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In this week’s episode of Jane Eyre Files, we are continuing the discussion on Chapter 27 - the chapter in which Jane leaves Rochester.  We focus on two important aspects in this episode - Bertha Mason’s personality, and the nature of her marriage with Rochester, and Jane’s dilemma in whether or not to leave Thornfield.  Mike and Charlene have some debates over both of these topics, as Jane prepares to move on to a new phase in her life. Mike and Charlene are also moving into a new phase in their life - as first time home buyers - so this podcast will take a short break.  Please check back in soon as we hope to post a new episode in the latter half of May. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

This chapter - the chapter where Jane leaves Rochester - is Charlene’s favorite part of the book.  Rochester tells all, and Jane is faced with the most difficult decision of her life.  There’s a lot to unpack as this is the longest chapter thus far, so Mike and Charlene are discussing it in two parts.  The focus of Part 1 will be on Jane’s reaction to learning about Bertha and Rochester’s justification for his actions. Enjoy! ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

It’s Jane’s wedding day and Rochester’s big secret is finally revealed.  Charlene and Mike discuss the culmination of the Gothic mystery in the novel, and the first impression of Bertha Mason through Jane’s eyes. There is a ton of “emotional damage” in this chapter, and we support Jane’s strength in bearing with the devastation. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

The night before their wedding, Jane and Rochester stay up late and talk. They speak of their future, and of Jane’s troubling dreams.  Her last one - in which a strange woman is in her room and tears her wedding veil - is all the more troublesome when she awakens and finds the veil torn on the floor.  Rochester assures her everything is fine, and Charlene and Mike are left feeling as uneasy as Jane.  For such an important romantic moment as the night before her wedding, we find there is much to make Jane anxious in this chapter. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

The day after the proposal, Jane finds that Rochester’s indulgent and amorous mood makes her a little nervous about what to expect in the weeks before their wedding.  She keeps him at a distance for both of their sakes, and Mike and Charlene dissect what that means about Jane’s character and her relationship with Mr. Rochester. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

A splendid Midsummer shines over this episode, as Jane walks alone in the garden with Mr. Rochester.  Rochester pushes Jane to the brink emotionally, and they finally reveal their love for each other.  It’s a beautiful moment, and Mike also relates what part of this chapter inspired his own marriage proposal to Charlene a few years ago.  Romance, revelations, and a summer storm with lighting is in the air with Chapter 23! ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

Although this chapter feels like a transition phase in the story - bridging the end of the Reed’s family influence in Jane’s life, and the future marriage that will disrupt her work as a governess at Thornfield - there is a lot to unpack with Jane and Rochester’s emotions. Mike and Charlene also remember a great actor who played Mr. Rochester in the 1996 adaptation - William Hurt. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

Troubling dreams of a child visit Jane, and bad news follows after - John Reed has died and Mrs. Reed is on her sickbed, requesting to speak to Jane.  Jane leaves for Gateshead and her past is revisited.  How easy is it to forgive someone who is unrepentant?  Charlene and Mike debate the issue as we all catch up with the Reed family. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

A mysterious attack on Mr. Mason bewilders Jane, and instead of answers Rochester just raises more questions. Charlene and Mike deal with the confusing events and emotions in Jane, while marveling at Charlotte Brontë’s beautiful prose. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

We take a break from discussing the novel to share this interview with Michael Jayston - who played Mr. Rochester in the 1973 BBC series.  The episode begins with Charlene remembering how she met her favorite Rochester many years ago and then Michael Jayston shares with us some thoughts about the novel and stories from filming Jane Eyre.  This is a very special episode to the hosts of this podcast and we hope you will enjoy it! ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

Jane finally gets to talk to the mysterious Gypsy woman who knows quite a bit about her.  And in the first part of this episode Charlene and Mike disagree on Rochester’s motivations for carrying on his charade. We follow that up with a breakdown of  the three miniseries adaptations that depict this scene.  For a scene that rarely makes it to adaptations, it’s interesting to see how differently the three versions approach it. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!

Jane analyzes the interactions between Blanche and Rochester, and more of her own thoughts about Rochester are revealed.  Enter a mysterious stranger and a mysterious gypsy woman, and this chapter is the perfect set up for more intrigue. Mike and Charlene debate how true Jane’s analysis is, and the potential for more secrets and puzzles. ---- Our theme song is “You Live In My Heart” by Zakhar Valaha. Audio clips are from the 1973 BBC production of Jane Eyre starring Sorcha Cusack and Michael Jayston. Please follow Jane Eyre Files on Twitter and Instagram  @eyreguide If you’re an “Eyrehead” we would appreciate your telling your friends about our podcast and subscribing through your favorite platform.  Leave us a review and we may feature it on the show!