Another Bronte sister

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Wuthering Heights”, it was recommended to me that I might prefer “Jane Eyre”.  So yesterday while I was at the library, I picked up “Jane Eyre”.  I started reading it last night after we watched “Blade Runner” (that movie was meh; not a super amazing geeky film; just meh).  Almost instantly I preferred this book to that of “Wuthering Heights”.  In the former, everything felt so dismal and depressing and hopeless.  The very presence of Heathcliff in any part of the story immediatley squashed happiness and sanity.  In Chapter 4 or 5 (sorry I can’t remember which), I was very proud of Jane for standing up to her aunt and telling her exactly how she felt.  For a few sentences I thought that maybe this was simply inner dialogue and she wasn’t really saying it at all.  But to my relief it wasn’t.  As far as I’ve read, I haven’t seen any rebuttal to her honesty.

I hope that the book doesn’t follow the formula of the wonderfully nice superintendent being fired because she was too nice.  Their meals remind me of Oliver Twist (for how crappy they were) and the regime of the school itself reminds me vaguely of Anne of Green Gables.

I think it will be funny to see how many books I can in the time it takes my husband to read his one book.  Already I’ve finished one book to his 5 chapters. 

Half-way done and not super impressed

I’m approximately half-way done with “Wuthering Heights” and I’m not particularly in love with it nor do I dislike it.  It’s just kind of meh.  But I do have to give it props for being an older book that I haven’t given up reading because it’s so unbearable to read (*cough*VanityFair*cough*).  Heathcliffe’s personality is so abominable, I’m surprised that Isabella was so taken in by him at all.  The relationship between Catherine and Heathcliffe is interesting because they could have been lovers as adults, but his lack of class and gentlemanly ways made Catherine think better of the situation and marry Linton instead.  And the fact that she knew this makes her …I want to say less vapid, but that’s not what I mean.  I’m impressed that she doesn’t get all soft and gooey on us like Isabella did even though her heart belongs to Heathcliffe.  And I’m sure that it was because of her rough upbringing that made her more susceptible to marry Linton and be assured of a wealthy lifestyle.  The other thing I kind of admire about her is that when Heathcliffe comes back, it doesn’t appear that she necessarily wants to have an affair with him, she’s content being his friend.  At least until he and Linton freak her out with their fighting.

Heathcliffe is frustrating.  He’s hell-bent on destroying the lives of those who destroyed his and made him miserable.  Taking over Wuthering Heights to prove to Hindley that he could usurp him in power and then ruining Hareton’s life the way his was; it feels like vengeance taken to the extreme.

What I found confusing is how exactly it was that Catherine was 7 months pregnant and nothing was known ’til she had the baby.  Was everybody else in the house simply not paying attention to her?  Or did Ellen simply omit any knowledge of it ’til that part of the story?

Well, I’m going to read a bit more tonight and hopefully have it finished by the end of the week!  More later.