I now blog over at The Eyre Guide! This blog is an archive of my past posts.


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Autobiography of Jane Eyre

Posted by Charlene // Tags: ,
Now that this webseries is over, I have the chance to write my thoughts about the whole show!  This was a modern vlog adaptation of Jane Eyre which I posted about back in November when the show was about halfway through.  I was really impressed by how close they stuck to the novel - adapting scenes that are often disregarded in other adaptations (granted they have a lot more time with this series) but also to make some scenes from the book modern must have been a great challenge.  And I was really mostly happy with how they managed to make everything fit in their world.

I think the only problem I had in general with this production was how some moments or videos seemed a little too filler.  There would be a couple nods to the novel and then a lot of random - it really didn't happen often though, but there were some videos that didn't make the most of the story to me.  And there were times when I thought it was weird that Jane would just have her camera running while she was doing mundane things - I suppose I don't really understand the point of just filming herself while sitting there even though the show sets up that having these vlogs was like therapy for Jane.  But then of course someone would just happen to come into the room and we'd have a story.

The actors were all really excellent in their parts.  Jane was so endearing and quirky - definitely different from Jane in the book, but believably the modern version.  The Rivers were also believable surprisingly - I mean especially when it came to the St. John character - now called Simon.  St. John in the book would be very difficult to modernize I think - because he's so zealous and religious, selfless but selfish.  They made Simon a little bit too dorky and cute, but he was also stubborn and unsympathetic to others which fit.  I thought it was a bit sad though that he is so quickly out of the picture in the end - it seems like he really wasn't very happy in the last mention of him, and at least St. John of the book seemed happy to be doing what he wanted.


The whole thing with Rochester was unfortunate though.  I really loved how they adapted him, and the actor brought a great sense of humor to the character.  Apparently the actor left towards the end due to some differences with the team, so the viewer gets a very unsatisfactory ending.  I think they did the best they could with what they had, but I wonder if it would have been better to just get some Rochester scenes on screen even if the actor had a different face?  Or just a voice-over from hoarse-voiced Rochester?   It would have been nice to get some of the dialogue from the last part of the book.  I don't think the resolution was what they had truly planned since it seemed rushed, and more like a footnote, instead of a proper farewell to the fans.  Like in the Lizzie Bennett Diaries.  Of course it was great that they showcased how far Jane had come, and how much she had accomplished because that is the most important point of Jane's story.  But I am a bit of a romantic, and more closure from the Jane/Rochester relationship would have been wonderful.

This adaptation had it's ups and downs for me, but I always felt there was a lot of love for this book in every episode, and the writing and the story planning were often exceptional in adapting the book.  I was always happy to get a new episode (okay, towards the end, I felt happy after I got over my disappointment that Rochester was not in it!) and it was such a great experience getting a little dose of Jane's story every week.

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22 comments:

  1. Wow, I had no idea that they had to cut Rochester out at the end because the actor left! I was wondering why we never got to see him again.

    I agree with everything you said here--it had it's ups and downs :)

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  2. I so agree on every point..there was a lot to like about this adaptation but I think the first half was much stronger than the second half. I think Rochester is a huge part of the book and his development and growth is just as important as Janes..it is not all about the romance of course but we don't get to see how he has changed and become more giving the way we do in the novel..we see through the transmedia that he is spending more time with adele but that doesn't feel like enough. I think as a result we never see why Jane forgives him..they even take his redemption through fire out and changed it to a random crash crash. I think Janes development was great but I am sad Rochester never gets his moment.

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  3. Gulp. I fully admit to not even knowing about this series ://

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  4. I was so excited to see you post about this! I've been watching it since the beginning and hadn't known any other bloggers who watched it too, unlike when LBD was on- I wish I'd known earlier!


    I actually really disliked the novel, but watching this made me truly want to keep reading, but in the end it just really didn't agree with me- luckily, I loved this series, for the most part, and all of the characters I found to be much more likable than they were to me in the book. I really enjoyed the adaptation of Jane. She felt really relatable to me.
    I personally really liked the last episode- it wasn't what it might have been, but I felt it worked really well and I enjoyed seeing Jane in the different light, watching her and hearing her narrate the changes. Also, I really liked the music they used!


    Wonderful post!

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  5. I've heard so much about this adaption. There was also the other one on Youtube...the Lizzie Bennet series? But since I have unfortunately have not read Jane Eyre I don't want the webseries to spoil it for me. >___< I am glad you enjoyed it very much! It sounds splendid to watch. ^^

    Lovely post as always, Charlene!♡

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  6. I haven't heard from someone who didn't like the book, liking this adaptation so that is different! Though it makes me sad, haha. :) I am glad at least that this modern version was great for you. I've read on tumblr where people seemed to really like the last episode, so I am glad too that the last episode did give many people enough closure and seemed appropriate. The song they used was really excellent too - they did a great job with the songs in this series!

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  7. Yes, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries seemed to really start it off - but there are lots of vlog adaptations on youtube now - a Peter Pan one, Much Ado About Nothing, and Alice in Wonderland are ones I can remember off the top of my head.


    It's good that you won't let the webseries spoil you for the book - better to read the book first and then see how they adapt it! :) Thank you Delaney, I'm glad you enjoyed reading the post!

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  8. I'm so behind on this! I quit watching months ago and never picked it up again, though I want to! Especially now that it's finished. :) I really enjoyed Jane as a character here, too. I had no idea Rochester left before the end! That stinks, and like you I'd wish for the closure in the relationship. :) I will finish, I will!

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  9. Yeah! During the SeptembEyre event, someone (possibly even you!) mentioned that there was a Jane Eyre Youtube series, and since I had recently discovered the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and loved it, I started watching AoJE right away :)

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  10. Just started ep 3. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  11. Oh right! I am glad that the SeptembEyre event did double duty then - made me aware of more JE fans, and also introduced you to the webseries! :) I think I was made aware of AoJE because of Lizzie Bennet so it's fantastic that that show really helped make these vlog adaptations a thing!

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  12. Oh fantastic! I'm so glad to hear you've started watching it! :)

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  13. It's perfect for you to binge watch then! :) Perhaps if you are prepared for the Rochester-lite ending, you will enjoy it more? I hope so! I will try to watch the series again in the future when my expectations are not so high. I'm sure I will enjoy it even more!

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  14. Confession: I have never watched this webseries or the Pride and Prejudice adaptation (webseries are just not something I'm interested in, I gess...) but this modern Jane sounds fun. Too bad Mr. Rochester pulled out before the (happy) ending :( Glad you enjoyed it on the whole, though :)

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  15. Nope, my issue with webseries is that the episodes are SHORT. I don't like short things... Like I rarely read novellas or short stories and I also don't watch shows that are "only" half an hour long (the only exceptions are anime shows) I know, I'm weird :D

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  16. Oh I see! That's different from our tendency today to only want to consume things in bite-sized pieces I think! :) So that's great actually, it's not a tendency that I think is a good thing, we need to have patience to explore things fully! (Something I need to learn!)

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  17. Yes, it's so unfortunate since he was more than halfway done with it! I didn't know you were watching this - although of course I should have known since your are such a big Jane Eyre fan! :)

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  18. Thanks for sharing your perspective! I haven't read the book so I never knew how close to the book the series was staying. I thought the series was pretty good over all. My biggest issue was the lack of Rochester at the end. I know there was some drama going on behind the scenes but I really would have loved to see a better conclusion with him.

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  19. I normally find it hard to keep up with webseries actually - Jane Eyre was an exception of course, but with others I feel like I forget to keep up with it and then binge watch! I don't know if that is your issue with webseries though!

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  20. It's perfect then! Since you can binge watch and not suffer from cliffhangers or delays! :) I think it's worth watching!

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  21. I'm glad you felt the same way about the lack of Rochester in the end given that you haven't read the book - I was thinking I was more biased about wanting to see Rochester in the end since I know what happens in the book. :) It is too bad that this hurt what was a really good adaptation.

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  22. That is so true! And I think you put it perfectly! Rochester's development was mostly off screen and through twitter - which maybe a lot of people would not have seen. And it's so unsatisfying to not know anything about what he was going through while she was gone!

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