Jane Eyre post with bonus Justin Bieber
I'm about a quarter of the way through Jane Eyre. First time reading it. The reasons I don't like it at this point are numerous, but most importantly are the semicolons. Semicolons are, hands-down, my favorite punctuation mark, so if Charlotte Bronte causes me to have violent reactions to them in the future I will be most put out. Semicolons and colons pop up like five times in every. Damn. Paragraph.
. <---- Do you see that? It's a period! You use it to end a sentence. Why are you neglecting it?!
(I feel like I shouldn't bitch until I've finished, because it's written in first person and, uh, maybe Jane/Charlotte whoever the fuck is perpetuating the punctuation abuse eases up? Maybe? Please?)
And the fancy/flowery dialogue throws me off, and so do Rochester's varying uses of parenthetical remarks. Sometimes they'll include some first-person comment on what he just said, and sometimes they seem like stage directions. To wit:
"Jane, go make me a sammich, and if you use crunchy peanut butter I swear I will lock you in an attic (Oh, that was a rude thing for me to say, but you see I'm so used to getting my own way. Also locking peope in attics.)"
vs.
"Jane, you used the right peanut butter, but WTF is with this jam? Is this STRAWBERRY?! (getting the keyring from his pocket)"
Is he saying these things aloud? I mean, the man dramatizes, so if he were to say his own stage directions aloud I wouldn't be surprised, but still.
Oh, and Mr. Rochester! Mr. "Massive Head" with the big nostrils Rochester!
"He lifted up the sable waves of hair which lay horizontally over his brow, and showed a solid enough mass of intellectual organs; but an abrupt deficiency where the suave sign of benevolence should have risen."
"He lifted up the sable waves of hair which lay horizontally over his brow"
"waves of hair which lay horizontally over his brow"
Stay out of Gothic literature, Justin Bieber!
He's supposed to be a brooding romantic figure, right? Does he get romantic at some point? Because so far I see "brooding with a side of asking an employee whether you think he's hot, which is not at all inappropriate, oh no." Not like it's a young female employee with no wordly experience at all, which you would know, Mr. Rochester, seeing as you point it out every time you open your damn mouth.
Bonus WTF: Phrenology?!
Please, please, please tell me this book gets less frustrating.
. <---- Do you see that? It's a period! You use it to end a sentence. Why are you neglecting it?!
(I feel like I shouldn't bitch until I've finished, because it's written in first person and, uh, maybe Jane/Charlotte whoever the fuck is perpetuating the punctuation abuse eases up? Maybe? Please?)
And the fancy/flowery dialogue throws me off, and so do Rochester's varying uses of parenthetical remarks. Sometimes they'll include some first-person comment on what he just said, and sometimes they seem like stage directions. To wit:
"Jane, go make me a sammich, and if you use crunchy peanut butter I swear I will lock you in an attic (Oh, that was a rude thing for me to say, but you see I'm so used to getting my own way. Also locking peope in attics.)"
vs.
"Jane, you used the right peanut butter, but WTF is with this jam? Is this STRAWBERRY?! (getting the keyring from his pocket)"
Is he saying these things aloud? I mean, the man dramatizes, so if he were to say his own stage directions aloud I wouldn't be surprised, but still.
Oh, and Mr. Rochester! Mr. "Massive Head" with the big nostrils Rochester!
"He lifted up the sable waves of hair which lay horizontally over his brow, and showed a solid enough mass of intellectual organs; but an abrupt deficiency where the suave sign of benevolence should have risen."
"He lifted up the sable waves of hair which lay horizontally over his brow"
"waves of hair which lay horizontally over his brow"
Stay out of Gothic literature, Justin Bieber!
He's supposed to be a brooding romantic figure, right? Does he get romantic at some point? Because so far I see "brooding with a side of asking an employee whether you think he's hot, which is not at all inappropriate, oh no." Not like it's a young female employee with no wordly experience at all, which you would know, Mr. Rochester, seeing as you point it out every time you open your damn mouth.
Bonus WTF: Phrenology?!
Please, please, please tell me this book gets less frustrating.