Equally logical and stupid just about sums up the English language. A complete mess. Haha

No problem. Good luck with the discussion.

Apparently it’s because it’s the English version of the French name Saint-Jean which is pronounced similarly. That combined with regional accents in England changed it to Sinjin over time. (Even knowing that still upsets me. I too was pronouncing it wrong for way too long).

How much of Jane Eyre was influenced by the debate of equality between sexes that emerged at the end of the 1700s?
For a bit of context Mary Woolstonecaft aka Mary Shelley’s mother in her philosophical paper Vindication on the rights on women in 1792 argued “that women ought to have an education commensurate with their position in society, claiming that women are essential to the nation because they educate its children and because they could be "companions" to their husbands, rather than mere wives. Instead of viewing women as ornaments to society or property to be traded in marriage, Wollstonecraft maintains that they are human beings deserving of the same fundamental rights as men.”

Is the treatment of Bertha a woman with mental health problems cruel even by the standards of the 19th century? Debate Rochester’s motives in locking her up.

Also a good book to read that tells the story from Bertha’s perspective and gives her a voice is Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.

I think if you’re dwelling or ruminating on the ending to try distracting yourself with other things, if readings not cutting it, then try doing something else. I often find TV to not be enough of a distraction when I’m lost in thought. Throw yourself into a project or a hobby until your mind settles a little. I had a similar problem years ago when I read The Notebook the first time, (my grandparent had passed away and I don’t know why the heck I thought it was a sensible idea to read it). It will pass, and you’ll probably always look back at that story and feel sad or mad about the ending but it won’t be as big a deal anymore.

Interestingly I think it’s because Tolkien and Collins were pioneers for their genres. Tolkien is widely considered the forefather of modern fantasy and Collins work spearheaded the wave of YA dystopia which wasn’t as huge a market as it became. In trying to be those writers the ones that came after actually cemented the tropes in the genre. Most of the YA dystopian writers that came after Collins focused on the wrong things, for example YA dystopia went all in on the love triangles, liked how badass Katniss could be making their characters wish fulfilment, and overusing the chosen one narratives. It’s like they were trying to emulate Suzanne Collins but fundamentally misunderstood her work and what she was trying to say