Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice

Zoltan, an atheist chaplain, combines memoir, literary criticism, and her own brand of spirituality in her intriguing debut. A self-proclaimed atheist Jew, Zoltan entered divinity school to learn how to pray and reflect on the surprises that life presents. Rather than the Bible, she found classic literature to be her greatest inspiration, and here shares “sermons” on how it—and notably the novel Jane Eyre—can teach lessons about fear, commitment, kindness, destiny, resentment, and love. Among other things, Zoltan ruminates on the inevitability of heartbreak and betrayal between men and women using the scene of superintendent Miss Temple coming to find Jane Eyre for supposed indiscretions. The author also explores the importance of follow-through when one commits to lofty goals within Jane Eyre’s defiant response to being questioned about how to avoid hell (“I must keep in good health and not die”) and the importance of restraint and compassion when one is in love. Fans of Jane Eyre in particular will relish Zoltan’s ideas for thinking deeply about the morals and metaphors within this classic novel. (July)