Jane Eyre: Updates, movies & retellings galore!

Yahoo! has debuted the trailer for a new movie adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel, Jane Eyre … and I have to confess, I’m totally digging it. Now, let me explain. When I read Jane Eyre in 10th grade I absolutely hated it. I still sort of have no love for that book. The only part I remotely enjoyed was that surprise mystery revelation about half-way through the book (and I’m being vague on purpose, so as not to spoil it for those who haven’t read it. If you HAVE read it, you know what I’m talking about).

But this movie trailer makes me want to reconsider my opinion. It looks really, really good — and on top of that, the cast is outstanding — with Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowski as Jane and Michael Fassbender (who I adored in Hex on BBC America) as Mr. Rochester.

But this movie trailer isn’t the only reason Jane Eyre is on my mind these days.

There’s also Jane by April Lindner — a new YA book in stores now, which is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre. And even though I remember hating the original book, I really want to read this new, updated version. In fact, I plan to crack open the spine when I get home later today.

Here’s the synopsis:

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there’s a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane’s much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.

Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

And if that’s not enough Jane Eyre for you, might I recommend The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. This is the first book in Fforde’s Thursday Next series — which takes place in an alternate reality, where criminals have the ability to change classic works of literature, and literary detectives go into the books to protect the characters and plot. In fact, it was reading The Eyre Affair that made me really glad I’d read Jane Eyre — because I love this magical world Fforde has created, and knowing the original material made my enjoyment that much better.

Here’s more about The Eyre Affair:

Great Britain circa 1985: time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. Baconians are trying to convince the world that Francis Bacon really wrote Shakespeare, there are riots between the Surrealists and Impressionists, and thousands of men are named John Milton, an homage to the real Milton and a very confusing situation for the police. Amidst all this, Acheron Hades, Third Most Wanted Man In the World, steals the original manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit and kills a minor character, who then disappears from every volume of the novel ever printed! But that’s just a prelude.

Hades’ real target is the beloved Jane Eyre, and it’s not long before he plucks her from the pages of Bronte’s novel. Enter Thursday Next. She’s the Special Operative’s renowned literary detective, and she drives a Porsche. With the help of her uncle Mycroft’s Prose Portal, Thursday enters the novel to rescue Jane Eyre from this heinous act of literary homicide. It’s tricky business, all these interlopers running about Thornfield, and deceptions run rampant as their paths cross with Jane, Rochester, and Miss Fairfax. Can Thursday save Jane Eyre and Bronte’s masterpiece? And what of the Crimean War? Will it ever end? And what about those annoying black holes that pop up now and again, sucking things into time-space voids.

For the comments: Have you read Jane Eyre? What do you think about the original, the movie, modernizations, spin-offs, etc.?