Spring Break is almost over....

and it has really felt like Spring. It is a weird experience to read Jane Eyre again this week, since the "atmosphere" of the novel is so bleak compared to the beautiful sunshine we have been having lately.  Reflecting back to the coffeehouse that we had prior to break on "Chick Lit" I have to say that Bronte's version of a novel for a female readership seems radically different from the items that we talked about that day.  Jane is such an idiosyncratic character, and although she is sensitive, there is nothing "romantic" about her character, and certainly nothing that feels sentimental.  Clearly the stakes were higher at that time, and I think Bronte knew it.  Do you agree?  In what way does Jane feel like a character written for women?