Jane Eyre: Portrait of a Life

JANE EYRE has been my favorite novel for a long time, and I've read and enjoyed critical essays, but this book was truly exciting. Maggie Berg talks about how the character Bertha Mason represents Jane's alter ego, her dark side. Bertha manifests herself by laughing or by escaping from her room and destroying things whenever Jane feels or represses anger. When I read that my heart started beating faster. She also discusses the imagery of mirrors and windows, of shadows and images, among other things. Also, the character that represents Charlotte Bronte is not Jane herself, but Grace Poole, the overseer and moderator of unbridled passion, Berg argues. I now see a layer of genius in JANE EYRE that I couldn't see before. The copy of JANE EYRE: PORTRAIT OF A LIFE that I read was checked out from the library, but I've just ordered my own copy; I must reread it.