I was in love with Rochester when I read it as a girl. I thought he was dark and romantic and believed he was wronged in a terrible way by his family. I raged at Jane for leaving him after finding out the truth. I remember thinking “why can’t she just stay? What does it matter about marriage and stuff?”

Then as a young woman it changed. Soured by own interactions with feckless men, I thought Rochester was a liar and a manipulator. I felt that Jane was too young and lonely and I believed it when my professors told me that Jane Eyre is tainted with racism and misogyny.

Now I am an old crone (30s lol), and I can no longer see people or stories as “good” and “bad.” I’m fascinated by Jane’s self possession, when inside she had such an inner fire. Her journey after she leaves Rochester is something I read when I need the strength to do a hard task. She is remarkable. I see Rochester as a complex man, not a romantic one, probably not even a good one, but interesting and realistic. I accept that there are unsavory and outdated elements in the story but I appreciate the parts that speak to me. And that’s the biggest change. I can now consume content in a nuanced way and still love it.

Through it all, one thing remained the same: the Reed family were a bunch of selfish assholes lol. 🤣

And St. John was always insufferable. Hot but insufferable, I know the type.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Through the good times and the bad.

Starting again at page one feels like coming home again.

It’s interesting how my perspective on every character and every choice has changed as I have gotten older.