Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/152

 THE ARTS ^32 FAMOUS BOOKS BY WOMEN No. I. JANE EYRE By CHARLOTTE BRONTE Is 1847, when " Vanity Fair " was coming ' out in serial numbers, there appeared a three-volume novel by an unknown author — Currcr Bell. In a few weeks the critics were engaged in quite a warfare as to the merits and defects of the new book, " Jane Eyre." Some of them said the plot was loosely knit, many of the characters were absurd, and much of the dialogue was im- possible. Others hailed it as a work of genius. Perhaps both were right. But wonder grew to amazement when it became known that this marvel- lous book was the work of a girl who had never lived outside her father's country parsonage in Yorkshire, or various schools at which she had been pupil or governess. Charlotte Bronte, although she lived in bleak, moorland surroundings, was the daughter of Celtic parents — an Irish father and a Cornish mother. That is where she got her fire from, and her dehghtful sense of fun. Some of her later books avoided the chief faults of " Jane Eyre," but they have never quite taken the place of that first work. " Jane Eyre " is the story of a child who is left an orphan when an infant. She is brought up by a hard and unjust aunt, whose children are, one hopes and beheves, quite impossible in their dreadful snobbishness, vanitv, and dishonourable ways. This is how John Reed, aged fourteen, talks to his ten-vear-old cousin, whom he addresses as " You rat " : " You are a dependent, mamma says ; vou have no money ; your father left you none : you ought to beg. and not to hve here VvMth gentlemen's children like us. and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mamma's expense." 0» From this unhappy home Jane is sent tc a charity school, where, although she suffers many hardships, she makes a great friend in Helen Burns, who is a faithful portrait of Charlotte Bronte's sister Maria. Much of the book, indeed, can be traced to real sources. Helen dies of consumption, and Jane's life becomes monotonous and quiet for eight years. With the next stage of her life we enter on the real story of the book. Jane goes as governess to the little ward of a rich man, Edward Rochester. He has a strange and gloomy character and appalHngly bad manners ; his conversation to his ward's governess is a series of brutalities alter- nating with fairly civil outpourings about himself. Here is a specimen of his compli- ments : " I don't mean to flatter you ; if you are cast in a different mould to the majority it is no merit of yours ; nature did it ; and then, for what I yet know, you may be no better than the rest; you may have intolerable defects to counter- balance your few good points." A. man who praises in this wise is not likely to be niggardly with his blame. V''hat would have happened to any ordinary, insipid governess with such an employer it is hard to say. He would probably have knocked her downstairs at the end of the first week. But Jane fares very differently. The outstanding charm of this portion of the book is Jane's character, as it is revealed in her own narrative. She is so fearless with Mr. Rochester, so instant with the truth, so brimming vvith quiet humotjr ; she is such a little mouse about the place — a kind oi meek, tame mouse with the unbreakable CHARLOTTE BRONTE /'if orizinal by Crofs-f h'i< h"iOK,i. K.M.