Michele Paynter
asked
Sarah Shoemaker:
Sarah, one of my dearest friends has just shared with me about your new book, MR. ROCHESTER. I cannot wait to purchase it and read about this very complex man! My question is, when you initially read JANE EYRE, were you as intriqued by the man ( Mr. Rochester) and his eccentricies? Since writing the book, how are you feeling about him as a man? Might the reader experience more pathos for Mr. Rochester?
Sarah Shoemaker
Yes, indeed, when I first read JANE EYRE, I was intrigued by Mr. Rochester. I wasn't sure what to make of him---he seemed so changeable: angry sometimes, tender other times, seemingly attracted to Jane, but also appearing to woo Miss Ingram. And then it turns out that he keeps his insane wife locked away in an upstairs apartment! I didn't really know what to make of all that, but I did feel a sort of compassion for him, for it seemed as if he must have had a difficult past.
It was a later reading, however, that really piqued my interest. My book group read and discussed JANE EYRE, and among the group there were varying opinions about Rochester. What were we supposed to make of this guy? What did Charlotte Bronte intended us to think of him? It seemed to me that Bronte intended us to think that Jane was right in coming back to him---which Jane did, even without knowing that Rochester's wife had died and he was then free to marry. And it seemed clear to me at the end of JANE EYRE that Bronte had written a happy ending for the two of them.
So, as I pondered all that, I thought perhaps someone needed to write Mr. Rochester's story---to write a story that would help the reader understand where he was coming from, what his background might have been, and (I hoped) feel more empathy toward him. In a moment of rash and optimistic ambition, I decided I could be that person. And, yes, I do hope that the reader comes away from MR. ROCHESTER with a feeling of compassion for him.
A couple of months ago I ran across a quote from Toni Morrison that touches exactly what I tried to do: "If there is a book that you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
Thanks for asking that very interesting question!
It was a later reading, however, that really piqued my interest. My book group read and discussed JANE EYRE, and among the group there were varying opinions about Rochester. What were we supposed to make of this guy? What did Charlotte Bronte intended us to think of him? It seemed to me that Bronte intended us to think that Jane was right in coming back to him---which Jane did, even without knowing that Rochester's wife had died and he was then free to marry. And it seemed clear to me at the end of JANE EYRE that Bronte had written a happy ending for the two of them.
So, as I pondered all that, I thought perhaps someone needed to write Mr. Rochester's story---to write a story that would help the reader understand where he was coming from, what his background might have been, and (I hoped) feel more empathy toward him. In a moment of rash and optimistic ambition, I decided I could be that person. And, yes, I do hope that the reader comes away from MR. ROCHESTER with a feeling of compassion for him.
A couple of months ago I ran across a quote from Toni Morrison that touches exactly what I tried to do: "If there is a book that you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
Thanks for asking that very interesting question!
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