Charlotte Bronte vs. Jane Austen

I am now reading "The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte," a fiction by Syrie James written through the eyes of Charlotte Bronte as she and her sisters are embarking on their literary careers. A good part of the book also focuses on her romance (or lack of, so far) with Arthur Bell Nichols, the man she eventually married.

The part of the book I want to focus on now though is the appendix, which might seem strange but I have good reason for doing so. It includes several letters of Charlotte's which the author used to aid her research. The one that caught my eye was a letter Charlotte wrote about her opinion of Jane Austen's "Emma." Personally, I think it's amazing and would like to share some of it with you:

     "...what sees keenly, speaks aptly, moves flexibly, it suits her [Austen] to study, but what throbs fast and full, though hidden, what the blood rushes through... this Miss Austen ignores... if this is heresy- I cannot help it."

Earlier in the letter, Charlotte also says that "the Passions are perfectly unknown" to Austen and that "even to the Feelings she vouchsafes no more than an occasional graceful but distant recognition."

To clarify, I love Jane Austen and greatly admire her works. But I have to admit that I enjoy watching movies based on her novels more than actually reading them. Why? Because I can emotionally connect with the characters the way they are portrayed in the films better than I can on the page. Reading Austen, I can't feel Darcy's love for Elizabeth emanating from his entire being the way I can when Colin Firth's eyes burn a hole through my screen.

Despite the dramatic and far-fetched love story in Bronte's "Jane Eyre" (how many governesses actually married their employers in those days?), I can't put the book down. Jane and Mr. Rochester's quiet love for each other and desperation when they realize that they can't be together are so palpable that it brings tears to my eyes. That is the passion and feeling that are missing in Austen's work.

Comments?