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On Jane Eyre

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Post  Amanda Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:28 pm

(If you mean to read Jane Eyre in the future, and want everything to be a surprise, don't read!)

I finished it. Jane Eyre, I mean. I was sick last night, and my insomnia sometimes gets worse when I have an illness(my body's way of protracting misery?), so I ended up staying up till 6:30 finishing it. Bad decision, but I really, really liked it. It made me laugh, it made me cry...

But I have this thing about characters being permanently maimed after I know how they are well and whole. I can't stand it. Not in a way that makes me sad, which I would welcome, but it frustrates me that they can't do what they could before.

I don't mind scars--the character might be maimed for a while, but it heals eventually. And I (usually) don't mind it if their features are scarred, especially if it's a female character who got by on looks and now has to grow up a little. And I don't mind it if I meet them after they've already suffered the maiming, because I'm not, I guess, bitter about it--I feel like I wasn't there, so there's nothing I could've done differently. Like, say, stopped reading the book before it happened.

That's one torment that I know I'll never inflict on my characters--the loss of limb. Life, no problem! I like tragic death. Rolling Eyes But the permanent maiming is meant to be bittersweet, and I have a really hard time getting over the bitter for a long while. I think I would've taken it better if Mr. Rochester had just lost his sight, because he regained some back in one eye after a couple years, and it had served its purpose of making himself and Jane equal. But the hand was just gratuitous and meant to torture my little heart! Sad

Okay. That's my diatribe on maiming. Any opinions?
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Post  Taryn Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:47 pm

Hmmm, interesting. I wasn't a huge fan of Jane Eyre, but that may have been b/c I had to read it for school, and that makes everything worse. I preferred Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which everyone else hated.

Anyway, I've never thought about maiming like that . . . I'm trying to think of other book were the characters get "damaged" in some way. (Lol, they sound like commodities.) I feel like a recent YA book ended with the leg cut off. Anyone want to help me remember?
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Post  Amanda Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:54 pm

Yeah, I read Jane Eyre for fun. And then it wasn't fun! It was all heartbreak and cruelty! Sad

Okay, I'm being melodramatic. But I'm just so worked up about this! Give it a week or two, and I'll probably be used to the idea enough to not be so emotional.

The only recent thing I can remember that has loss of limb wasn't a book--How to Train Your Dragon comes readily to mind. Except I didn't really care when the MC lost his foot, because his voice was so annoying and his name was stupid. Hiccup??? Really??? Any attempt of mine to connect to his character was repulsed by these two things. I'd just watched Tangled and Megamind, so expectations were high, and it was a real let down.
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Post  Constance Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:58 pm

I loved Jane Eyre... But I totally forgot he lost his hand!!! D:

I pretty much agree with you. I hate bittersweet. I want it all sweet, or, if it must be, all bitter. I just can't stand them mixed.

However, I don't mind emotional maiming. I know that sounds horrible. But psychology fascinates me. So, a book ending with a perfectly whole person with some major new psychological issue, I don't mind. I mean, I find it horrid and it will usually bring me near tears, but I won't hate the story in the I-would-never-read-this-again way. Just in the I-hate-this-but-I-want-to-reread-it-right-now! way. Like... Finnick in Mockingjay. He's lost part of himself, but his body is still whole.

That being said... I think I had plans to maim one of my minor characters in my WIP's sequel. So, don't mind me. I'm a total hypocrite. Razz
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Post  Amanda Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:16 pm

I love emotional maiming! Because there's always hope of recovering. But you can't grow back a hand. No I actually love both bitter(a la Dr. Horrible) and bittersweet, when it involves death or psychological maim, and the sweet comes from a realization of the dreams/romance we've been waiting for. But with physical maiming, they're trapped in that damaged frame till their spirits pass on, and I feel largely responsible as a reader who stood by and allowed it to happen. Sad
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Post  Amanda Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:31 pm

Recent YA where a character lost his leg? Oh yeah! Peeta. I totally forgot he was physically maimed, what with the advances of technology and being distracted by his psychotic episodes. I didn't mind it so much, because of the quality of leg replacement, and at the time, I was Team Gale.

Also, in Fire by Kristin Cashore--SHE LOST HER FINGERS. She was a violinist, AND SHE LOST FINGERS! I definitely hated this.
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Post  Taryn Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:32 pm

YES! I was thinking of Fire. And Peeta. Together. In a conglomerate of painful severation.
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Post  Constance Wed Apr 13, 2011 5:52 pm

My thoughts exactly, Amanda. Emotional maiming: fixable(Yay!). Physical maiming: not(Grrr).

I forgot he lost his leg! Shocked

And that she lost her fingers Shocked

I hate it when authors do that!! Mad

...My character is a fighter who won't be able to walk anymore. Sad I wouldn't do it, but it's important to the plot. *sigh* Now I feel terrible.


...Wow, that's a lot of emoticons.
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Post  Maggie Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:35 pm

Ok, I'm late to jump in... I adored Jane Eyre, and I actually forgot about his losing his hand but yeah, now that I think back, that WAY bothered me! Same as Amanda, I can't stand when they maim someone beyond repair.

Frodo's finger bothered me. Peeta's leg REALLY bothered me (you have no idea!). Katniss' ear bothered me until they fixed it. Fred's ear in Harry Potter bothered me (or was it George?). Yeah. I HATE when authors do that, and I never do. xD But sure, emotional maiming is OK.
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Post  Taryn Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:42 pm

Okay, I've decided: I like physical maiming. It represents sacrifice.

Now I'm off to go chop limbs from the characters in my old novels. . . mwahaha!
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Post  Maggie Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:47 pm

Taryn wrote:Okay, I've decided: I like physical maiming. It represents sacrifice.

Now I'm off to go chop limbs from the characters in my old novels. . . mwahaha!

LOL! This made me chuckle. And I agree, too.
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Post  Constance Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:57 pm

It was George because Fred was the one that died. Which, in my opinion, is one time it's not okay to kill someone off. If they're a twin, it's practically like physically maiming. So... that totally ups my hatred for Fred's death. Sad
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Post  Maggie Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:00 pm

WriteSpinner wrote:It was George because Fred was the one that died. Which, in my opinion, is one time it's not okay to kill someone off. If they're a twin, it's practically like physically maiming. So... that totally ups my hatred for Fred's death. Sad

I thought Fred lost and ear and then ended up dying? But yes, I almost cried. Sad Not a cool death! Not at all.
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Post  Constance Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:04 pm

I just checked Razz Yeah, Fred died, George lost the ear. *sobs*
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Post  Maggie Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:39 pm

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Well, I hated the lost ear-- then the dying of Fred just made it worse! Sad
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Post  Amanda Thu Apr 14, 2011 2:15 am

Totally agree about Fred dying, but George losing the ear. George has now lost half of himself, and his ear! It's just NOT DONE. As a twin myself, I understand how ridiculously painful that would be. Especially since I'm as close to Renee' as Fred and George appear to be in the books. It would literally kill me. J. K. Rowling probably wouldn't have done it if she were a twin--with all the other deaths, it was too much. It should've been that Percy was reconciled, and then Percy died, because it's tragic in that he won't be able to make it up to them after a couple years of treating them like dirt, but he did resolve and redeem himself. But alas, it cannot be undone.

And I agree about Frodo's finger. Couldn't Gollum have just pulled the ring off?! Honestly! Sad
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Post  Maggie Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:03 am

Oh yeah! You ARE a twin. I can't imagine. She should have asked some twins how they felt about that, LOL. Wow...

And yeah, seriously. That really, really bothered me. I kept expecting someone to magically heal it, but no... :/
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