You can buy the book by clicking on the cover

…or you can just read the Gutenberg edition here

Before I publish my review of the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre, I’d thought I’d look into the art history found in Charlotte Brontë’s book.  I’ve read it before, so I skimmed through the Gutenberg version to see if I missed out on anything.

And wow, I did miss something.  This passage revolves around Rochester’s past affairs:

“He then said that she was the daughter of a French opera-dancer, Céline Varens, towards whom he had once cherished what he called a “grande passion.”  This passion Céline had professed to return with even superior ardour.  He thought himself her idol, ugly as he was: he believed, as he said, that she preferred his “taille d’athlète” to the elegance of the Apollo Belvidere.”

Read about the Apollo of Belvedere here