Storytime for Grownups - a podcast reading of Jane Eyre
I recently received an email from Faith Moore, creator and podcaster of Storytime for Grownups, who is releasing a free podcast audiobook version of Jane Eyre - with commentary to help readers understand some of the out-dated references and words. I just started listening to the show and love Faith's voice for Jane - it's very welcoming and serene. And this seems like something all readers and Jane Eyre fans can enjoy - for the fans it's nice to hear someone read the story with background information, and for any new or young readers this might be a great way to understand the story better as they listen. I asked Faith some questions about her experience reading Jane Eyre and her podcast. Please enjoy the mini-interview below, and listen to her show wherever you find podcasts!
1. What is your "Jane Eyre" origin story? When/Why did you first read the novel and what were your first impressions?
I think I was around twelve years old when I first read Jane Eyre. It wasn’t at all the kind of book that I normally read at that age. I loved to read, but I struggled with “old fashioned” books. The language always felt inaccessible to me and I could never really get into the classics—I was much more comfortable with The Babysitter’s Club or Matilda. But my family took me to see a stage production of Jane Eyre and I absolutely loved it. I fell immediately in love with Mr. Rochester and could tell—at a visceral level—that this was a great story. So I found a copy of the book on my parents’ bookshelf, pulled it down, and began to read. The things we do for love—love of Mr. Rochester I mean! The language was still really hard for me to understand, the bits of the plot that didn’t involve Mr. Rochester dragged, but it was all worth it for those Jane and Rochester scenes. I read the whole thing and I’ve never looked back. And, over time—and many re-readings—I’ve come to love the book in its entirety. To my mind, it’s a work of genius.
2. Favorite quote from Jane Eyre (you can pick just the first one that pops into your mind!)
I return to the proposal scene again and again. The ribbon bookmark in my favorite copy of the book (I own four copies) always marks it.
“Are you in earnest? Do you truly love me? Do you sincerely wish me to be your wife?”
“I do; and if an oath is necessary to satisfy you, I swear it.”
“Then, sir, I will marry you.”
“Edward—my little wife!”
“Dear Edward!”
“Come to me—come to me entirely now,” said he; and added, in his deepest tone, speaking in my ear as his cheek was laid on mine, “Make my happiness—I will make yours.”
3. What made you decide to start Storytime for Grownups and have you podcasted before?
This is my first podcast! The idea for the show came to me because of my own struggles with reading the classics. You’re always being told you ought to read the classics—and you should!—but what if you literally can’t? My first idea was to somehow “translate” the old-fashioned language of classic books into modern English. But I came to feel that too much would be lost—the atmosphere and the characters are built through the language as it’s written. But then I realized that when I was an elementary school teacher, one of my favorite times in the day was storytime. When you read aloud to your students, you pause from time to time to make sure they’re still with you. You define a word, you summarize, you comment on the action. And I thought: I could do that for grownups with the classics! Each season of Storytime for Grownups, I read a book aloud, one chapter per episode. As I read, I pause from time to time to give brief explanations that make it easier to follow along. It’s like an audio book with built-in notes. Season 1 is Jane Eyre!
4. What is the most interesting thing you've learned so far while digging into the background or literary composition of Jane Eyre?
One of my favorite parts of the show is that listeners write in to ask questions about each chapter and I feature one or two questions at the start of each episode. The questions have been amazing and they’ve prompted me to delve really deeply into the text—even more deeply than I ever have before! One really interesting aspect that I’d never really delved very deeply into before is the notion of the supernatural and fairy tales/fairy stories. It’s a huge theme within Jane and Rochester’s relationship and I think it relates in a really fascinating way to Brontë’s exploration of religion and spirituality which flows throughout the entire book.
Storytime for Grownups - Listen now!