Mad Lit: Hannah Tinti
Issue #36
The One Story editor dissects her decades-old fascination with Jane Eyre
By Leah DeVun
Published: June 1st, 2008 | 10:20am
At a time when critics are predicting the death of the short story, Hannah Tinti reminds us that short fiction is still alive and kicking. Tinti is the editor and co-founder of One Story, a literary magazine that sends subscribers one short story in the mail every three weeks. Operating on the assumption that everyone has time to read one story — and that it can be better enjoyed alone instead of sandwiched between news features, letters to the editor, and other distractions — this year celebrates the release of its 100th issue.
Tinti’s own collection of short fiction, Animal Crackers, won widespread praise for its nervy and dark tales. This summer marks the publication of her debut novel, The Good Thief, featuring a one-handed, grave-robbing orphan and the seamy underground of 19th-century New England. For her Mad Lit questionnaire, Tinti picked a classic with an equally dark premise: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Jane Eyre is: divided into three sections — the first is about surviving childhood, the second is about surviving romantic love, the third is about spirituality and surviving the influence of others.
I chose this book because: it influenced me greatly as an author and a person. I also think it has an amazing first chapter, and I will probably always be haunted by Bertha Rochester, scuttling back and forth in the attic.
The first time I read it, I was: probably 8 years old. My mother was a librarian, and the classics were pushed on us at a young age. Last year I went to an event at Symphony Space, where Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt, and Margot Livesey discussed Jane Eyre. They talked about how different parts of the book appealed to them at different ages — as children, the first section about surviving the school at Lowood was the most interesting, then when they were in their 20s, the romance between Jane and Mister Rochester was important. As they grew older, in their 40s and 50s, the last section where Jane battles spiritually with St. John became fascinating to them. I think one of the reasons this book has stayed such a favorite with readers is because of this — it has something important to say to all ages.
I’ve read it: probably 25 times.
My favorite character is: Mister Rochester. He is ugly, brooding, manipulative to the extreme, a liar and a bigamist, and yet he is written in such a way that I still fall for him, every time I read the book.
One unresolved question I wondered about is: how Rochester kept Mrs. Fairfax from ever discovering that the mad woman in the attic was his wife. Also, the ghost in the Red Room (where Jane is locked in as a punishment) has always struck me as enormously creepy.
You should read it when: you need comfort food. I remember years back when I was stuck in a terrible job with a terrible boss. I hardly had time to grab something to eat at lunchtime, and had to eat it at my desk. I discovered a website that had Jane Eyre online, and I would read sections of the book for the ten or 15 minutes I had free, and it always transported me and refreshed my spirits.
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