John Eyre

By Mimmi Matthews, 2021

« I understand that some of you might prefer that authors not tamper with the classics. But here’s something I’ve learned as a reader: none of the stories in the huge canon of retellings and fanfic take away from the originals. Quite the opposite. In most instances, the retellings are borne of a deep and abiding love for the source material. That’s certainly true in my case. »

(Mimi Matthews, Author's note to John Eyre)

In this retelling of « Jane Eyre » (C. Brontë), the main character is hired as a tutor for two young boys who are taking refuge in silence. A few years before and far away from England, Bertha Mason reports in her journal her encounter with Mr. Rochester.

I enjoyed this retelling because it is faithful both by the plot and by the atmosphere. Besides gender twisting, it shows an interesting reading of Jane Eyre in extending the supernatural dimension. 

1. The retelling follows well the original plot of Jane Eyre. Indeed in both novels a young person goes to Thornfield as a teacher and is progressively attracted by their employer.  It also abides by the personality of the original characters, for instance Rochester is still a person with a heavy weight on their shoulders. Likewise, the dark and odd atmosphere is used once more : Thornfield is still a gloomy castle with a lot of mystery.

2. The obvious difference with Jane Eyre is that the female characters are now male and vice versa, with some exceptions. Even if it impacts their way of speaking and their relationship with the other characters, their main traits are unchanged. This gender twisting is however not the biggest change

3. The most striking innovation is the supernatural dimension. For instance, the mist surrounding Thornfield is given almost magical attributes and is actually the leitmotiv of the story. Supernatural elements where already suggested by C. Brontë as M. Matthews wisely notes in the postscript. I think it was the best approach to retell this book without deriving from the original work. 

I heard a lot of good things concerning Mimmi Matthews and I am happy to have read her in the end. A favorite all in all!

Have a nice week!

Medicis