Jane
Written
by Aline Brosh Mckenna and illustrated by Ramon K. Perez
1. Jane
is a modern re-telling of Jane Eyre that takes place in New York City. The plot
centers around Jane who is a broke art student trying to cope with the loss of
her parents, her own identity as an artist, and her lack of financial stability.
She eventually takes on a nanny position in order for her to stay in the city
and continue to go to art school. She ends up being a nanny for Mr. Rochester who’s
a well-off businessman. Jane ends up bonding with Rochester’s daughter Adele
and eventually falls for Rochester as well. However, Jane ends up discovering that
Rochester’s late wife is in fact very much alive. This leaves Jane not only
questioning who Rochester really is but what kind of world she has been flung
into.
2. So
why this book? I picked this one because I felt it could be the starting point
for so many different units. I thought it would be a great way to discuss Jane
Eyre in a way most students could understand. It’s a more modern re-telling and
so it allows students to better connect with who jane is and her motivations. This
book also allows a lot of discussions on not just Victorian gothic literature
but how that has inspired American gothic lit as we know it. This book also
contains a lot of noir elements that I feel would be a great introduction for a
film or drama class. And lastly, this book has some absolutely fantastic art. The
panels are set up in a variety of ways and the color story changes with the
plot. Both of these things would be a really good way to start teaching visual
literacy when it comes to graphic literature.
3. I
would really love to do a side by side reading of this book and the original Jane
Eyre. I think it would help students better understand the characters and the general plot of the original. This would also allow for discussions on
adaptation that I think would be interesting.
I think this book
would be a great way to discuss Victorian and American gothic literature. I
think it would be a great way to show how American gothic is influenced and yet
different from Victorian gothic literature.
Finally, I think
this book could be a great way to introduce Noir in either an English classroom
or in a drama class. This book has a lot of the same archetypes and feel that
an American noir often showcases. This could also be tied back into American gothic
as Noir shares and is inspired by many of the same elements.
4. This
book does exclude some of the themes from the original Jane Eyre and therefore
would not allow for class discussion. The most notable theme left out is the villainization
of female mental illness. Rochester’s wife Isabelle is not the madwoman in the
attic in Jane that she is in the original. So, this theme could not be explored.
I also feel that some parents may have issues with their students reading this adaptation.
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