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I would always rather be happy than dignified.

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Literature

The story behind the card

The line comes from chapter 34 of Jane Eyre (1847). Jane's cousin St John Rivers, a cold, determined clergyman, wants her to marry him and go with him to India as a missionary, though he does not love her. After a quarrel on the moor, he leaves the room that evening without shaking her hand. His sister Diana urges Jane to go after him, and Jane, caring more for happiness than for pride, runs to the foot of the stairs and asks to shake hands. His touch is cold and loose, and they are not reconciled. Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) also wrote Villette and Shirley; she was the eldest of the three writing Brontë sisters.

Türkçe oku
Vakur olmaktansa her zaman mutlu olmayı yeğlerim.
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Söz, Jane Eyre'in (1847) 34. bölümünde geçer. Jane'in soğuk ve kararlı bir papaz olan kuzeni St. John Rivers, onu sevmediği hâlde onunla evlenip misyoner olarak Hindistan'a götürmek ister. Kırlarda yaptıkları bir tartışmanın ardından, o akşam Jane'in elini sıkmadan odadan çıkar. Kız kardeşi Diana, Jane'i peşinden gitmeye yüreklendirir; gururdan çok mutluluğu önemseyen Jane de koşar, merdivenin dibinde ona yetişip el sıkışmak ister. St. John'ın eli soğuk ve gevşektir; barışamazlar. Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) Villette ve Shirley romanlarını da yazdı; yazar olan üç Brontë kardeşin en büyüğüydü.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Charlotte Brontë
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