Oh that’s fascinating. I think I always saw Rochester as a “good for her, not for me” kind of figure. I never saw him as a particularly heroic or good character, he just seemed to be so caught in his way of thinking that he made it his reality which I think resonated as a teenager, and I still understand and see all the time. I also always felt that Jane was wrong when she thought Rochester would tire of her before she left, I never thought she should become his mistress but I believed him when he said she didn’t understand his love for her. I think I always saw the racism and possibly the misogyny - being from the commonwealth I associated British history and racism from pretty young! I never studied it academically though, maybe that’s part of why it’s not evolved in the same way it has for you. I agree wholeheartedly that St John and the Reeds were the worst though!! You just know St John would be one of those hard core internet celebs with strong opinions that if you disagree you’re just a part of the problem.