Jane Eyre

Back in the day before the Gutenberg Project, you could get new copies of classics in paperback format for next to nothing down the local bookshop. It was a no-brainer purchase, so I lapped up the contents while reading other classics like Pride And Prejudice.

So, there they were, lying on my coffee table, various 19th century soppy novels about morals and romance, when one of my friends came round before our Friday night out. "Why do you read shit like this?" was the most memorable thing to come out of his mouth. I don't know, I said. Maybe I'm a bit sad, or secretly romantic and want to find out about classic literature?

The thing is, if you're young, virulent and outwardly confident and have more exciting things to do and other literature to read in zillions of options these days, why read books like Jane Eyre? Why read "shit like this"? Why read it at all? Because it's bloody good literature, that's why. The writing is fantastic, the characters are incredibly fleshed out and it's evocative of everything good about 19th century England (and life).

If you enjoy romance then you know about this already. If you need a reset and some restored faith in humanity, this is a good place to start.

No-one can take away my memories of “shit” like this.