Is “Jane Eyre” essential in British schools?
JC: Not really, it’s not quite in that category, although some schools do teach it. I first read it, I guess, when I was about 14. My family, my parents, were university intellectuals and my mother was a passionate lover of literature and she infected us all at a rather early age. I understood much more of it when I read it again in my late twenties. It is a wonderful story, and it’s also, psychologically, very fascinating because Charlotte Bronte is so acute about human behavior. PBOL: The great thing about Jane is that there are so many obstacles: Her romantic interest and boss, Edward Rochester, has a mysterious past; she has trust issues; she’s in a different class; she has plain looks. What was the challenge the obstacle in adapting it for the stage? JC: The biggest obstacle in adapting the book for the stage is that in the novel Charlotte Bronte is rather naughty: She’s got a big secret to keep, which is the wife in the attic, and she’s also got even a bigger secret — what does
