“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free

human being, with an independent will.” – Jane Eyre

Submitted by: Francisco, Princess H.

Submitted to: Dr. Clarissa D. Guia

A BOOK REVIEW
Date Submitted: 10/18/2016
I. Vocabulary
A. Chapter 1
1. Earnest - /ˈərnəst/ (adj.) - resulting from or showing sincere and
intense conviction. p. 9
“I was endeavoring in good earnest to acquire a more sociable and
childlike disposition…”
2. Sprightly - /ˈsprītlē/ (adj) - (especially of an old person) lively; full of
energy. p. 9
“I was endeavoring in good earnest to acquire a more sociable
and childlike disposition, a more attractive and sprightly manner—“
3. Vignette - /vinˈyet/ (n.) - a brief evocative description, account, or
episode. p. 10
“The words in these introductory pages connected themselves with
the succeeding vignettes…”
B. Chapter 2
1. Ignominy – /ˈiɡnəˌminē,iɡˈnäminē/ (n.) - public shame or disgrace.
p. 16
“The punishment seemed to have a high degree of ignominy,
especially for so great a girl…”
2. Intelligible – /inˈteləjəb(ə)l/ (adj.) - able to be understood;
comprehensible. p. 16
“This reproach of my dependence had become a vague sing-song
in my ear: very painful and crushing, but only half intelligible.”
3. Rivet[ed] – /ˈrivit/ (v.) - hold (someone or something) fast so as to
make them incapable of movement. p. 18
“My seat, to which Bessie and the bitter Miss Abbot had
left me riveted.”
C. Chapter 3
1. Bewilderment - /bɪˈwɪl.də.mənt/ (n.) - a state of being confused and
puzzled. p. 24
“In five minutes more the cloud of bewilderment dissolved.”

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 2. Apothecary - /əˈpäTHiˌkerē/ (n.) - a person who prepared and sold
medicines and drugs. p. 24
“It was Mr. Lloyd, an apothecary, sometimes called in by Mrs. Reed
when the servants were ailing.”
3. Ghastly - /ˈɡastlē/ (adj.) - causing great horror or fear; frightful or
macabre. p. 25
“The fire and the candle went out. For me, the watches of that long
night passed in ghastly wake fullness.”
D. Chapter 4
1. Insuperable – /inˈso͞op(ə)rəb(ə)l/ (adj.) - (of a difficulty or obstacle)
impossible to overcome. p. 34
“…for her glance, now more than ever, when turned on me,
expressed an insuperable and rooted aversion.”
2. Audacious – /ôˈdāSHəs/ (adj.) - showing a willingness to take
surprisingly bold risks. p. 34
“…on hearing this strange and audacious declaration, she ran
nimbly up the stair, swept me like a whirlwind…”
3. Capricious - /kəˈpriSHəs,kəˈprēSHəs/ (adj.) - given to sudden and
unaccountable changes of mood or behavior. p. 36
“…she had a capricious and hasty temper, and indifferent
ideas of principle or justice…”
E. Chapter 5
1. Apprehensive – /aprəˈhensiv/ (adj.) - anxious or fearful that
something bad or unpleasant will happen. p. 52
“Here I walked about for a long time, feeling very strange, and
mortally apprehensive of someone coming in and kidnapping me.”
2. Countenance – /ˈkount(ə)nəns/ (n.) – a person's face or facial
expression. p. 54
“…her figure was partly enveloped in a shawl, her countenance was
grave, her bearing erect.”

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 3. Buxom – /ˈbəksəm/ (adj.) – (of a woman) plump, especially with
large breasts. p. 56
“Miss Miller, but one of the upper teachers, a little and dark
personage, smartly dressed, but of somewhat morose aspect, who
installed herself at the top of one table, while a more buxom lady
pre-sided at the other side...”
F. Chapter 6
1. Animadversions - /anəmadˈvərZH(ə)n/ (n.) – criticism or censure. p.
66
“…the subject of their lessons could be heard, together with the
manner in which each girl acquitted herself, and the
animadversions or commendations of Miss Scatcherd on the
performance.”
2. Disconsolate - /disˈkäns(ə)lət/ (adj.) – without consolation or
comfort; unhappy. p. 68
“I could distinguish from the gleeful tumult within, the
disconsolate moan of the wind outside.”
3. Expostulations - /ɪkˌspɒs tʃəˈleɪ ʃən/ (n.) – the act of expostulating;
remonstrance; earnest and kindly protest p. 70
“One strong proof of my wretchedly defective nature is, that even
her expostulations, so mild, so rational, have not influence to cure
me of my faults;”
G. Chapter 7
1. Irksome – /ˈɜrk səm/ (adj.) - annoying; irritating; exasperating;
tiresome: p. 75
“My first quarter at Lowood seemed an age; and not the golden age
either; it comprised an irksome struggle with difficulties in
habituating myself to new rules and unwonted tasks.”
2. Hebdomadal – /hɛbˈdɒm ə dl/ (adj.) - taking place, coming
together, or published once every seven days; weekly p. 75

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 “It was the hebdomadal treat to which we all looked forward from
Sabbath to Sabbath.”
3. Judicious /dʒuˈdɪʃ əs/ (adj.) – using or showing judgment as to
action or practical expediency; discreet, prudent, or politic p. 78
“A brief address on those occasions would not be mistimed,
wherein a judicious instructor would take the opportunity of
referring to the sufferings of the primitive Christians”
H. Chapter 8
1. Approbation – /ˌæp rəˈbeɪ ʃən/ (n.) - approval; commendation. p. 85
“Miss Temple had smiled approbation; she had
promised to teach me drawing…”
2. Alloy – /ˈæl ɔɪ, əˈlɔɪ/ (n.) - anything added that serves to reduce
quality or purity. p. 86
“Helen had calmed me; but in the tranquility she imparted there was
an alloy of inexpressible sadness.”
3. Barmecidal - /ˌbɑr məˈsaɪd l/ (adj.) - giving only the illusion of
plenty; illusory p. 92
“That night, on going to bed, I forgot to prepare in imagination the
Barmecidal supper of hot roast potatoes, or white bread and new
milk…”
I. Chapter 9
1. Privations – /praɪˈveɪ ʃən/ (n.) - lack of the usual comforts or
necessaries of life p. 94
But the privations, or rather the hardships, of Lowood lessened.
2. Totter[ing] – /ˈtɒt ər/ (v.) – to sway or rock on the base or ground, as
if about to fall: p. 98
“…all the rest was formless cloud and vacant depth; and it
shuddered at the thought of tottering, and plunging amid that
chaos.”

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 3. Throes – /θroʊ/ (n.) – a sharp attack of emotion. p. 99
“Indisposed to hesitate, and full of impatient impulses—soul and
senses quivering with keen throes—I put it back and looked in.”
J. Chapter 10
1. Virulence – /ˈvɪr yə ləns, ˈvɪr ə-/ (n.) – intense sharpness of temper.
p. 104
“When the typhus fever had fulfilled its mission of devastation
at Lowood, it gradually disappeared from thence; but not till its
virulence and the number of its victims had drawn public attention
on the school.”
2. Expanse – /ɪkˈspæns/ (n.) – something that is spread out,
especially over a relatively large area p. 105
“Now I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied
field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited
those who had courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real
knowledge of life amidst its perils.”
3. Ostensible – /ɒˈstɛn sə bəl/ (adj.) – outwardly appearing as such;
professed; pretended p. 108
“My ostensible errand on this occasion was to get measured for a
pair of shoes.”
K. Chapter 11
1. Impediments – /ɪmˈpɛd ə mənt/ (n.) – obstruction; hindrance;
obstacle. p. 117
“…uncertain whether the port to which it is bound can be reached,
and prevented by many impediments from returning to that it has
quitted.”
2. Picturesque – /ˌpɪk tʃəˈrɛsk/ (adj.) – visually charming or quaint, as if
resembling or suitable for a painting p. 118
“…a gentleman’s manor-house, not a nobleman’s seat: battlements
round the top gave it a picturesque look.”

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 3. Dreary – /ˈdrɪər i/ (adj.) - causing sadness or gloom. p. 121
“Holding my hand in both his own, he chafed it; gazing on me, at the
same time, with the most troubled and dreary look.”
L. Chapter 12
1. Placid – /ˈplæs ɪd/ (adj.) – pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled;
tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed p. 135
“‘And what a sweet-tempered forehead he has!’ cried Louisa,—‘so
smooth—none of those frowning irregularities I dislike so much; and
such a placid eye and smile!’”
2. Solicitude – /səˈlɪs ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/ (n.) – an attitude expressing
excessive attentiveness p. 135
“This was said with a careless, abstracted indifference, which
showed that my solicitude was, at least in his opinion, wholly
superfluous.”
3. Congealed – /kənˈdʒil/ (v.) – to make or become fixed, as ideas,
sentiments, or principles p. 138
“…as was attested by a sheet of ice covering the causeway, where
a little brooklet, now congealed, had overflowed after a rapid thaw
some days since.”
M. Chapter 13
1. Incessantly – /ɪnˈsɛs ənt/ (adv.) – continuing without interruption;
ceaseless; unending p. 147
“I got a little angry, and made her sit still, she continued to talk
incessantly of her ‘ami, Monsieur Edouard Fairfax DE Rochester,’”
2. Pompous – /ˈpɒm pəs/ (adj.) – characterized by an ostentatious
display of dignity or importance p. 153
“He is a harsh man; at once pompous and meddling;”
3. Lineaments – /ˈlɪn i ə mənt/ (n.) – Often, lineaments. a feature or
detail of a face, body, or figure, considered with respect to its outline
or contour p. 155

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 “The dim forehead was crowned with a star; the lineaments below
were seen as through the suffusion of vapour.”
N. Chapter 14
1. Haughtily – /ˈlɪn i ə mənt/ (adv.) – disdainfully proud; snobbish;
scornfully arrogant; supercilious p.160
“…when he would sometimes pass me haughtily and coldly, just
acknowledging my presence by a distant nod or a cool glance.”
2. Festal – /ˈfɛs tl/ (adj.) – pertaining to or befitting a feast, festival,
holiday, or gala occasion. p. 162
“We were, as I have said, in the dining-room: the lustre, which had
been lit for dinner, filled the room with a festal breadth of light;”
3. Blunder – /ˈblʌn dər/ (n.) – a gross, stupid, or careless mistake p.
163
‘You ARE afraid—your self-love dreads a blunder.’
O. Chapter 15
1. Bethought – /bɪˈθɔt/ (v.) – to remind (oneself) p. 174
“…when I bethought myself to open the window and step out on to
the balcony.”
2. Undulating – /ˈʌn dʒəˌleɪt/ (adj.) – to cause to move in waves. p.
176
“I seemed to hear a hiss, and the green snake of jealousy, rising on
undulating coils from the moonlit balcony,”
3. Quaint – /kweɪnt/ (adj.) – having an old-fashioned attractiveness or
charm p. 176
“…as if it were the most usual thing in the world for a man like me to
tell stories of his opera-mistresses to a quaint, inexperienced girl
like you!”
P. Chapter 16
1. Confabulation – /kənˌfæb yəˈleɪ ʃən/ (n.) – to converse informally;
chat. p. 188

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 “To much confabulation succeeded a sound of scrubbing and
setting to rights;”
2. Malignant – /məˈlɪg nənt/ (adj.) – very dangerous or harmful in
influence or effect. p. 190
“The idea struck me that if she discovered I knew or suspected her
guilt, she would be playing of some of her malignant pranks on me”
3. Eccentric – /ɪkˈsɛn trɪk, ɛk-/ (adj.) – deviating from the recognized or
customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd
p. 191
“Mr. Rochester is an amateur of the decided and eccentric:”
Q. Chapter 17
1. Slavish – /ˈsleɪ vɪʃ/ (adj.) – being or resembling a slave; abjectly
submissive: p. 199
“Not that I humbled myself by a slavish notion of inferiority,”
2. Exonerated – /ɪgˈzɒn əˌreɪt/ (v.) – to relieve, as from an obligation,
duty, or task. p. 200
“From school duties she was exonerated: Mrs. Fairfax had
pressed me into her service”
3. Stinginess – /ˈstɪn dʒines/ (n.) – reluctanance to give or spend; not
generous; niggardly; penurious: p. 201
“‘I wish I had as good; not that mine are to complain of —there’s no
stinginess at Thornfield; but they’re not one fifth of the sum Mrs.
Poole receives.”
R. Chapter 18
1. Monotony – /məˈnɒt n i/ (n.) – wearisome uniformity or lack of
variety, as in occupation or scenery. p. 222
“…how different from the first three months
of stillness, monotony, and solitude I had passed beneath
its roof!”
2. Sordid – /ˈsɔr dɪd/ (adj.) – meanly selfish, self-seeking, or
mercenary. p. 225

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 “Amidst this sordid scene, sat a man with his clenched
hands resting on his knees, and his eyes bent on the ground.”
3. Sagacity – /səˈgæs ɪ ti/ (n.) – acuteness of mental discernment and
soundness of judgment. p. 227
“Mr. Rochester himself, exercised over his intended a ceaseless
surveillance; and it was from this sagacity—this guardedness of
his—this perfect, clear consciousness of his fair one’s defects…”
S. Chapter 19
1. Impudence – /ˈɪm pyə dəns/ (n.) – the quality or state of being
impudent; effrontery; insolence. p. 239
“‘It’s like your impudence to say so: I expected it of you; I heard it in
your step as you crossed the threshold.’”
2. Buoy – /ˈbu i, bɔɪ/ (v.) – to sustain or encourage (often followed by
up) p. 241
“‘Then you have some secret hope to buoy you up and please you
with whispers of the future?’”
3. Lassitude – /ˈlæs ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/ (n.) – weariness of body or mind
from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; lack of energy; listlessness;
languor. p. 244
“…an unconscious lassitude weighs on the lid: that signifies
melancholy resulting from loneliness.”
T. Chapter 20
1. Inextricable – /ɪnˈɛk strɪ kə bəl/ (adj.) – incapable of being
disentangled, undone, loosed, or solved p. 251
“They ran to and fro; they crowded together: some sobbed, some
stumbled: the confusion was inextricable.”
2. Wrought – /rɔt/ (adj.) – elaborated; embellished. p. 256
“…the shadows darken on the wrought, antique tapestry round me,
and grow black under the hangings of the vast old bed…”
3. Impetuous – /ɪmˈpɛtʃ u əs/ (adj.) – of, relating to, or characterized by
sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive p. 257

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 “I saw Mr. Mason was submissive to Mr. Rochester; that the
impetuous will of the latter held complete sway over the inertness of
the former.”
U. Chapter 21
1. Scarcely – /ˈskɛərs li/ (adv.) – barely; hardly; not quite p. 268
“Of late I had often recalled this saying and this incident; for during
the past week scarcely a night had gone over my couch that had
not brought with it a dream of an infant…”
2. Equivocal – /ɪˈkwɪv ə kəl/ (adj.) – allowing the possibility of several
different meanings, as a word or phrase, especially with intent to
deceive or misguide; susceptible of double interpretation;
deliberately ambiguous p. 271
“And you have derived pleasure from occasional tokens of
preference—equivocal tokens shown by a gentleman of family and
a man of the world to a dependent and a novice.”
3. Scantiness – /ˈskæn ti/ (n.) – the state of being barely sufficient p.
272
“He took the purse, poured the hoard into his palm, and chuckled
over it as if its scantiness amused him.”
V. Chapter 22
1. Lamentations – /ˌlæm ənˈteɪ ʃən/ (n.) – the act of lamenting or
expressing grief. p. 292
“…so I bore with her feeble-minded wailings and selfish
lamentations as well as I could, and did my best in sewing for her
and packing her dresses.”
2. Incredulous – /ɪnˈkrɛdʒ ə ləs/ (adj.) – indicating or showing unbelief
p. 294
“‘You would be strangely incredulous if you did doubt it,’”
3. Cognizant – /ˈkɒg nə zənt/ (n.) – having cognizance; aware (usually
followed by of) p. 296
“I suppose I do come on; though in what fashion I know not; being

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 scarcely cognizant of my movements, and solicitous only to appear
calm.”
W. Chapter 23
1. Gloaming – /ˈgloʊ mɪŋ/ (n.) – twilight; dusk. p. 300
“She comes from the other world—from the abode of people who
are dead; and tells me so when she meets me alone here in the
gloaming!”
2. Extrication – /ˈɛk strɪˌkeɪ ʃən/ (n.) – the process of trying to free or
release from entanglement; disengage p. 301
“I followed with lagging step, and thoughts busily bent on
discovering a means of extrication;”
3. Vehemence – /ˈvi ə məns/ (n.) – the quality of being vehement p.
305
“The vehemence of emotion, stirred by grief and love within me,
was claiming mastery,”

X. Chapter 24
1. Lustrous – /ˈlʌs trəs/ (adj.) – having luster; shining; luminous: p. 312
“…and my eyes seemed as if they had beheld the fount of fruition,
and borrowed beams from the lustrous ripple.”
2. Deprecation – /ˈdɛp rɪˌkeɪ ʃən/ (n.) – expression of earnest
disapproval of. p. 314
“He pursued his theme, however, without noticing my deprecation.”
3. Indignant – /ɪnˈdɪg nənt/ (adj.) – feeling, characterized by, or
expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust,
offensive, insulting, or base p. 317
“‘I think I may confess,’ he continued, ‘even although I should make
you a little indignant, Jane.”
Y. Chapter 25
1. Unsundered – /ˈən sʌn dərd/ (adj.) – undivided p. 334
“The cloven halves were not broken from each other, for the firm
base and strong roots kept them unsundered below.”

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 2. Hypochondriac –/ˌhaɪ pəˈkɒn driˌæk/ (adj.) – an excessive
preoccupation with and worry about one's health p. 335
“‘I wish he would come! I wish he would come!’ I exclaimed, seized
with hypochondriac foreboding.”
3. Bustle – /ˈbʌs əl/ (n.) – to move or act with a great show of energy
(often followed by about) p. 338
“All day yesterday I was very busy, and very happy in my ceaseless
bustle;”
Z. Chapter 26
1. Hillocks – /ˈhɪl ək/ (n.) – a small hill. p. 348
“I have not forgotten, either, two figures of strangers straying
amongst the low hillocks and reading the mementoes graven on the
few mossy head-stones.”
2. Disavowed – /ˌdɪs əˈvaʊ/ (v.) - to disclaim knowledge of, connection
with, or responsibility for; disown; repudiate p. 350
“He disavowed nothing: he seemed as if he would defy all things.”
3. Spasmodic – /spæzˈmɒd ɪk/ (adj.) – given to or characterized by
bursts of excitement. p. 351
“I felt the spasmodic movement of fury or despair run through his
frame.”
AA. Chapter 27
1. Woe – /woʊ/ (n.) - grievous distress, affliction, or trouble p. 360
“‘That I am not Edward Rochester’s bride is the least part of my
woe,’”
2. Shambles – /ˈʃæm bəl/ (n.) – any scene of destruction p. 361
“If the man who had but one little ewe lamb that was dear to him as
a daughter, that ate of his bread and drank of his cup, and lay in his
bosom, had by some mistake slaughtered it at the shambles, he
would not have rued his bloody blunder more than I now rue mine.”
3. Scruple – /ˈskru pəl/ (n.) – a very small portion or amount. p. 363
“…though I possess an old house, Ferndean Manor, even more

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 retired and hidden than this, where I could have lodged her safely
enough, had not a scruple about the unhealthiness of the situation,
in the heart of a wood, made my conscience recoil from the
arrangement.”
BB. Chapter 28
1. Shilling – /ˈʃɪl ɪŋ/ (n.) – any of various coins and moneys of account
used in various parts of the U.S. in the 18th and 19th centuries. p.
389
“The other articles I made up in a parcel; my purse, containing
twenty shillings.”
2. Destitute – /ˈdɛs tɪˌtut, -ˌtyut/ (adj.) - without means of subsistence;
lacking food, clothing, and shelter. p. 389
“I forgot to take my parcel out of the pocket of the coach, where I
had placed it for safety; there it remains, there it must remain; and
now, I am absolutely destitute.”
3. Plover –/ˈplʌv ər, ˈploʊ vər/ (n.) - any of various similar shorebirds,
as the upland plover and other sandpipers. p. 390
“I looked up, fearing it was the rush of a bull; if a plover whistled, I
imagined it a man.”
CC. Chapter 29
1. Emaciated – /ɪˈmeɪ ʃiˌeɪ tɪd/ (adj.) – marked by abnormal thinness
caused by lack of nutrition or by disease. p. 408
“‘Strange hardships, I imagine—poor, emaciated, pallid wanderer?’”
2. Pallid – /ˈpæl ɪd/ (adj.) - pale; faint or deficient in color; wan p. 308
“‘Strange hardships, I imagine—poor, emaciated, pallid wanderer?’”
3. Prejudices –/ˈprɛdʒ ə dɪs/ (n.) - an unfavorable opinion or feeling
formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. p. 409
“Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the
heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by
education.”

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DD. Chapter 30
1. Congeniality – /kənˈdʒin yəl/ (n.) – state of being agreeable,
suitable, or pleasing in nature or character p. 422
“There was a reviving pleasure in this intercourse, of a kind now
tasted by me for the first time-the pleasure arising from perfect
congeniality of tastes, sentiments, and principles.”
2. Pebbly – /ˈpɛb li/ (adj.) - having or covered with pebbles p. 422
“They clung to the purple moors behind and around their dwelling—
to the hollow vale into which the pebbly bridle-path leading from
their gate descended, and which wound between fern-”
3. Zealous – /ˈzɛl əs/ (adj.) - full of, characterized by, or due to zeal p.
424
“Zealous in his ministerial labours, blameless in his life and habits,
he yet did not appear to enjoy that mental serenity-”
EE. Chapter 31
1. Intractable – /ɪnˈtræk tə bəl/ (adj.) – not easily controlled or directed;
not docile or manageable; stubborn; obstinate p. 433
“Some of them are unmannered, rough, intractable, as well as
ignorant,”
2. Disposition – /ˌdɪs pəˈzɪʃ ən/ (n.) - state of mind regarding
something; inclination p. 433
“Some of them are unmannered, rough, intractable, as well as
ignorant; but others are docile, have a wish to learn, and evince a
disposition that pleases me.”
3. Genealogy – /ˌdʒi niˈɒl ə dʒi/ (n.) - a record or account of the
ancestry and descent of a person, family, group, etc. p. 433
“I must not forget that these coarsely-clad little peasants are of flesh
and blood as good as the scions of gentlest genealogy;”
FF. Chapter 32
1. Estimable – /ˈɛs tə mə bəl/ (adj.) – worthy of esteem; deserving
respect or admiration. p. 442

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 “I found estimable characters amongst them—characters desirous
of information and disposed for improvement”
2. Resolute – /ˈrɛz əˌlut/ (adj.) - firmly resolved or determined; set in
purpose or opinion p. 444
“He seemed to say, with his sad and resolute look, if he did not
say it with his lips, ‘I love you, and I know you prefer me.”
3. Inquisitiveness – /ɪnˈkwɪz ɪ tɪv/ (n.) – eagerness for knowledge;
intellectual curiousity p. 445
“One evening, while, with her usual child-like activity, and
thoughtless yet not offensive inquisitiveness, she was rummaging
the cupboard and the table-drawer of my little kitchen…”
GG. Chapter 33
1. Impassable – /ɪmˈpæs ə bəl/ (adj.) – unable to be surmounted p.
455
“The next day a keen wind brought fresh and blinding falls; by
twilight the valley was drifted up and almost impassable.”
2. Rafters – /ˈræf tərs/ (n.) – any of a series of timbers or the like,
usually having a pronounced slope, for supporting the sheathing
and covering of a roof. p. 458
“I daresay it is only a rat scrambling along the rafters of the
adjoining schoolroom:”
3. Renounce – /rɪˈnaʊns/ (v.) – to give up or put aside voluntarily p.
460
“You own the name and renounce the alias?’”
HH. Chapter 34
1. Barren – /ˈbær ən/ (adj.) – not producing or incapable of producing
offspring; sterile p. 470
“Those who had saved my life, whom, till this hour, I had loved
barrenly, I could now benefit.”

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 2. Transient – /ˈtræn ʃənt/ (adj.) – not lasting, enduring, or
permanent; transitory. p. 472
“…forbear to waste them on trite transient objects.”
3. Amenities - /əˈmɛn ɪ tis/ (n.) – any feature that provides comfort,
convenience, or pleasure p. 473
“The humanities and amenities of life had no attraction for him-”
II. Chapter 35
1. Upbraiding – /ʌpˈbreɪ dɪŋ/ (adj.) – severely reproachful or
reproving; censorious p. 495
“Without one overt act of hostility, one upbraiding word, he
contrived to impress me momently with the conviction that I was
put beyond the pale of his favour.”
2. Adhere – /ædˈhɪər/ (v.) – to stay attached; stick fast; cleave; cling
(usually followed by to) p. 497
“‘No. St. John, I will not marry you. I adhere to my resolution.’”
3. Unconsecrated – /ʌnˈkɒn sɪˌkreɪt/ (adj.) – an object yet to be of
honor or veneration; hallow p. 499
“The interest you cherish is lawless and unconsecrated.”
JJ. Chapter 36
1. Aghast - /əˈgæst, əˈgɑst/ (v.) – struck with overwhelming shock or
amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror p. 507
“It had wakened it out of its sleep, whence it sprang trembling,
listening, aghast…”
2. Cumbrous – /ˈkʌm brəs/ (adj.) – burdensome; troublesome. p. 507
“…when debasement and sin will fall from us with this cumbrous
frame of flesh, and only the spark of the spirit will remain…”
3. Rookery – /ˈrʊk ə ri/ (n.) – a breeding place or colony of gregarious
birds or animals, as penguins and seals. p. 510
KK. Chapter 37
1. Insalubrious – /ˌɪn səˈlu bri əs/ (adj.) – unfavorable to health;
unwholesome. p. 518

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 “He would have let the house, but could find no tenant, in
consequence of its ineligible and insalubrious site.”
2. Trodden – /ˈtrɒd n/ (v.) – to set down the foot or feet in walking;
step; walk. p. 521
“His old dog, Pilot, lay on one side, removed out of the way, and
coiled up as if afraid of being inadvertently trodden upon.”
3. Piquant – /ˈpi kənt/ (adj.) – agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or
flavor; pleasantly biting or tart p. 523
“Besides, there is that peculiar voice of hers, so animating and
piquant, as well as soft: it cheers my withered heart; it puts life into
it.”
LL. Chapter 38
1. Impracticable – /ɪmˈpræk tɪ kə bəl/ (adj.) – unsuitable for practical
use or purposes, as a device or material. p. 541
“I meant to become her governess once more, but I soon found
this impracticable;”
2. Dense – /dɛns/ (adj.) – stupid; slow-witted; dull. p. 542
“He informed me then, that for some time he had
fancied the obscurity clouding one eye was becoming less
dense.”
3. Indefatigable – /ˌɪn dɪˈfæt ɪ gə bəl/ (adj.) - incapable of being tired
out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring. p. 543
“A more resolute, indefatigable pioneer never wrought amidst
rocks and dangers.”

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II. Content
A. Characters
1. Jane Eyre - The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Jane is an
intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl forced to contend with
oppression, inequality, and hardship. Although she meets with a series
of individuals who threaten her autonomy, Jane repeatedly succeeds at
asserting herself and maintains her principles of justice, human dignity,
and morality. She also values intellectual and emotional fulfillment. Her
strong belief in gender and social equality challenges the Victorian
prejudices against women and the poor.
2. Edward Rochester - Jane’s employer and the master of Thornfield,
Rochester is a wealthy, passionate man with a dark secret that provides
much of the novel’s suspense. Rochester is unconventional, ready to
set aside polite manners, propriety, and consideration of social class in
order to interact with Jane frankly and directly. He is rash and
impetuous and has spent much of his adult life roaming about Europe in
an attempt to avoid the consequences of his youthful indiscretions. His
problems are partly the result of his own recklessness, but he is a
sympathetic figure because he has suffered for so long as a result of his
early marriage to Bertha.
3. St. John Rivers - Along with his sisters, Mary and Diana, St. John
(pronounced “Sinjin”) serves as Jane’s benefactor after she runs away
from Thornfield, giving her food and shelter. The minister at Morton, St.
John is cold, reserved, and often controlling in his interactions with
others. Because he is entirely alienated from his feelings and devoted
solely to an austere ambition, St. John serves as a foil to Edward
Rochester.
4. Mrs. Reed - Mrs. Reed is Jane’s cruel aunt, who raises her at
Gateshead Hall until Jane is sent away to school at age ten. Later in her
life, Jane attempts reconciliation with her aunt, but the old woman

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 continues to resent her because her husband had always loved Jane
more than his own children.
5. Bessie Lee - The maid at Gateshead, Bessie is the only figure in
Jane’s childhood who regularly treats her kindly, telling her stories and
singing her songs. Bessie later marries Robert Leaven, the Reeds’
coachman.
6. Mr. Lloyd - Mr. Lloyd is the Reeds’ apothecary, who suggests that
Jane be sent away to school. Always kind to Jane, Mr. Lloyd writes a
letter to Miss Temple confirming Jane’s story about her childhood and
clearing Jane of Mrs. Reed’s charge that she is a liar.
7. Georgiana Reed - Georgiana Reed is Jane’s cousin and one of Mrs.
Reed’s two daughters. The beautiful Georgiana treats Jane cruelly
when they are children, but later in their lives she befriends her cousin
and confides in her. Georgiana attempts to elope with a man named
Lord Edwin Vere, but her sister, Eliza, alerts Mrs. Reed of the
arrangement and sabotages the plan. After Mrs. Reed dies, Georgiana
marries a wealthy man.
8. Eliza Reed - Eliza Reed is Jane’s cousin and one of Mrs. Reed’s two
daughters (along with her sister, Georgiana). Not as beautiful as her
sister, Eliza devotes herself somewhat self-righteously to the church
and eventually goes to a convent in France where she becomes the
Mother Superior.
9. John Reed - John Reed is Jane’s cousin, Mrs. Reed’s son, and brother
to Eliza and Georgiana. John treats Jane with appalling cruelty during
their childhood and later falls into a life of drinking and gambling. John
commits suicide midway through the novel when his mother ceases to
pay his debts for him.
10. Helen Burns - Helen Burns is Jane’s close friend at the Lowood
School. She endures her miserable life there with a passive dignity that
Jane cannot understand. Helen dies of consumption in Jane’s arms.

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11. Mr. Brocklehurst - The cruel, hypocritical master of the Lowood
School, Mr. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of privation, while stealing
from the school to support his luxurious lifestyle. After a typhus
epidemic sweeps Lowood, Brocklehurst’s shifty and dishonest practices
are brought to light and he is publicly discredited.
12. Maria Temple - Maria Temple is a kind teacher at Lowood, who treats
Jane and Helen with respect and compassion. Along with Bessie Lee,
she serves as one of Jane’s first positive female role models. Miss
Temple helps clear Jane of Mrs. Reed’s accusations against her.
13. Miss Scatcherd - Jane’s sour and vicious teacher at Lowood, Miss
Scatcherd behaves with particular cruelty toward Helen.
14. Alice Fairfax - Alice Fairfax is the housekeeper at Thornfield Hall. She
is the first to tell Jane that the mysterious laughter often heard echoing
through the halls is, in fact, the laughter of Grace Poole—a lie that
Rochester himself often repeats.
15. Bertha Mason - Rochester’s clandestine wife, Bertha Mason is a
formerly beautiful and wealthy Creole woman who has become insane,
violent, and bestial. She lives locked in a secret room on the third story
of Thornfield and is guarded by Grace Poole, whose occasional bouts of
inebriation sometimes enable Bertha to escape. Bertha eventually burns
down Thornfield, plunging to her death in the flames.
16. Grace Poole - Grace Poole is Bertha Mason’s keeper at Thornfield,
whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape. When
Jane first arrives at Thornfield, Mrs. Fairfax attributes to Grace all
evidence of Bertha’s misdeeds.
17. Adèle Varens - Jane’s pupil at Thornfield, Adèle Varens is a lively
though somewhat spoiled child from France. Rochester brought her to
Thornfield after her mother, Celine, abandoned her. Although Celine
was once Rochester’s mistress, he does not believe himself to be
Adèle’s father.

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18. Celine Varens - Celine Varens is a French opera dancer with whom
Rochester once had an affair. Although Rochester does not believe
Celine’s claims that he fathered her daughter Adèle, he nonetheless
brought the girl to England when Celine abandoned her. Rochester had
broken off his relationship with Celine after learning that Celine was
unfaithful to him and interested only in his money.
19. Sophie - Sophie is Adèle’s French nurse at Thornfield.
20. Richard Mason - Richard Mason is Bertha’s brother. During a visit to
Thornfield, he is injured by his mad sister. After learning of Rochester’s
intent to marry Jane, Mason arrives with the solicitor Briggs in order to
thwart the wedding and reveal the truth of Rochester’s prior marriage.
21. Mr. Briggs - John Eyre’s attorney, Mr. Briggs helps Richard Mason
prevent Jane’s wedding to Rochester when he learns of the existence of
Bertha Mason, Rochester’s wife. After John Eyre’s death, Briggs
searches for Jane in order to give her her inheritance.
22. Blanche Ingram - Blanche Ingram is a beautiful socialite who despises
Jane and hopes to marry Rochester for his money.
23. Diana Rivers - Diana Rivers is Jane’s cousin, and the sister of St. John
and Mary. Diana is a kind and intelligent person, and she urges Jane
not to go to India with St. John. She serves as a model for Jane of an
intellectually gifted and independent woman.
24. Mary Rivers - Mary Rivers is Jane’s cousin, the sister of St. John and
Diana. Mary is a kind and intelligent young woman who is forced to
work as a governess after her father loses his fortune. Like her sister,
she serves as a model for Jane of an independent woman who is also
able to maintain close relationships with others and a sense of meaning
in her life.
25. Rosamond Oliver - Rosamond is the beautiful daughter of Mr. Oliver,
Morton’s wealthiest inhabitant. Rosamond gives money to the school in
Morton where Jane works. Although she is in love with St. John, she
becomes engaged to the wealthy Mr. Granby.

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 26. John Eyre - John Eyre is Jane’s uncle, who leaves her his vast fortune
of 20,000 pounds.
27. Uncle Reed - Uncle Reed is Mrs. Reed’s late husband. In her
childhood, Jane believes that she feels the presence of his ghost.
Because he was always fond of Jane and her mother (his sister), Uncle
Reed made his wife promise that she would raise Jane as her own
child. It is a promise that Mrs. Reed does not keep.
B. Setting
 English countryside, 1800s
C. Conflict
 The main conflict surrounds Jane's attempts to reconcile the world
that often has no values to the code of values by which she lives
her life. This is most obvious in her relationship with the tormented
figure of Mr. Rochester.
D. Point of View
 First Person (Central Narrator)
E. Theme
 Love and Respect know no class or gender and will come in due
time by the grace of God.
F. Plot
1. Exposition - Jane is a poor orphan girl with nothing to help her in the
world but a few nasty relatives and her education as a teacher of music,
drawing, and French.
2. Rising Action – While working at Thornfield, Jane falls in love with her
new employer, Mr. Rochester, but can’t act on her feelings because they
are separated by rank and fortune. Eventually, Mr. Rochester proposes to
her.
3. Climax - It turns out that Mr. Rochester is married already to a mad
woman. Jane runs away from Thornfield so she won’t be tempted to live in
sin with Rochester.

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4. Falling Action - Jane finds her way to the abode of St. John who
proposes to her and asks her to go to India with him to do missionary
work.
5. Denouement – Jane rejects St. John’s proposal and goes back to
Thornfield to be with the disabled Mr. Rochester. Together, they lived
happily ever after.

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III. Reflection/Reaction/Reflective Journal
A. Summary

Jane Eyre is a young orphan being raised by Mrs. Reed, her cruel,
wealthy aunt. A servant named Bessie provides Jane with some of the few
kindnesses she receives, telling her stories and singing songs to her. One
day, as punishment for fighting with her bullying cousin John Reed, Jane’s
aunt imprisons Jane in the red-room, the room in which Jane’s Uncle Reed
died. While locked in, Jane, believing that she sees her uncle’s ghost,
screams and faints. She wakes to find herself in the care of Bessie and the
kindly apothecary Mr. Lloyd, who suggests to Mrs. Reed that Jane be sent
away to school. To Jane’s delight, Mrs. Reed concurs.

Once at the Lowood School, Jane finds that her life is far from idyllic.
The school’s headmaster is Mr. Brocklehurst, a cruel, hypocritical, and
abusive man. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of poverty and privation to his
students while using the school’s funds to provide a wealthy and opulent
lifestyle for his own family. At Lowood, Jane befriends a young girl named
Helen Burns, whose strong, martyrlike attitude toward the school’s miseries
is both helpful and displeasing to Jane. A massive typhus epidemic sweeps
Lowood, and Helen dies of consumption. The epidemic also results in the
departure of Mr. Brocklehurst by attracting attention to the insalubrious
conditions at Lowood. After a group of more sympathetic gentlemen takes
Brocklehurst’s place, Jane’s life improves dramatically. She spends eight
more years at Lowood, six as a student and two as a teacher.

After teaching for two years, Jane yearns for new experiences. She
accepts a governess position at a manor called Thornfield, where she
teaches a lively French girl named Adèle. The distinguished housekeeper
Mrs. Fairfax presides over the estate. Jane’s employer at Thornfield is a dark,
impassioned man named Rochester, with whom Jane finds herself falling
secretly in love. She saves Rochester from a fire one night, which he claims

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was started by a drunken servant named Grace Poole. But because Grace
Poole continues to work at Thornfield, Jane concludes that she has not been
told the entire story. Jane sinks into despondency when Rochester brings
home a beautiful but vicious woman named Blanche Ingram. Jane expects
Rochester to propose to Blanche. But Rochester instead proposes to Jane,
who accepts almost disbelievingly.

The wedding day arrives, and as Jane and Mr. Rochester prepare
to exchange their vows, the voice of Mr. Mason cries out that Rochester
already has a wife. Mason introduces himself as the brother of that wife—a
woman named Bertha. Mr. Mason testifies that Bertha, whom Rochester
married when he was a young man in Jamaica, is still alive. Rochester does
not deny Mason’s claims, but he explains that Bertha has gone mad. He takes
the wedding party back to Thornfield, where they witness the insane Bertha
Mason scurrying around on all fours and growling like an animal. Rochester
keeps Bertha hidden on the third story of Thornfield and pays Grace Poole to
keep his wife under control. Bertha was the real cause of the mysterious fire
earlier in the story. Knowing that it is impossible for her to be with Rochester,
Jane flees Thornfield.

Penniless and hungry, Jane is forced to sleep outdoors and beg for
food. At last, three siblings who live in a manor alternatively called Marsh End
and Moor House take her in. Their names are Mary, Diana, and St. John
(pronounced “Sinjin”) Rivers, and Jane quickly becomes friends with them.
St. John is a clergyman, and he finds Jane a job teaching at a charity school
in Morton. He surprises her one day by declaring that her uncle, John Eyre,
has died and left her a large fortune: 20,000 pounds. When Jane asks how
he received this news, he shocks her further by declaring that her uncle was
also his uncle: Jane and the Riverses are cousins. Jane immediately decides
to share her inheritance equally with her three newfound relatives.

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 St. John decides to travel to India as a missionary, and he urges
Jane to accompany him—as his wife. Jane agrees to go to India but refuses
to marry her cousin because she does not love him. St. John pressures her
to reconsider, and she nearly gives in. However, she realizes that she cannot
abandon forever the man she truly loves when one night she hears
Rochester’s voice calling her name over the moors. Jane immediately hurries
back to Thornfield and finds that it has been burned to the ground by Bertha
Mason, who lost her life in the fire. Rochester saved the servants but lost his
eyesight and one of his hands. Jane travels on to Rochester’s new residence,
Ferndean, where he lives with two servants named John and Mary.

At Ferndean, Rochester and Jane rebuild their relationship and

soon marry. At the end of her story, Jane writes that she has been married
for ten blissful years and that she and Rochester enjoy perfect equality in their
life together. She says that after two years of blindness, Rochester regained
sight in one eye and was able to behold their first son at his birth.

B. Psycholinguistics

Set in the Victorian era, Jane Eyre is a breath of fresh air to the
conservative Victorians as it tackles gender and social class conflict,
religion, love and autonomy, especially that of a woman in the period.
Bronte did an amazing job in portraying a woman in a different light that the
society has never given a glance at. Even the character development of the
Jane and Mr. Rochester were something to look forward to as the story went
deeper. Emotions were delivered in every word and made the story a tear-
jerker right off the bat. Description and scenarios in the novel would take
you on a time machine to the Victorian Era with a vivid journey of Jane’s life
throughout the story.

After the book’s publication, Jane Eyre became the embodiment of

the ideal woman that had set forth independent, strong and radical women

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when it comes to marriage. Imagining myself as woman of the period, I
would have modeled myself based on Jane Eyre to show the world that
women were not created as tools to keep the house, smile at guests and
look pretty to be flaunted like trophies by our husbands. Since the society
before had a strict conservative social expectations and beliefs for women,
they were required to be simple and just go along with what society has set
for them as women. But then, Bronte comes and introduces Jane Eyre. She
showed how a woman could be as emotionally strong and mature as a man.
Another admirable - or probably the best - virtue of Jane Eyre is her strong
faith in God and His divine timing. In all of the struggles she faced, not once
did she lose hope that God will get her through everything that she is facing.
She held on to her faith by keeping her integrity and choosing to resist the
temptation to sin with Mr. Rochester by means of running away. God
rewards her faithfulness with blessings more than she could ever pray for
and even ends up with the one she loved the most.

Comparing the story to today’s society, especially here in the

Philippines, I could say that women have already accomplished and
contributed so much to merit due honor and respect. If before, women had
to use pseudonyms to conceal their identity to the conservative male-
dominated society, today women are given the opportunity to express
themselves more freely and not act the way society had expected them to
act. Their voices are given the chance to be heard and act as agent of
change to the society. Freedom to choose and marry who they love are also
fostered in today’s society that had previously limited women’s fate to
marriage arranged by their parents.

Overall, this novel is a treasure that should be shared to everyone to

give inspiration and motivation amidst life struggles. I hope that Bronte’s
legacy lives on for more generations to come.

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