Jane Eyre as a gothic romance

Authors Avatar

How far is Jane Eyre a Gothic Romance?

Jane Eyre can undoubtedly be called a gothic romance. This is so as it covers all the aspects of this theme. The love between Jane and Rochester truly makes it a romance. And the fact that their love, despite of running smoothly, is coupled with the supernatural aspect makes it a Gothic Romance. Throughout the novel the reader can sense the underlying feelings of mystery and suspicion. The major reasons why the novel can be termed as a Gothic Romance is the presence of the haunted castle, the Thornfield hall, and the aspects of the supernatural.

Right from the very beginning the reader can sense the mysterious and the threatening atmosphere. The ‘red room’ is symbolic of this. The red colour of this room acts as a visual imagery to the reader. It allows us to visualize the scene of burning fire. Not only this, the red room, is also symbolic of the evil. This in turn adds layers of terror to the plot of the novel and at the same time also portrays the aspect of the supernatural. When Jane was locked in this room she even sees glimpses of her dead uncle which helps bring about the mystical part of the novel.

Join now!

Not only the red room but the Thornfield Hall is also highly mysterious. Often called the haunted castle this is actually a huge imposing house with an air full of ambiguity. Apart from being grand and luxurious this house has many dark, chilly and gloomy parts, “A very chill and vault like air pervaded the stairs and gallery, suggesting cheerless ideas of space and solitude”, which encapsulates the reader into thinking that there is seriously something very strange and suspicious about the house. This feeling of suspicion gets deepened with the ghostly laughs which Jane hears on different occasions. She ...

This is a preview of the whole essay