Jane Eyre

With BBC TV currently showing "Jane Eyre", I thought I'd make a few comments. Ruth Wilson is excellent as Jane and Toby Stephens makes a good Rochester; although he is probably too handsome for the role (Rochester is supposed to be ugly), a problem shared by most adaptations. They didn't really spend enough time on Jane's childhood, which is a shame as it is important for understanding of her character. Overall it has been pretty good, but the book, which is wonderfully dramatic, passionate and poetical, is ten times better than any TV series or film of it yet produced.

Spurred on by the series to re-read "Jane Eyre", I then subsequently proceeded on to "Villette". Less dramatic than J.E., this poignant book, with its charming character sketches, is a study of loneliness, unrequited love and depression. It has a famously ambiguous ending (which I've always taken to be sad). A deeply moving book, it is arguably Charlotte Bronte's finest novel.