No, I am not a misogynist. I do not live in the dark ages. I do not own a turtleneck.

Contrary to popular belief, I do in fact go out on weekends. I own a band-aid skirt and a pair of find-me-a-pole heels. I rather enjoy them.

That being said, last week’s “Jane Eyre” piece was _not_ intended to be a ranting, raging sermon against women. It was _not_ meant to defend acts of violence against women or to tell victims of rape that they deserve what they got.

For these miscommunications I apologize. If any of these conjectures are made from my writing, as a writer I am at fault for completely failing to communicate my ideas.

Allow me to explain my intentions. Friday’s column _was_ meant to make readers think twice about “Jane Eyre” and its heroine. I feel Jane is underrated. She is seen as submissive and browbeaten when — according to my personal interpretation — she possesses an iron core. I have always admired Jane for holding to her beliefs through controversy and hoped others would grow to love her likewise.

The fact that Jane happens to be conservative compared to Blanche Ingram is one I used for comparison’s sake. The fact that her values (“justice, human dignity, equality, loyalty”) contrast with Blanche’s (“social position and money”) seemed a perfect metaphor for the shallow elements of our society. The fact that Blanche’s values were then equated with the values of the average college party-hopper was not something I intended in the least.

It was _also_ meant to question (or even poke fun at) a society in which certain standards of female dress are deemed fit — to employ social satire, if you will. Sure, some women enjoy flaunting their assets. I applaud them.

Friday’s column was not addressed to them. So you’re comfortable with your body? Jealous. [You’re in the minority, statistically speaking](http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm).

No, the piece was addressed to the insecure, the downtrodden, the hopeless female. The woman who wants a man in her life, no matter the cost. The woman who feels she has to compete with all other vivacious vixens in a doomed quest for self-validation. The women who take no pleasure in exhibiting themselves (yes, they exist!) but who feel they must in order to satisfy convention and to fit neatly into college lifestyle.

Why? Because they _do_ feel their worth is contingent on a male half. The parallel with Jane was intended to illustrate that this is not so, that women who stick to _themselves_ and live according to their own standards will achieve happiness. For Jane, happiness simply happens to be in the arms of Rochester (yes, the attic-wife-locker… we all have our faults). Rochester simply happens to be a man.

The _intended_ message: don’t be afraid to break convention, to stay true to your own values instead of cow-towing to the majority. _That_ is why I admire Jane. It’s not a claustrophobic neckline but an iron will that makes her one of the most powerful female characters in literary history.

‘A Novel Idea’ is intended to champion such characters. I write a column each week with the goal of relating classical literature to the modern student. The classics, those books many plowed through and despised in high school, deserve a better rep than the stains of grade school allow.

To those I’ve offended pursuing this endeavor I apologize. In the words of Henry Ford, “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”