Books

A Fairy Tale Retelling of Jane Eyre

Aubrey Leaman

Fairy Tale Jane Eyre.jpg

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived with her cousin and aunt.  The cousin was handsome and strong, but cruel at heart.  His mother hated his good but plain cousin, Jane, and soon sent her away to school to be starved and beaten.

But one day a fairy appeared to Jane in a dream. “Jane, you are strong of heart and spirit. If you have a wish, then I would hear it,” said the fairy. “I wish for a friend,” said Jane. The next day she met a girl called Helen and they became fast friends.

A little while later, the fairy appeared to Jane again. “Jane, you are strong of heart and spirit. If you have a wish, then I would hear it.” “I wish for my friend to escape this horrid place,” Jane replied. The next day, Helen became sick and died and so escaped.

Later still, the fairy appeared to Jane again. “Jane, you are strong of heart and spirit. If you have a wish, then I would hear it.” “My other wishes have ended in pain. Now I wish for a new master at Lowood,” said Jane. The next day her wish was granted. She left to work for a dark, gruff man by the name of Rochester.

As time passed, she fell in love with him and he with her, and they were engaged to be married. But when the time came for the ceremony, a voice whispered in Jane’s ear:

“He lies! He lies!
That man has a bride.”

She paid no heed and the ceremony proceeded. As they approached the altar, a voice again whispered in Jane’s ear:

“He lies! He lies!
That man has a bride.”

Again, she paid no heed and the ceremony proceeded. Just before their final vows, the voice once again whispered in Jane’s ear:

“He lies! He lies!
That man has a bride.”

This time, Jane heeded the warning and the wedding was stopped. Desperate and heartbroken, she fled over many mountains, valleys, rivers, and forests to escape from her love.

***

For many years after this time, Jane and Rochester roamed the earth.  Each followed their separate ways until the fairy appeared to Jane one final time, saying: “Jane, you are strong of heart and spirit. I have news if you will hear it.” The fairy told Jane that Rochester’s wife had died in a blazing fire of her own making and that Rochester was now alone.

Then Jane returned over the many mountains, valleys, rivers, and forests to find Rochester. He was blind and lame, but upon hearing her voice he rejoiced.  The two were soon married and I hear they are continuing to live happily ever after to this very day.

 
Note: I came across this the other day when I was reorganizing my computer documents.  I had completely forgotten I wrote it! I thought it was fun, so I edited it to post here.  Hope you enjoyed it!

 

If you liked this post, you might also like Songs For Every Book: Jane Eyre, The “Fairy Tale” Genre in Music, and Classical Music Stories #2: Jane Eyre.

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46 thoughts on “A Fairy Tale Retelling of Jane Eyre”

  3. I have read sections from it for a literature class, but I haven’t gotten to reading the whole thing just yet. I plan to in the near future… I really love Charlotte Brontë.☺️

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  22. What a great retelling of a classic story. I especially love the backfiring wishes. It really helps keep the tale tethered to the original and stops it falling into the trap of being sickly sweet.

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