Question 6: Language Part 1

Excerpt: (pg. 111)
Reader, though I look comfortably accommodated, I am not very tranquil in my mind. I thought when the coach stopped here there would be some one to meet me; I looked anxiously round as I descended the wooden steps the ‘boots’ placed for my convenience, expecting to hear my name pronounced, and to see some description of carriage waiting to convey me to Thornfield. Nothing of the sort was visible; and when I asked a waiter if any one had been to inquire after a Miss Eyre, I was answered in the negative: so I had no resource but to request to be shown into a private room: and here I am waiting, while all sorts of doubts and fears are troubling my thoughts.

Why I chose this excerpt:
I would not be doing right by the book to ignore Bronte's breaking of the third wall, for this language question. Because it is written in the first person and is narrated from Jane's point of view, when Bronte breaks the wall and directly addresses the reader it adds a layer to the book that, I think, makes Jane Eyre so special. With phrases like, "Reader, though I look comfortably accommodated" Bronte creates a fireside conversation like atmosphere. This atmosphere makes the book more enjoyable because it is as if you're sitting down with a relative listening to the stories of their life. The "I"s are just as important as the "reader"s to create this feeling. Most novelists avoid using "I" in reference to the writer (obviously they use it when characters revere to themselves, but that's different), but Bronte uses it freely and it is an aspect of the book that I really like. I really like this layer she adds because it makes me feel more invested into Jane. At times, this book can be arduous but when it feels like a conversation it makes it easier for me to stay focused on the story because I now care about what happens next to Jane (even if it's not always that interesting).