Jane Eyre

Once upon a time I challenged my high school English teacher, Mr. Prall, and I ended by making a grown man cry at age the tender age of 16. As I look back, it was really mean, but I have a temper and I don't always think before I act. Unfortunately, I have LOTS of stories that show off that side of me, but this one hurt someone else. I was reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Mr. Prall was so proud that he bragged about it and then wanted to have endless discussions about the greatness of the book that I thought was not so good. After a while, I just had had enough and I wrote a book report for my English class and turned it in. I wrote a comparason of the classic (and favorite book of all time for Mr. Prall) and those Harlequin Romances that I bought at the used book store for a nickel. I read hundreds of those and loved all of them. If you haven't read a Harlequin Romance, then you have to know it is a formula of girl meets boys; girl hates boy; there is forced contact and then girl and boy fall hopelessly in love forever more. The best that can be said it that they are cheap trash.

I got an "A" on the report, but my relationship with Mr. Prall was never the same. I never considered his feelings and I sure didn't respect Jane Eyre as a classic.....until yesterday.



I am helping teach a reading program called Read 180 this summer. Cindy, my supervising teacher, is really the expert. She could teach it in her sleep, but I am new to the program. I was all full of praise for everything when I discovered the comic version of that same story I was so dismissive of 33 years ago. How could anyone who cared about books even think to make this a comic??? All I could think of was how Mr. Prall loved that book. If Mr. Prall is not dead by now, he must be in his 90's. I wish I had been nicer...ususally the result of one of my temper trantrums. In honor of Mr. Prall, I am going to reread Jane Eyre with a new attitude. As for the comic version, you can toss it in the trash.