【写作练习】:My Marathon–Reading Jane Eyre

My Marathon – Reading Jane Eyre

On One September morning, I turned to the last page and read the last line of Jane Eyre. With a sigh of relief, I closed the book, feeling like a first-time marathon runner who had just crosseding the finish line, exhausted but elated.

I bought the book Jane Eyre several years ago and had tried several times to finish it reading the book, but never gotten beyond the first few chapters. This summer, I made a promise to myself that I would finish it. Picking up my favorite bookmark and putting the other books out of my sight, I started reading the book in early May. While reading Chapter 14 sometime in June, I was overwhelmed by so many new vocabulary words and complicated sentences in that chapter, and again was intimidated by the daunting task ahead of me. One day, I posted a message on the MYSJ forum to see if I could find another “fool” like me out there reading the same book with a similar experience. I got a reply from 紫君 with a link to the Chinese version of Jane Eyre. With the help from the translation, I managed to read through the Chapter 14 with a pretty good understanding. From then on I felt like I had passed the point of no return – I did not want to quit after I had climbed the steepest part of the mountain. Thank you, 紫君.

I did most of my reading during early mornings while the rest of the world slept. I was alone with Jane Eyre in her time and place, breathing with her and talking to her. As the sun rose and the world woke up, I often had a sense of unrealness about the world in which I was living. Thus I had been suspended between the two worlds for several months. Sometimes I could not help but see the world through Jane Eyre’s eyes and judge others using Jane Eyre’s moral compass; at other times I retreated to the Jane Eyre’s world to hide and escape from reality.

In retrospect, I might not have learned a great deal of practical or daily English from reading Jane Eyre with its obsolete English words and outdated grammar. But Jane Eyre expanded my heart and enriched my soul in a way I had never experienced before. In my American life, I could still relate to her struggle for self-respect, her search for freedom, and her quest for love, even though she lived one and half centuries ago and a continent away. It seemed that Jane Eyre and I were connected with an invisible and mysterious thread across space and time.

I am glad that I kept my promise I had made to myself, although it only matters to me. Now I feel as if I have climbed Mt. Everest, and can climb any other mountain I set my eyes on in the future.

所有跟帖： 

• 先占座，下午或晚上有空了再仔细看姐姐佳作！ -非文学青年- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 11:50:18

• 先谢妹妹！ -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 14:40:19

• 非常喜欢这一篇！小砖渣 -非文学青年- ♀ (1026 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 21:35:44

• 谢妹妹！纠正了。 -NewVoice- ♀ (597 bytes) () 10/09/2011 postreply 05:41:38

• 鼓掌！！！写得一如既往的好！你是个early bird！早起的鸟儿有虫吃！！！ -beautifulwind- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 12:48:17

• 谢美风MM的一贯鼓励和支持！！ -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 14:42:04

• Congratulations! Welcome back to our world completely! -冲浪潜水员- ♂ (580 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 13:56:32

• Very good suggestions! 谢谢冲浪!!! -NewVoice- ♀ (125 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 14:45:58

• 回复：【写作练习】:My Marathon–Reading Jane Eyre -againusa- ♂ (94 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 14:30:17

• Thank you very much!!! It is a great encouragement to me! -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 14:48:36

• 写得好！颁发 Marathon Finisher medal 一枚 ~~ -EnLearner- ♀ (174 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 16:00:58

• 哈哈，又得到一个 virtual award。YuGong, 祝你明天跑出好成绩！！！ -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 17:52:02

• 哈哈，颁奖那天，愚公上班，他还没过够颁奖的瘾呢。奖状多写多得哈。 -beautifulwind- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 17:59:54

• Jane Eyre 不是喜马拉雅山，但是个小高地。 -youknowmyheart- ♀ (82 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 19:09:38

• 问题:英文专业但不是高才生 OR 非英文专业但是高才生? -simp1ex- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 19:33:11

• 是理科生，但不是高才生。 -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 19:40:56

• 是评价别人是否高才生的天牛。 -beautifulwind- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/09/2011 postreply 08:49:33

• 谢谢！对，下得都是苯功夫。简爱对我来说就是喜马拉雅山。我是瞎比喻哈,不恰当。谢纠正。 -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 19:33:49

• 哈哈， 我之所以把这本书叫高地是因为作者的妹妹也写了一本小说： -youknowmyheart- ♀ (47 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 21:04:27

• 师兄？ -非文学青年- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 21:17:03

• 文青，我觉得你可以把问号去掉。 -beautifulwind- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 21:28:51

• 哈哈。我师兄衣服太多了，和贝卡可以媲美啊。 -非文学青年- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 21:36:41

• 我今天路过这儿。头一次来。看到一网友请教这句： -youknowmyheart- ♀ (362 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 22:14:44

• 同意你说的。 是倒装。 -非文学青年- ♀ (73 bytes) () 10/08/2011 postreply 22:22:06

• lol.Have a nice Sunday&good week ahead. -林贝卡- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/09/2011 postreply 07:36:21

• 哈哈，防火防盗 -冲浪潜水员- ♂ (0 bytes) () 10/09/2011 postreply 02:38:20

• 写得真好，祝贺你读完了Jane Eyre. -紫君- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/09/2011 postreply 06:48:46

• 再谢紫君的帮助！ 祝新周好！ -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/09/2011 postreply 13:43:27