Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

In an attempt to expand my reading horizons, I have decided to read a book that scares me very much. The very essence of boring, the puts-you-to-sleep-in-a-moment book:

Jane Eyre.

How do you even pronounce Eyre? Like air? Or maybe Ire? I will never know...

Anyways, recently I've been reading a heck of a lot of teen fiction, all of which are far below my reading level, and as much as I love reading in size 16 font, I need something a little more challenging. So I am taking upon myself a very daunting task, that is, of reading the one and only, Jane Eyre.

I just started it yesterday, while sitting on my bed, doing nothing particular, I just reached over and took it from my book shelf. I opened up to the first page, and nearly collapsed.

"A small breakfast-room adjoined the drawing-room. I slipped in there. It contained a book-case: I soon possessed myself of a volume, taking care that it should be one stored with pictures. I mounted into the window-seat: gathering up my feet, I sat cross-legged, like a Turk; and, having drawn the red moreen curtain nearly close, I was shrined in double retirement."

Oh my goodness...

This woman is obnoxious! Couldn't she have just easily have said, "I went to the corner and read a book with a curtain around me."? I don't even know what to think. I'm still only on page 2.

So here's my topic for today. Do authors really need this much description and does it really benefit the story?

After reading many reviews on Jane Eyre, I noticed one of the main reasons people loved this book, was that they felt like they were in the story, standing right next to Jane. Maybe when Jane describes the red moreen curtain and and the position of her legs as she reads her novel with pictures, the reader feels closer to Jane, and through this small passage, we learn just a little more about Jane and how she sees the world. For example, we know now that Jane pays close attention to detail, and that she enjoys reading, but also enjoys looking at pictures. We know Jane doesn't care very much what people think, because she sits in a very not lady-like manner and reads a book when others are in her company.

Though the next several days may be very painful for me, I hope Jane Eyre teaches me a little bit about attention to detail.