Metacognition: Jane Eyre

After reading Jane Eyre, I noticed that most of my attention was focused on Jane's feelings, and how I relate to them. I would find myself criticizing the decisions she made, the things she said, and the way she treated people.

This might have been because I felt a need to understand Jane. First of all, Jane was living in a totally different time period than I am now. At first, I couldn't understand why she had to make things so complicated for herself. I wanted her to choose Rochester from the beginning.

This might have been the easy way out. I've learned from reading this book that the easiest way of doing things is not exactly the best way. When reading, I now know that I need to imagine things from the characters perspective, and not my own.

I also think I read too fast. While reading, I got the main ideas and feelings that were going on. But, I missed a lot of deeper meanings while doing this. I would give myself about an hour or so each night to read the section, but sometimes it wasn't enough, and I would end up skimming the text. Next time I read a book, I'm going to take my time. If I'm going to take the time to read the book, I might as well enjoy it as much as possible.

Another thing I need to do while reading a book is stop and think about what is going on. By going fast, I only allow the quick, "right after reading" thoughts to come. If I stopped after each chapter or important passage, I would definitely benefit. That extra minute would result in reflection and deeper thinking, which is what we are all essentially looking for.