Hello and welcome to Storytime for grownups. I'm Faith Moore, and this is Summer Session.

During season one, we read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. From now until September, we'll be

exploring Jane Eyre in once-a-week episodes, which will drop on Mondays, sort of like a college

class, only fun. If this doesn't sound like your thing,

don't worry. Storytime will be back with a new book in September. But for now,

brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in back. This is session 10 of summer session. We've been doing this for 10 weeks. Thank you for sticking around

with me for all these 10 weeks, and I hope you'll stick around for the weeks to come. I'm actually

away again this week, and so I have another interview for you. I'm really excited about this one,

because I invited this guest on to speak with us because of some questions I got from you

when we were reading the book. There's a section in Chapter 32 of Jane Eyre where Jane suddenly goes off on this tangent about

poetry. It happens after Sinjan comes over to give Jane a book called Marmion by the romantic poet Sir

Walter Scott. And here's what Jane says. And he laid on the table a new publication,

a poem, one of those genuine productions so often vouchsafed to the fortunate public of those

days, the golden age of modern literature. Alas, the readers of our era are less favored,

but courage. I will not pause either to accuse or repine. I know poetry is not dead,

nor genius lost, nor has Mammon gained power over either to bind or slay. They will both assert

their existence, their presence, their liberty, and strength again one day. Powerful angels,

safe in heaven, they smile when sordid souls triumph,

and feeble ones weep over their destruction. Poetry destroyed? Genius banished? No, mediocrity,

no. Do not let envy prompt you to the thought. No, they not only live, but reign and redeem,

and without their divine influence spread

everywhere you would be in hell, the hell of your own meanness.

...