eyre (musical) Jane Eyre (opera) etc.

Ziggurat 01:38, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure what exactly you have a problem with. As far as the novel being the most common article, I'm sure that's true, but I found many links on the "What links here" page that were for the various film adaptations or the character. I'm following the instructions laid out on the Wikipedia:Disambiguation page for creating a disambiguation page. I, personally, was looking for the film(s) (after having found the novel's page) and was sent directly to the novel; I would rather be sent directly to the disambiguation page and then be able to choose which page to go to. -Shannernanner 01:50, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
I'd like to add: upon re-reading, that seemed to come off rather snarky, and that's not how I meant it at all, I was just trying to be clear. :-) -Shannernanner 01:52, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
No probs, I'm sure I come off as snarky as well :) Basically, given that all the other sources are adaptations of the book, and the book is by far the best-known work under this name (if I asked someone what Jane Eyre was, they're almost certain to think of the book), it seems to obviously qualify as a primary topic, in which case the disambiguation page should be at Jane Eyre (disambiguation) rather than Jane Eyre. This method is the standard, see for example Brave New World, Heart of Darkness, Sense and Sensibility, and lots more. Ziggurat 03:12, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
I see what you're saying, but I'm still not sure I agree. Jane Eyre encompasses the novel, 17 film and television adaptations, the character, two actresses, various comics adaptations, a Broadway musical, a Broadway play, and an opera--and that's just what I've figured out from cleaning up some of the links. Many of those, while "arguably" not as prominent as the novel, are prominent--whereas, just using the examples you listed, the Brave New World disambiguation page contains only one film adaptation and then various other things that people "probably" wouldn't expect to be a main article; Heart of Darkness, the same; and Sense and Sensibility contains only the book and film adaptation. Perhaps someone else should chime in here, because I'm not sure we're going to come to a consensus. :-) -Shannernanner 03:42, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
That seems like something of an ad-hoc argument to me. I'm offering some examples of what seems to be the standard - if you can suggest counterexamples where the disambig arrangement is the same as the one you've introduced here it'd be useful, because I can't find any from a quick perusal of Category:Novels. But yeah, some more eyes would certainly be appropriate here :) Ziggurat 04:15, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
If you just want examples, I thought of one while I was posting before that I had just seen, but couldn't remember what it was; I just recalled it--David Copperfield. One other I found with a bit of looking was Sophie's Choice. -Shannernanner 05:00, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
Ah, well, David Copperfield I could see, seeing as there are at least two completely different major topics there (the book and the magician). Sophie's Choice not quite so appropriate. Nevertheless, I'm interested in other opinions on the matter! Ziggurat 05:20, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
Okay, you can make fun of me for that one, I was focused on looking up the book at the time and thought it interesting that it went to the disambiguation page. LOL -Shannernanner 05:58, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

I agree with Ziggurat. The article about the original novel should be named "Jane Eyre", and film and musicals versions listed at Jane Eyre (disambiguation). Wuthering Heights is a good example to copy here. CarolGray 09:24, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Well, we've only got three opinions here, which doesn't exactly qualify as a consensus, but since no one else seems to have an opinion on the issue, and my main goal was just to create a disambiguation page, and I'm eager to go ahead and do that, I'll just go with returning this to its original title. :-) -Shannernanner 06:11, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Readers would expect to find the novel when they search for Jane Eyre, so that should be in the un-disambiguated form with all others linked from a disambiguation page. Tim! 09:58, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Hat Note

Saying Jane Eyre redirects here when the page is names Jane Eyre, is, IMO, both redundant and confusing. I stronly suggest a different hat note. Eluchil404 20:56, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Agreed; 'Jane Eyre' does not redirect here, so the old notice is incorrect. I've changed it back. Ziggurat 21:03, 27 September 2006 (UTC)
Thanks, I don't have anything ivested in a particular wording, but the redirect claim is simply not accurate. Eluchil404 21:10, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] What DID Helen die of?

The article says:

"Helen accepts earthly sufferings, including her own premature death from consumption (now known as tuberculosis), with calmness and a martyr-like attitude."

http://www.19thnovels.com/janeeyre.php?c=9 (an online version of the book) says:

"That forest-dell, where Lowood lay, was the cradle of fog and fog- bred pestilence; which, quickening with the quickening spring, crept into the Orphan Asylum, breathed typhus through its crowded schoolroom and dormitory, and, ere May arrived, transformed the seminary into an hospital."

What, truly, did Helen Burns die of? --Marudita

I believe the book says that she died of consumption, during a typhus outbreak. Here:
"But Helen was ill at present: for some weeks she had been removed from my sight to I knew not what room upstairs. She was not, I was told, in the hospital portion of the house with the fever patients; for her complaint was consumption, not typhus..." Shannernanner 11:08, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Okay, just checking. =P 72.185.89.72

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