Morton's Jane is the only Jane Eyre who is remotely like the character in the book. Jane is a character who, while possessing a friendly, warm side, also has incredible impatience at times, and a really sharp tongue. You can also at times see what she is thinking, unless she is intentionally concealing her thoughts. She is immediately at ease with Rochester because he is so brusque, she's not self-conscious. And, as he says, she sticks that needle in. The only reason she's able to one up him and put him in his place is because she immediately trusts him. He's not the sort of man who will fly off the handle at the idea of someone being impertinent and not knowing her place. He likes her sharp side. In their first meeting at Thornfield, she contradicts him, she implies he's not particularly philanthropic. As Morton plays Jane is as Jane is written in Jane Eyre - particularly if we read what Rochester says to her in the book about how she sticks the knife in and twists it. He enjoys it, she knows he's comfortable, so she's at ease.
One of the reasons Jane, I think, becomes so attached to Thornfield is she can breathe there. Prior to Thornfield she's often punished for being so quick, so observant, so curious. At Thornfield she can ask questions, give her opinion, etc. She's a very self-sufficient, independent person, who, at Thornfield, is relieved to be in a situation that's a bit unconventional, where she's more free to be herself.
One way this version differs from the book is both Jane and Rochester are a whole lot warmer to Adele than either are in the book, really. The book Jane is good to Adele, but also describes what she considers her faults to us very frequently, and she judges her.
So anyway, most of the Jane Eyre's I have seen present her as quiet, modest, somewhat shy and meek. Where the hell they ever get that from after reading the Jane in the book, I have no idea. She is one of the most self-asserting characters ever put to paper, when given the opportunity. She has no compunction about seeking information or giving her opinion, if the occasion calls for it.
She WILL conceal herself from people she has no respect for, but where there is no issue like that, she asserts herself. She also doesn't put herself down. The only time her self-esteem flags is when she realizes she's in love with Rochester, and then believes he's interested in Blanche Ingram. She naturally believes that if he's attracted to Blanche, he can't be attracted to her, and that's painful.
There's also a whole section in the book where Rochester looks at Jane's sketches, which are extremely gothic and dramatic.
Finally, when I re-read the book, Thornfield is very different than often portrayed. It's not gothic. It's a conventional manor house, a home of a gentleman. It's very warm inside and bright, except for a part of the upstairs hall that is a little desolate. And Rochester is not some Jane Austen or Noel Coward type guy - he is voluble. He never shuts up. He's extremely emotional.
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