Jane Eyre XVI -- chapter 16: JANE'S OVAL PORTRAIT

1. "A deal of people, Miss, are for trusting all to Providence; but I say Providence will not dispense with the means, though he often blesses them when they are used discreetly."
2. Is there anything to be gained by translating Adele's French, or are the girl's words superfluous?
3. I appreciate Bronte's lack of attributive description.  Upon hearing that Mr.R is out and will be likely so a week hence or more, she asks, "Are there ladies at the Leas?" and I can't help but hear a variety of  tones in her voice, including, and most strikingly, panic.
4. I forget sometimes our contemporary parallel to the Lords and Ladies of England from this period.  I forget, because I'm not a little disgusted by the shallow fawning of Mrs. Fairfax over the beauty and elegance and accomplishments and blah, blah, blah of the rich and privileged, not to mention Jane's subsequent insecurity derived from it (a reflection, certainly, of my own insecurity).  Then I remember: People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, the tabloids, and so on.  Who doesn't love--love and hate--the rich and beautiful?
5. "...a greater fool than Jane Eyre had never breathed the breath of life; that a more fantastic idiot had never surfeited herself on sweet lies, and swallowed poison as if it were nectar."  There are layers and layers of thoughts.  There are thoughts I have (good and bad; fantastic and realistic) that I won't even let my internal, "speaking" conscious acknowledge, which I keep not just on the back burner but, like, in a crock pot tucked under a pile of collected Wal-Mart bags at the back of the pantry.  Has Jane been aware of her falling for Mr.R but wouldn't even let herself admit it until now?
6. Consider the themes of Jane's previously described paintings, and their sources.  While the therapy of these paintings was still a bit nebulous after the last mention of them, this seems to solidify their purpose for her: what benefit does she provide herself via her paintings?  With a twist, it recalls to me Poe's "The Oval Portrait."  It is one my favorites of his.  Check it out here.