idk if anyones going to respond to this but at the mo im studying jane eyre for my AS exam (friday :/// )
i just finnd this particular part of the novel written in a really interesting way, and i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on why the style is like this and why it has the slightly surreal effect it has.
heres a snippet:
" Here I heard myself apostrophised as a "hard little thing;" and it was added, "any other woman would have been melted to marrow at hearing such stanzas crooned in her praise."
I assured him I was naturally hard--very flinty, and that he would often find me so; and that, moreover, I was determined to show him divers rugged points in my character before the ensuing four weeks elapsed: he should know fully what sort of a bargain he had made, while there was yet time to rescind it.
"Would I be quiet and talk rationally?"
"I would be quiet if he liked, and as to talking rationally, I flattered myself I was doing that now.""
the last part of that is probably the most interesting. its in chapter 24 i think, just after jane and rochester get engaged and its all happy.
idk just something about the weird mix of tenses and reported speech gives it a really surreal vibe??