Compare and contrast the ways women are presented in both 'Wuthering Heights' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire'

Compare and contrast the ways women are presented in both 'Wuthering Heights' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire' 'Wuthering Heights' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire' both centre around male and female relationships and the human emotions associated with this. It is therefore not surprising that Brontë and Williams have focused on creating such powerful characterisation within the texts, both have deliberated on painting very strong, vivid female characters and it is interesting to see regardless of the difference in setting, era and circumstances, how the female characters in both texts can be compared. The vulnerability of women is explored in both texts. Both Blanche and Catherine have an almost child-like helplessness which perhaps could be viewed as both the product and the cause of their shared madness. Blanche is introduced to the audience instantly as a vulnerable creature. The stage directions in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' describe her as 'dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat.' On one hand, this portrays an image of elegance and glamour as she is well dressed, but on the other hand we can also depict from this a sense of fragility which is also reflected in her resemblance to a moth. The colour white has been used symbolically on Blanche to create an image of purity and innocence, something untainted that

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Jane Eyre. We would like to show you Jane Eyres character and its developement during the time with the help of each section. Then we have dealt with gothic and romantic features. It may seem that the novel contains a romantic love story, but it is ac

CHARLOTTE BRONTË - JANE EYRE INTRODUCTION We have chosen the book Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Brontë because the novel has many controversial and interesting topics which we can deal with. It has always been a hot theme of discussions. We would like to show the reader that the role of women in the Victorian era wasn´t as easy as you may think. But there were women (like Jane Eyre) who tried to live their own lives, trust mainly themselves and be independent. We would like to show you Jane Eyre´s character and its developement during the time with the help of each section. Then we have dealt with gothic and romantic features. It may seem that the novel contains a romantic love story, but it is accompanied by many gothic elements. CONTENT I. JANE EYRE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA a. The Victorian Age - Social Background b. Women in The Victorian Era c. Feminist features in the book II. CHARACTERIZATION AND DEVELOPEMENT OF JANE EYRE´S CHARACTER a. The Gateshead section b. The Lowood section c. The Thornfield section d. The Moor house section e. The Ferndean section III. GOTHIC AND ROMANTIC ELEMENTS IN THE BOOK a. Gothic elements b. Romantic elements JANE EYRE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA VICTORIAN ERA - SOCIAL BACKGROUND The Victorian Era is dated from 1837 to 1901, the years that Queen Victoria was the British monarch. The era was preceded by the Regency era and

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  • Level: AS and A Level
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Analysis of passages and Mr Rochester in "Jane Eyre".

ASSIGNMENT H - ENGLISH LITERATURE AS Natalie Lesley Calabrese - 28th January 2011 I looked at Mr Rochester; I made him look at me. His whole face was colourless rock; his eye was both spark and flint. He disavowed nothing; he seemed as if he would defy all things. Without speaking, without smiling, without seeming to recognise in me to his side. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The passage occurs towards the middle of chapter 26 and the events described take place on the morning of Jane Eyre and Rochester's wedding. The action takes place in the church, which is right in front of Thornfield. A place well suited for the covert nature of the ceremony. At this point, the passage emphasizes Rochester's reaction towards the interruption of the 'two shadows', who had entered the church just a few seconds before them. One of them was his brother-in-law, Mr Mason (the mad woman's brother, who is kept in the attic) and the other was a lawyer. His reaction was of complete astonishment (his face was colourless rock), when the unexpected 'intruders' revealed the existence of his previous marriage to Bertha Mason. The novel's suspense relies on the fact that the narrator is not entirely omniscient, she does not reveal key information until the point in the chronology of events when Jane herself

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  • Level: AS and A Level
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Wuthering Heights characters

Wuthering Heights characters One of the primary ways in which we might judge a novel is whether or not we care sufficiently enough for its characters. In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte offers us an intriguing array of characters and narrators. There are two principal narrators in this novel which throws into question the authority of the narrator. The conventional narrator confers upon the novel something of an authenticity of a spoken narrative. The presence of the narrator is comforting, since the narrator is by virtue of his or her role, a survivor: the narrator must survive to tell the retrospective tale. The narrator has an authority, which is made even more dramatic in nineteenth-century fiction on account of the fact that nearly all narrators are male. It is doubly significant therefore that Bronte chooses two narrators, one male and one female, and that the narrative of Nelly Dean outranks and dispossesses that of Lockwood, the male narrator. Able to read 'between the lines' of Nelly and Lockwood's narrative, the reader is able to interpret information from the text which is never made explicit. In distinguishing between 'reliable' and 'unreliable' accounts the reader is able to construct a body of knowledge from which to make judgements about the text and the characters. Equally tantalisingly, Bronte plays with our expectations of characters as discreet and

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Jane Eyre - Development of Jane's Characters as a Child.

The novel begins with the ten-year-old Jane Eyre narrating from the home of the well-off Reed family in Gateshead Hall. Mr. Reed, Jane’s uncle, took her into his home after both of her parents died of typhus fever, but he soon died himself. Mrs. Reed was particularly resentful of her husband’s favouritism toward Jane and takes every opportunity to neglect and punish her. At the beginning of the narrative, Jane is secluded behind the curtains of a window seat and reading Bewick’s “History of British Birds.” Although she attempted to join the rest of the family, she was refused permission by Mrs. Reed to play with her cousins Eliza, John, and Georgiana. Although the family mistreats her, Jane still wishes that she could have the same attention and love that her cousins receive from her Aunt. John interrupts Jane’s reading and informs her that she has no right to read their books because she is an orphan who is dependent on his family. He strikes her with the book, and Jane surprises him by fighting to defend herself. John is frightened by Jane’s re-action and blames her for the fight. As punishment for Jane’s behaviour, Mrs. Reed has two servants lock her in the “red-room,” the room in which Mr. Reed died. Bronte uses the narration of Jane’s voice, and this makes the reader feel more sympathetic character, but Bronte incorporates all of the tragic facts

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Explore the presentation of obsession in men in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Enduring Love by Ian McEwan

Explore the presentation of obsession in men in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Enduring Love by Ian McEwan Both Jane Eyre by Bronte and Enduring Love by McEwan present the theme of obsession in men. Jane is successively controlled by men, the critics, Gilbert and Gubar (The Madwoman in the Attic) said, "Rochester's loving tyranny recalls John Reed's unloving despotism... recalls Brocklehurst's hypocrisy" which indicates that Jane never escapes the oppression of the men around her. The control that Rochester and St John try to impose upon her is part of the patriarchal society of the day, causing Bronte to be widely criticised when Jane Eyre was first published. Rochester's love for Jane which is featured in the third part of the novel is one of heated passion and love from both sides. Traits of Rochester's obsessional love of Jane can be seen developing throughout the book, but it is most obvious when Rochester proposes to her, "I summon you as my wife". Rochester's desperation to marry Jane and the control he wants to impose on her is particularly evident when he "summons" her to marry him. This also reflects the patriarchal society in which men were expected to control women and for them to be subservient. The use of the word 'my' indicated that Rochester is very possessive over Jane and this is continued throughout the novel. He also says, "I love you as my own

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  • Level: AS and A Level
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Wuthering Heights - the Plot and Catherine's Love.

"He is more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire." Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Bronte and published in 1847. It is unlike any other novel in the genre of Victorian literature in that it stands outside the social conventions of its time. It is a passionate story of a man named Heathcliff, an orphan who falls madly in love with the daughter of his benefactor named Catherine. This love resulted in much violence and misery for the pair. The view in general is that Heathcliff and Catherine are totally in love with each other; however the question of in what way they love each other has to be addressed. It is a novel of reckoning and romantic love. It tells the stories of two families: the Earnshaws who live at the Heights, at the edge of the moors, and the well-mannered and sophisticated Linton's who live at Thrushcross Grange. Clifford Collins calls their love a life-force relationship, a principle that is not conditioned by anything but itself. It is a principle because the relationship is of an ideal nature; it does not exist in life, though as in many statements of an ideal this principle has implications of a profound living significance. Catherine's conventional feelings for Edgar Linton and his superficial appeal contrast with her profound love

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How is "Wuthering Heights " a Gothic Novel?

0 facts about Emily Bronte Emily was the fifth of six children born into the Bronte family Her mother died when she was 2 She worked as a governess and a school teacher She was homeschooled with her siblings She was born at Thornton in Yorkshire on July 30th 1818 Only child to be given a middle name (Jane) She published under the pen name Ellis Bell She taught herself German and practised the piano She wanted to open a school with her sisters She died at 30 on 19th December 1948 Emily was familiar with tragedy. Was extremely close with her sisters. FATHER – church of England clergymen, emigrated from Ireland, oldest son of Irish labourer, hard struggle for education, entered Cambridge to read theology and become a ‘gentlemen’, was never rich, upwardly mobile (married above him) FAMILY TRAGEDY – mothers early death, 2 older sisters Maria and Elizabeth died, only brother Branwell died before his potential was realised FATHERS INFLUENCE – rapid rise to the status of gentlemen from his class was miraculous, published writer, was often absent -form deep emotional bonds together -made a make believe world which was their reality PERSONALITY- brilliant, uncommunicative, inward, shy, reserved -she never thrived anywhere but at home in Yorkshire -Currer, Ellis, Acton Bell, Charlotte, Emily, Anne Bronte -died a few (5) months later than her brother

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  • Level: AS and A Level
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Is Jane Eyre best described as a romance or a Gothic novel?

Is Jane Eyre best described as a romance or a Gothic novel? You should pay close attention to form, structure and language. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The novel 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte has been categorised as both romantic and gothic by scholars and literary critics. The plot entails the exploration of a woman's domestic trap, a common Victorian theme, with her subjection to patriarchal authority and her dangerous attempts to escape from such restrictions and the consequences. There is a mixture of mysterious events, moonlit natural environment, beautiful dream-like landscapes, enigmatic characters. Jane is represented as the heroine of the story, the virginal Christian female character. In opposition to her is the character of Bertha who is insane and is hidden in the attic of Thornfield Hall, representing Rochester's torment and his terrible secret. It can be argued that the plot has many entwined characteristics of both genres and it is very difficult to think of it as of one kind. The essay will discuss the way in which the novel accords with the characteristics of a romantic novel and a Gothic novel and evaluates whether it may be possible to assign it with one of the two labels. Romantic novels emphasize imagination and feeling, they focus on nature's ability to

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  • Level: AS and A Level
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Wuthering Heights. The narrative tale tells the story of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.

Wuthering Heights' first published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell is written by Emily Bronte and it is her only novel. Emily Bronte used the name 'Ellis Bell' due to the fact that this book was published in the 1800's when women hardly had any rights therefore Emily Bronte thought it better to use a male name as both her sister's did. The word 'Wuthering' means turbulent weather in Yorkshire language; therefore it is used to describe the disastrous weather on the moors where this story is based. This book uses very old and intricate language as it is set way back in the 1800's. The haunting intensity of Catherine Earnshaw's attachment to Heatchcliff is the focus of this novel in which relations between men and women are described with an emotional and imaginative power unparalleled in English fiction. The narrative tale tells the story of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them. Catherine and Heathcliff had always been very close to each other and were always indivisible. But miserably, they were indeed separated many times due to many various reasons. Catherine and Heathcliff turned into soul mates only a few days after Mr Earnshaw found a 'black gypsy' wandering on the silent and violent streets of Liverpool and decided to

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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