Jane Eyre by BBC Radio

Pros:

• We learn Jane was born into a happy family, where her dad was a successful clergyman who was born into poverty, but worked his way up through education. 
• Her father opened a school at age 16. 
• We learn that two out of the six girls in her family passes away, along with Charlotte's mother. 
• The girls were sent to a school which was the inspiration of Lowood. The girls were underfed and the school lacked the necessary medical help they needed so many girls passed away. 
• Charlotte made the character Mr. Brocklehurst after a man named William C. Wilson. 
• Charlotte's love for reading stemmed from the fact that her father encouraged all of his children to read. 
• We find out that Charlotte went to Belgium with her sister and fell in love with a professor who was married. He was the person who brought out the writer in Charlotte. He is also the man that Mr. Rochester is made after in Jane Eyre. 
• In Bronte's life, she was rejected many times, but she ended up thriving on rejection like Jane did. 
• Jane Eyre was Bronte's first success, and readers liked it because of the Gothic theme, a young woman who was in danger persisted, and she was always moving to a new adventure in the story. 
• Weather and landscape were huge parts of Jane Eyre, which appealed to the readers.
• Jane Eyre had a balance of male and female readers. 
• There is shifting powers between Jane and Mr. Rochester. 
• This is the first book of Bronte's that was narrated by a woman.
• Bertha is described as a "gothic monster" which enhances the gothic theme. 

Cons:

• The hosts used some jargon I didn't understand. 
• There were some critics that didn't like Jane Eyre because she was " too revolutionary".
• The narrator said that Bertha bit John Reed but she bit Mason. 
• If you have never read the book it gives away everything. 
• Jane Eyre has religious elements to it, but it only shows one type of religion.

Topics of Interest: 

• Charlotte was reading things such as Shakespeare and the Bible which helped her weave together Jane Eyre. (This reminds me of Foster and how all stories are all built off of other stories. Jane used the Bible heavily when writing Jane Eyre.)
• Her and her brother made short fantasy stories that were based in Africa. (I wonder if we have any access to these stories or if they were merely for fun. Jane also uses Africa as the destination of the missions trip and I wonder if she put that place in as a reminder of the stories her and her brother used to make.)
• After meeting the professor who inspired her to write, she wrote a book called "The Professor", which was unsuccessfully published. (In the book, I wonder how many elements of truth she wrote about or if everything in the book was made up. I think since the book was rejected she wanted to weave her professor into a different book that would become more successful so she put him into Jane Eyre.)
• Her and two of her sisters wrote a poetry book under fake names which turned out to be unsuccessful as well. (Why was the book not successful? Did they write any other books together that didn't do well?)
• In Jane Eyre all the characters get what they deserve. (This usually never happens in real life where people get exactly what they deserve. I think Bronte does this because it is satisfying for something to work out as it should and it makes the book more appealing to readers.)
• Jane and Rochester's love is like a fairy tale because she doesn't know how someone like him could fall in love with her. (This makes me compare Jane and Rochester to the story of Cinderella. She came from a low place and meets a rich guy who ends up falling in love with her.)
• There is a balance between Jane and Mr. Rochester. (Mr. Rochester saves Jane because he employs and pays her a good amount of money. Jane saves Mr. Rochester by agreeing to marry him. At the end of the book, Jane saves Mr. Rochester by finding him again and marrying him.)
• Mr. Rivers and Jane don't work out because he is the cold to her hot. (Mr. Rivers refuses to let himself feel emotions towards Miss Oliver and he wants to marry Jane because she would make a good missionary wife. Jane wants to marry for love so his view of love is horrible to her. He also manipulates Jane because he wants her to marry him which is not attractive to Jane at all.)