Jane Eyre: The Graphic Novel

by Amy Corzine, John M. Burns, Terry Wiley

Jane Eyre is a plain, determined and intelligent child. Orphaned and poor, she is adopted by her Aunt and Uncle Reed. The death of Uncle Reed allows her unpleasant aunt to send her away to a grim charity school, where she continues her harsh upbringing, but is given the education that finally frees her. Once old enough, she becomes a teacher and takes the role of governess in a large manor house, where she falls in love with her employer. But Rochester is hiding a secret that, when revealed, forces Jane to choose between following her head and her heart. Both critically acclaimed and immensely popular, Jane Eyre dealt with concepts of class discrimination, morality, equality for women, and freedom of choice. Designed to encourage readers to enjoy classical literature, Jane Eyre The Graphic Novel stays true to Brontë's original vision. The book includes 125 pages of story artwork (by the legendary comic book artist, John M. Burns) and fascinating support material detailing the life of Charlotte Brontë.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Classics, Fiction, Romance, Comics, Young Adult, Historical

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2008

Reviews

[emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

not everything needs to be a graphic novel, as it turns out.

the entire thing read like a mix of sparknotes and a cheesy made-for-tv romance, with literally none of charlotte brontë's language. not even the really important lines!

or the overall concept of jane and rochester not being hottie mcdotties.

part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books of all time, so you can probably imagine how excited I was to find this graphic novel. I was a bit apprehensive at first - a 600 page novel crammed into a comic strip? Not sure that's going to work...

I was worried that the language would be diluted beyond recognition, but this was not the case! All the original dialogue is used and the illustrations are beautiful. I think it would definitely entice someone to read the original if they haven't already. If I have one complaint, that is that Jane (plain Jane) looked like a pin-up.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just reread Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Bronte!) and loved it, think it’s deservedly one of the Great Books, with a wonderful young heroine. I also just coincidentally read Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp, that among other things advocates for the reading of Whole Books, (surprise, surprise), not abbreviated versions of books, like Reader’s Digest books, but also implicitly not comics adaptations of books.

So, you ask, is there any use in a graphic novel version of Jane Eyre, given that--if we agree it is a good book, and not just because it is a “classic”--we want everyone to read the original, and several movie versions? There’s already more than 2000 editions of the book listed on Goodreads!

I say pretty much yes, and not just because I am a comics guy, because this is pretty good comics, capturing the main story, and is decently illustrated. Since it appears to be directed toward a tween audience, I think it is good there is a list of characters in the back, several useful appendices to help people to get into it, to entice people to read the original. And that is what can happen here with struggling readers; this graphic version can help scaffold students’ reading to help them get into Bronte’s text. And I think there are terrible graphic versions of books that dumb down the book, but this isn’t one.

I don’t love the illustration style, but especially hate that they do not list the illustrator or any of the illustration team, if there is one. That shows the publisher’s disrespect for the very enterprise they hope kids will endorse! The dialogue isn’t always enough Bronte, but the story really does capture some of the excitement of the story and Jane’s character, I mean it! I had very low expectations when I picked this up at the library, but it is a pretty good adaptation, really.

[Lady An ☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this story haunting me since the first time I've read the book. I hoped more from this, but ok, it's a cómic! Short, simple. The graphic desing isn't so beautiful but was nice. Hope to read another version of Jane in a Graphic Novel!

[Rikke Simonsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeg havde endnu ikke prøvet at læse 'graphic novels', men da jeg fandt ud af, at der var blevet lavet sådan en over 'Jane Eyre', så blev jeg simpelthen nødt til at læse den! Jeg blev bestemt ikke skuffet. Jeg elsker historien om Jane Eyre så utrolig højt, og det var virkelig interessant at få sat tegninger på også. Den har stadig det lidt gotiske udtryk, som bogen også har, og historien er præcis som den skal være.

Eftersom det var en succes at læse denne 'graphic novel', så har jeg bestemt fået blod på tanden til at læse flere. Der findes faktisk mange klassikere, som er blevet lavet om til disse, så det kunne være at jeg skulle fortsætte der. Men hvis man ligesom jeg nød at læse den rigtige 'Jane Eyre', så vil man bestemt også nyde dette tegnede vidunder.

[Pranta Dastider · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mainstream classic with life story of a girl. It's quite tragic, dramatic, and surprising at times. There are co-incidences, but the storyline makes up for that. It didn't feel slow since it's in comic book format. The art was decent, dialogues were well equipped.

Overall a decent love story + social drama.

[Marijana☕✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slatko je, tekst je okej prilagođen formi grafičke novele, a ilustracije su i više nego zadovoljavajuće.

[Kirstie Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial Thoughts Upon Finishing
Jane Eyre has always been one of my favourite classics - I just love Jane's character and honestly? I find her and Mr Rochester adorable in their dependency on each other for happiness. This was really weird but fun reading it as a graphic novel - I think I will certainly read more classics in this format now!



Jane Eyre
If you’re not familiar with this classics, Jane Eyre is the story of an orphaned girl who is firstly taken in by a rude aunt, then sent to a boarding school until, when older, she becomes the governess at Mr Rochester’s estate looking after a vivacious young girl called Adéle.



It is ultimately a love story - and somewhat long winded - but has always been one of my favourite classics. The first time I read this was for school some six years ago and I was behind the readings, so I furiously read it all over one or two days and thoroughly enjoyed it, pursuing the storyline at that pace.



Jane is a wholly independent and determined character (would you expect anything less from a Brontë?) and I’ve always really liked her as a leading lady. Granted, the love story between her and Mr Rochester feels uncomfortable from my perspective given their age difference (she’s 18 when they meet, him going on 40) - but at the end of the day I’m willing to put that aside given the era and enjoy it for what it’s worth.



For whatever reason I’ve always found the imagery of Jane Eyre to be beautiful and appealing to my mind’s eye. This is probably why I enjoy it when so many don’t - the waffly scenes of descriptions I like to paint in my mind’s eye because the detail is so enjoyable to imagine. At the same time, I also love the added tension of the mysterious figure in the house.



Classics As Graphic Novels?
This is the first classic I have read in a graphic novel form. The result? I already have Pride & Prejudice checked out from the library and ready to go. I think it’s a really clever way of presenting a classic.



The images are encouraging for a reader who isn’t so invested in the story - they’re much easier to read and this being a mere 140 pages is certainly more manageable than the actual mammoth size of Jane Eyre.



So yes, overall this format of a graphic novel is GENIUS. So if there’s ever a classic I’m intrigued to read but don’t want to do the hard work (Crime & Punishment, perhaps?) then I will pick up the graphic novel form instead.



The one thing I would say, is that I enjoyed this take on the classic more so than I enjoyed the film. Which is perhaps food for thought.



Illustrations
I really enjoyed the illustrations of this edition. Jane was portrayed so beautifully; her and Mr. Rochester dig at each other all the time about the other being hideous (and I’m honestly not sure if they mean it to any degree), but the pictures of her make her really beautiful. It also worked really well for helping the pace considering how much is sped up or omitted to make that 140 page mark. It was beautiful.



Summary
I highly recommend giving this a go in this format. It’s such an enjoyable way of presenting a classic and easy to read. It took all the good parts of the novel and presented them in a reader-friendly format that I think worked really, really well. It’s a thumbs up from me!



Happy reading!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is it about Jane Eyre that I love?? The book is dark, depressing, lonely, sad and OHHHHH so good! I have read the novel a couple of times years ago. I thought I would check out the graphic novel version. I enjoyed. I forgot all about my favorite line in the book. It was in the graphic novel which thrilled me. To quote "I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you - especially when you are near me, as now: It is as if I have a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame." Isn't that one of the best lines! I remember reading the book the first time and feeling like I was reading some scary mystery novel not having an idea of what was going on in the house. Charlotte Bronte was brilliant. What a shocking surprise that was. If she would have written in our day there would be many comments on goodreads for a long time about how none of us were expecting that.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlotte Bronte's graphic novel depiction. It's a good focus on the Jane Eyre, especially if you found the novel to be laborious reading as I did back in the day. The graphic novel does a good job of following Jane's unhappy life as a child, serving as a governess and then falling in love with her master but then many problems arise. Prevalent themes about spiritual connections to love, love and religion blending or not blending and social status. Recommended for those who want a summary of this classic work.

STORY/PLOTTING: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; THEME DELIVERIES: B minus to B; ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B; WHEN READ: end of June 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B.

[Chantal Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I really loved this. I’m trash for Jane eyre I will read and watch anything that is remotely like it. The art style was really unique and stunning. It was an adaption of it the language was a lot easier to read than the orginal but there were still some direct quotes from the orginal. It was really nice experiencing this story again in a new format. I am never sick of this story I love it so much

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a sucker for period love stories :) This met and exceeded my expectations. I can't imagine a graphic novel taking a more complex story and representing the language, tone and themes as well as this one. Can I reiterate how much I love this language. The history of the Bronte family and other bits of historical context definitely shed light on and added to the mood of the story.

[library ghost (farheen) · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is the most "go girl give us nothing" graphic novel adaptation story I have EVER read. The art sucks, the dialogue is stilted and it makes the story sound botched. my darling Jane Eyre, I'm sorry for this abomination baby.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted an easy-ish way to learn the original story before eventually reading Wide Sargasso Sea. Though this was simple, it wasn't very enjoyable as a comic. But it does seem to get the job done of conveying the original story. I'll probably watch a movie adaptation also. I doubt i'll ever read the original because it doesn't seem as engrossing as Pride and Prejudice.

Incidentally #1
The publisher, Classical Comics, offers three versions of some titles. Original Text means they haven't edited the prose and sometimes the work is unabridged. Plain Text presumably means easier than the Shakespearean original. And Quick Text is "modern English for a fast-paced read" (direct quote from their examples in the back.

Incidentally #2
I read The Eyre Affair because i like Jasper Fforde and incorrectly thought it was the first Thursday Next novel. I don't recommend it as a way to get to know Bronte's original.

[Marloes D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit boek brengt "Jane Eyre" tot leven. De tekeningen zijn van John M. Burns: hij heeft geweldig werk geleverd. Ook staat achterin ruim informatie over het leven van Charlotte Bronte en hoe ze biografische elementen in "Jane Eyre" heeft verwerkt.

Elke keer als ik "Jane Eyre" lees, valt me iets nieuws op. Deze keer was het dat Mr Rochester Jane over zijn minnaressen vertelt maar ook dat ze een lagere status hebben en dat omgang met mensen met een lagere status je zelf ook degradeert. Kortom: hij gebruikt ze maar minacht ze. Niet veel later zal Jane weigeren zijn minnares te worden. Ik dacht eerst dat het om religieuze redenen was maar ze wil natuurlijk bovendien niet dat hij ook op haar neer zal kijken.

Verder eindigt het boek met het vooruitzicht op de dood van St. John Rivers. Zo geeft Charlotte Bronte het boek een sterkere religieuze laag. Er komen verschillende typen gelovigen in voor maar het is veelzeggend dat het er ook mee eindigt.

[Diana (Opportunistic_reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recomendado para personas que ya hayan leído la historia, pues obviamente que muchísimo fuera, pero amé las ilustraciones y la nostalgia que me provocó.

[Ka_nisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's spoke volumes to me,I couldn't put it down 😊😊

[galpalkirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes Jane Eyre a classic has very little to do with the romance present in it. Even if the romance with Mr Rochester of course plays a huge part in the plot, it has very little to do with the theme of it.

My favorite quote from the original novel is one that has lived with me since I first read it in school as a teen, and while the quote itself is not actually present in this graphic novel, the message is still there.

”I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.”

I was afraid the graphic novel would dilute this message but instead it perfectly encapsules the core of it leaving you with the same feeling of raw empowerment as the original novel.

Jane Eyre is an inspiration as she stands firm in her beliefs and morality. Speaking from personal experience, losing yourself by compromising your own integrity is often worse than losing other people if the result is that you’re able to live with yourself and your choices.

Jane understands that making the easy choice will benefit her happiness most immediately but will eventually lead only to contempt, having lowered herself for momentary happiness and accepted less than she knows she deserves. Her refusal to compromise her own integrity and instead make the difficult choice no matter the cost to herself (such as leaving someone she loves) takes strenght and is admirable. It is why I consider the above quote to be an all time favorite of mine.

It is also something that has become even more relevant in my life lately, which is one reason I decided to dig up this graphic novel that I’ve had for years and actually read it for once. Now that I have I can say that this is essentially a perfect speedrun of the original novel and extremely therapeutic as you’re getting out of a toxic situation.

As my final note on that I’ll just say that Jane Eyre is a stronger and more independent heroine than people give her credit for and I adore her.

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm interested in various artistic interpretations of the Bronte books. So whilst some purists may turn their nose up at a graphic novel of Jane Eyre, I am curious enough to read it. I certainly wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the story - you definately want to start off with the original. And in fairness, the original is a lot better. The graphic novel captures the spirit of the plot to a point, although I found it lacking somehow. I think somehow they missed out on some quotes/speeches by certain characters and nuances which reangled what was happening. I didn't find Mrs Reed massively awful in the childhood section, more that she was dealing with a self absorbed stroppy bratt (not the impression I got from the book), and St John looks like a leather-faced snotty old man in this story. One of the points about him was that he was supposed to be stunningly beautiful.
The art work is very good and competant, just lacking in a bit of emotion in the characters' faces a lot of the time. There's a lot of dialogue, as you'd expect, but no one ever seems to open their mouths in the pictures. This may all sound like nit picking, it's just that I'm trying to put my finger on why this felt a little bit lacking somehow.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I understand this graphic novel to be a much watered down version on the original story, created to entice young readers to read, introduce them to the classics, and provide them with a chance to appreciate and understand great literature (according Classic Comics' mission statement). Never have I ever read or viewed an adaptation of Jane Eyre before, and this has certainly inspired me to pick up the original. I'm hoping it will be more gothic.

I'm not sure how to review this. I'll just say that I loved the artwork, I loved how sassy Jane is and how much of a tragic mess Rochester is, I enjoyed all of the romantic dialogue, and overall appreciated the sentiment of the book.

[bookstore_assassin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The drawings were really, really nice. Generally, I think that I liked how the graphic novel shortened the novel (ie took away all of the descriptions) to make it readable + easier to follow the story because you don't get caught up with other stuff.
However, what I didn't realize was that this graphic novel took SO MANY DIRECT QUOTES FROM THE BOOK. like guys, if I wanted to reread Jane Eyre, I WOULD PICK UP THE BOOK AGAIN RATHER THAN READING THE GRAPHIC NOVEL. As a reader, this graphic novel had the same pace (slowww) as the normal book because every single line was a direct quote -- what it showed me was the Bronte could've written the exact same storyline in 200 pages rather than 700.

[Stella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Für mich hat diese Adaption leider nicht funktioniert. Die Graphic Novel las sich eher wie eine Aneinanderreihung bebilderter Auszüge aus dem Roman, wobei alles verloren ging, was den Roman für mich ausmacht. Ich bin auch kein Fan der Illustrationen, die ich als anstrengend und nicht einladend, lange zu verweilen, empfunden habe. Obwohl ich den Roman liebe, musste ich mich zwingen, diese Graphic Novel zu beenden. Mich hat sie gelangweilt.

[Jennifer Heine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well done adaptation of Jane Eyre and makes this bookl accessible to students who may be intimidated by classic literature.

[Elin (Tickmicks bokblogg) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars.

[Ginnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is the worst part about this book because every other word it seems is randomly written in bold and it ruins the flow.

[Marharyta3 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see why people like this and I liked the end, but it’s not for me

[Iriinesia ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not my cup of tea, but I read this in English.

[Cheryle Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well done graphic novel. I really enjoyed that they kept all the essential components of the novel. The illustrations were also very well done. I am beginning to read a large series of books from various authors based on the original "Jane Eyre" novel. "Jane Eyre" was favorite book growing up and I believe it's still remains #1 in my heart.We'll see how the rest of the series goes.

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

For it's time, this is a wonderful book! Love, faith, jealously, and feminism are couched into a realistic and romanic mystery. Definitely enjoyed the comic book imagery too!

[Nath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to read Jane Eyre! I’ll always have a bit of a book hanger over after finishing this book!