My Featured Novel

I. About the Novel：Jane Eyre

 Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published on 16 October 1847, by Smith, Elder & Co. of London, England, under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was published the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York.

Primarily of the Bildungsroman genre, Jane Eyre follows the emotions and experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester, the Byronic master of fictitious Thornfield Hall. In its internalisation of the action—the focus is on the gradual unfolding of Jane's moral and spiritual sensibility, and all the events are coloured by a heightened intensity that was previously the domain of poetry—Jane Eyre revolutionised the art of fiction. Charlotte Brontë has been called the 'first historian of the private consciousness' and the literary ancestor of writers like Joyce and Proust.The novel contains elements of social criticism, with a strong sense of morality at its core, but is nonetheless a novel many consider ahead of its time given the individualistic character of Jane and the novel's exploration of classism, sexuality, religion, and proto-feminism.

Works Cited （参考文献）

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Eyre

Brontë, Charlotte, and Ann Ward. Jane Eyre. Harlow, England: Penguin, 2008. Print.



II. Versions of the Novel in the Mass Media

Movie Versions

Ⅰ. Jane Eyre(1996) by Dyson Lovell

Jane Eyre is a 1996 American, British, French and Italian romantic epic and dramatic feature film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name. This Hollywood version, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, is similar to the original novel, although it compresses and eliminates most of the plot in the last quarter of the book (the running away, the trials and tribulations, new found relations, and new job) to make it fit into a 2-hour movie.











 Ⅱ.Jane Eyre(2011) by BBC filims

Jane Eyre is a 2011 British romantic drama film directed by Cary Fukunaga and starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. The screenplay is written by Moira Buffini based on the 1847 novel of the same name by Charlotte Brontë. The film was released on 11 March 2011 in the United States and 9 September in Great Britain and Ireland.
  The film begins with Jane Eyre running away from Thornfield Hall in the middle of the night and finding herself alone on the moors, in the pouring rain. She manages to reach the doorstep of Moor House, the home of Mr. St. John Rivers, a clergyman, and his two sisters. They take Jane in, saving her life.



Works Cited （参考文献）

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Eyre_(1996_film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Eyre_(2011_film)

III. About the Author：Charlotte Bronte

     Charlotte Brontë was born in Yorkshire, England on April 21, 1816 to Maria Branwell and Patrick Brontë. Because Charlotte’s mother died when Charlotte was five years old, Charlotte’s aunt, a devout Methodist, helped her brother-in-law raise his children. In 1824 Charlotte and three of her sisters—Maria, Elizabeth, and Emily—were sent to Cowan Bridge, a school for clergymen’s daughters. When an outbreak of tuberculosis killed Maria and Elizabeth, Charlotte and Emily were brought home. Several years later, Charlotte returned to school, this time in Roe Head, England. She became a teacher at the school in 1835 but decided after several years to become a private governess instead. She was hired to live with and tutor the children of the wealthy Sidgewick family in 1839, but the job was a misery to her and she soon left it. Once Charlotte recognized that her dream of starting her own school was not immediately realizable, however, she returned to working as a governess, this time for a different family. Finding herself equally disappointed with governess work the second time around, Charlotte recruited her sisters to join her in more serious preparation for the establishment of a school.

Works Cited （参考文献）
"Jane Eyre." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.



IV. My Reaction

A. Reaction Point - Protagonist (メインキャラクター)

• Protagonist is main character.
• Jane Eyre / Mr Rochester

• "Jane Eyre" is a love story between Jane,the governess and Mr Rochester, the owner of Thonfield Hall. Their relations change from an employment relationship first to friends, and a couple in the end as chapters make steady progress. I recommend many people not to be able to keep an eye the change of their relations.

B. Reaction Point - Point of view (観点)

• Point of view is the viewpoint from which a story is told.
• I = Jane Eyre.
• This novel is written by Jane's view and plays an important part as a narrator. In short, this story is an autobiographical novel. By using her narrator,I know that Jane's strong feeling can represent clearly and is easy to understand for many readers.

C. Reaction Point - symbolism (象徴的表現)

• Symbolism is the greater or deeper meaning of a character, object, setting or event in a story.
•  There are three symbolism in this story.

　　　・Then I heard a laugh. It was a terrible, cruel Laugh! (p.10 L9)

　　　・It grew dark. The wind began to blow, and it started to rain,
              so we walked together back to the house.(p.21 L5~L6)
           
            ・The wind made a strange sound.(p.21 L9)

• This three symbolism show an omen what happens. In particular, 'laugh'  represents  when Jane's feelings changes, this story is the best important keyword. I felt that they make many readers interested and excited.

D. My General Opinion
    I read 'Jane Eyre' which is translated by Japanese before. When I finished the novel in English though CALL class, I thought the each of characters who appear on this novel is charming definitely. Then this story includes not only a love but also Gothic and mystery. The reader many times, the more I can understand this novel's essence. I want to read it for many classmates.

My Featured Song

Red by Taylor Swift

Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street

Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly

Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall

Like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all

Losing him was blue like I'd never known

Missing him was dark grey all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met

But loving him was red

Loving him was red

Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you

Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song

Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer

Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong

Losing him was blue like I'd never known

Missing him was dark grey all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met

But loving him was red

Oh, red

Burning red

Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes

Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go

But moving on from him is impossible

When I still see it all in my head

In burning red

Burning, it was red

Oh, losing him was blue like I'd never known

Missing him was dark grey all alone

Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met

'Cause loving him was red

Yeah, yeah, red

We're burning red

And that's why he's spinnin' 'round in my head

Comes back to me, burning red

Yeah, yeah

His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street

I. About the Song

"Red" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift.
 It was released on October 22, 2012 in the USA and on October 24, 2012 in Japan. So it served as the album's fifth single on June 21, 2013 in the USA.The album was a critical and commercial success, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 1.21 million copies. This marked the highest opening sales in a decade, and made Swift the first female to have two million-selling album openings, a record recognized by Guinness World Records.
It was part of the tracks released during the four weeks preceding the release of the album. Musically, "Red" is a country song, and its lyrics uses colors and metaphors to describe an intense and tumultuous relationship.

Works Cited （参考文献）

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_(Taylor_Swift_song)
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%83%89_(%E3%83%86%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B9%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A3%E3%83%95%E3%83%88%E3%81%AE%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%83%90%E3%83%A0)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift

II. About the Songwriter: Taylor Swift

Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the suburban Philadelphia area.

At the age of nine, Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in four Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions. She also traveled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons.Swift later shifted her focus toward country music inspired by Shania Twain's songs, which made her "want to just run around the block four times and daydream about everything". She spent her weekends performing at local festivals and events. After watching a documentary about Faith Hill, Swift felt sure that she needed to go to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a music career.

She has many friends and is called "She has a sweet heart" by many people,So she was chosen as the first place of "100 women who are the hottest in 2015" that British MAXIM announces. So, she laid emphasis on contribution to society activity and, in May, 2012, according to RBBTODAY, contributed 4 million dollars (approximately 320 million yen) to "country music palace Museum" in hometown Nashville.

In addition, she takes office as a global welcome ambassador (sightseeing ambassador) of New York in the autumn of 2014 and contribute all the profit of single "Welcome to New York" to the public school building in the city. It is picked by "The star who contributed to charity most" whom organization "Do Something" supporting a youth chooses.




Works Cited （参考文献）

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift

IV. My Reaction

A. Reaction Point - Point of view （物語は曲の歌詞に語られ、そこからの視点）

• Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told in a song's lyrics.
• The point of view is 'loving him', that of a woman in love.
• From this song, the word appears on lyrics many times. It understands that it appears her intense heart for him. I felt whether Taylor wanted many people to tell strong love song that all women have.

B. Reaction Point - Lyrics （歌の歌詞）

• Lyrics is the words to the songs.
• Losing him was blue like I'd never known

  Missing him was dark grey all alone

  Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met

  But loving him was red

  Loving him was red
• In this song, there are many colors. By using color, it expressed the emotion in love clearly. From this thing, I knew that it songs the regret for parting him and the good old memory with him in contrast, so color show it too.

C. Reaction Point - Song genre （ソングが作成され、実行されるスタイル）

• Song genre is the style in which a song is created and performed.
• country song and love song
• Taylor Swift is famous for song that compose it based on her experiences. "Red" is disappointed love song. I thought she expresses heart's voice for things she liked a boyfriend very much but parted him. It will make many people,in particular women in love sympathize.Her song's charm is to gain the sympathy of many in the audience.

D. My General Opinion

The clue that I listened to this song for the first time and liked it is because my favorite color is red. When I knew the lyrics is word related to disappointed love because the music is pop, I was surprised. I think that this contrast is very good and I like it. I recommend many classmates to listen "Red" in this season because there is a word of season, fall.