'The Settings in Jane Eyre represent stages in the development of Jane's character'
'The settings in Jane Eyre represent stages in the development of Jane's character' How far do you agree with this claim? Discuss how Bronte uses setting in the novel and the impact it creates both on Jane and the reader. Bronte is a great believer in pathetic fallacy and throughout the novel we can see how the settings and the weather represent Jane's feelings and character. Even the names of the places she stays at can show this, for example, at Lowood she is at a low point in her life. The setting is also particularly important during the three proposals Jane receives and it represents how her life would be were she to accept, for example Rochester's first proposal takes place in a tempting orchard under a passionate sunset showing us that she would lead a passionate life of sin with Rochester were she to accept. However though the setting tells the reader a lot about what is happening in the book I don't feel that it shows Jane's developing character. However it is impossible to deny that we learn a lot through the settings that Bronte creates in Jane Eyre. The names themselves can show us a lot of what Jane's life and reaction will be to the place. Gateshead for example conveys the idea that Jane is shut in and trapped whilst also at the beginning, head, of life. One could even interpret it as representing the Gates of Hell and this is enhanced by the punishment that
How does Bronte explore the position of women in Victorian society in the novel Jane Eyre and how does she challenge it?
How does Bronte explore the position of women in Victorian society in the novel “Jane Eyre” and how does she challenge it? The Victorian era was a tough period for women, and Charlotte Bronte, a woman herself growing up in the Victorian times, reflects this in 'Jane Eyre', and also shows the way Jane challenges the classical stereotypes of a woman in this period in a variety of ways. Thinking of a woman in Victorian society, one may think of a woman as submissive, passive, less-educated, emotional, and obliged to serve their male spouses- somebody who should “learn their place” and slot into it. We however do not see characterises as strong as these with Jane. To call Jane a “feminist” may appear a little too extreme, however it would be fair to say that she would best fit in a society where men and women were treated as equals, living with the same lifestyle. R.B Martin however explains, that when Jane says her “Do you think I am poor, obscure, etc..” 'speech', she is not acting as a feminist, it is purely said due to emotion, and the fact that Jane never questions her limited career opportunities or her submissive-like role, shows that she is not quite the 'complete' feminist. Throughout the novel, it is clear that Jane “struggles” to fit into the established social gender classes of the Victorian era ,and that she is not willing to give up her values
Jane Eyre: an unconventional heroine. Explore how the female position is presented
'Ms. Eyre is one of those heroines who refuse to blend into the traditional female position of subservience and who stand up for her beliefs' Explore how the female position is presented. Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte and was first published in 1847 in the Victorian era. During this period, women were expected to remain at home and their time was to be spent taking care of household duties and their children. Females were regarded as properties rather than as humans: they either belonged to their fathers or their husbands. As they were believed to be incapable of surviving on their own, they had no independence. Permission was required for almost everything and they were expected to abide by rules set out by their owners. Men were considered to be very much superior to women and they were to be treated with respect by the latter, whether they agreed with their views or not. In general terms, society's portrayal of a conventional woman was very different to what it is now, so it is not surprising that modern readers may find their attitudes as shocking. Although Jane Eyre was written during this period, Bronte portrays her character in a very unconventional way, following the trends of the Gothic genre. The character of Jane is used to mainly challenge the Victorian attitudes towards women, religion and class. The fact that Bronte chooses a female
Duty and desire in Jane Eyre
How is the conflict between duty and desire explored in these texts? Desire is a term conveying a longing for a certain object, person or outcome. It is an emotion from the heart and is unaffected by social opinion. Duty, in contrast, is a moral obligation to an act, which is perceived to be selfless. The decisions made regarding these emotions are significant throughout 'Jane Eyre' and 'Wide Sargasso Sea'. However, these definitions were more extreme during the time that Brontë and Rhy's texts were written. In the 19th century, it was considered a completely selfish act for women to show desire, it was a vulgar emotion that women were expected to control and conceal. The female role during the 1800's was limited; they were expected to be passive and were passed from father to husband, similar to a possession. To perform one's duty to society was regarded as an unspoken rule imposed on all women, therefore, women never truly had the chance to express their true identity or gain real independence. The 19th century conflict between duty and desire was a key topic written about by many authors, predominately women, who illustrated personal experiences and beliefs through the characters and their decisions. In both Bronte's and Rhy's novels the authors illustrate the limitations imposed on women, society's views and expectations concerning the conflict, and the importance of
Explore the presentation of Heathcliffs journey in Wuthering Heights, in the light of the Marxist Perspective.
Explore the presentation of Heathcliff's journey in Wuthering Heights, in the light of the Marxist Perspective. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë show's Marxist view's that 'it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness'. Bront? first published her text in the form of a novel in 1847. During this time England was influenced by Marx's ideas, socialists in England held a conference in London where they formed a new organisation called the Communist League, the aims of the organisation being to overthrow the old bourgeois society based on class antagonisms and to the establish a new society without classes and without private property. Despite England being influenced by Marx ideas at the time, Bront? created Wuthering Heights: a mix genre novel with themes such as domestic realism, tragedy and gothic love, which were very much open to critic and discussion at the time. This shows the extent to how she was much stipulated in her ideas and therefore Wuthering Heights might not have been influenced by the Marxist ideas at the time. When Heathcliff enters in chapter four with no social or domestic status, emphasised by his 'gibberish that nobody could understand' suggesting his lack of social skills and ability to communicate; his lingual acquisition depends on his surroundings. Miles notes how
From your reading of Chapters 1, 2 and 26 of Jane Eyre, as well as any previous knowledge of the novel you might have, write about the links you begin to see between that text and Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper
From your reading of Chapters 1, 2 and 26 of "Jane Eyre", as well as any previous knowledge of the novel you might have, write about the links you begin to see between that text and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper". "The Yellow Wallpaper" was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892 for a number of specific purposes, including the author's desire to raise awareness of the condition post-partum depression, from which she suffered, and to illustrate her views on the patriarchal nature and the inequality of Victorian society, particularly with relation to marriage. Perhaps most importantly, Gilman wanted to expose the flaws in the male treatments propositioned for post-partum depression and other similar conditions; treatments from which she herself ailed even more than from her 'nervous disorder' when waylaid in bed, much like the narrator of her novella - albeit to a less extreme end. By contrast, Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" has no such definite intentions, but acts most prominently as a bildungsroman and a partial autobiography, which leads to a very different treatment of characters as constructs rather than as Gilman's use of them as representations. While Brontë's characters in "Jane Eyre" cannot be labelled with much more precision than Mr. Rochester's standing as a Byronic hero, the characters in "The Yellow Wallpaper" are clearly intended for
Closely analyse the presentation of Rochesters character in Jane Eyre. In the course of your writing make comparisons with the way Rochester is presented in Wide Sargasso Sea.
Closely analyse the presentation of Rochester's character in Jane Eyre. In the course of your writing make comparisons with the way Rochester is presented in Wide Sargasso Sea. Edward Rochester is an upper-class British gentlemen of 19th century Britain. The character of Rochester features heavily in both Brontë's Jane Eyre and Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea: similarly presented for the most part, but with differences which result in quite different conclusions. The culture and society that each novel is portraying can be considered to be a main contributing factor to this difference: set in two very different cultures and involving two characters (Jane and Antoinette) with very different upbringings and sets of values and beliefs, the character is similar in both but also a world apart. In Jane Eyre, Rochester's character is a dark, deceitful, brooding, selfish but romantic and passionate anti-hero: though truly loving Jane, he seeks to manipulate her for his own selfish reasons at every turn, and though he calls her his "equal", he rarely acts as though she is. He is both a symbol of hope, and a symbol of patriarchal oppression, for Jane. In the novel, he illustrates themes of deceit, inequality, class struggles, male dominance and, eventually, female empowerment. Much of the imagery associated with him in the novel is related to fire: "the light of the fire on his
Outsiders and Outcasts in "Wuthering Heights"
Geofrey Banzi Explore the presentation of outsiders and outcasts in the novels. Use ‘’Orange are not the Only Fruit’’ to illuminate your understanding of the core text. “Wuthering Heights” is a Gothic novel written by Emily Bronte in 1847. The novel revolves around the story of a dark protagonist and outsider Heathcliff. As an outsider his presence is shown to have negative consequences resulting in the demise of various members of the Earnshaw Household, including that of his star crossed love, Catherine Earnshaw. The theme of outsiders and outcasts is seen to pervade the story, highlighting the prejudice and contempt that would have been shown towards members of a lower social class in essence making them social pariahs, as well as showing the deep rooted suspicion and contempt that were shown towards outsiders. The novel has a frame narrative which includes various narrators. The incorporation of so many narrative voices especially those of outsiders like Nelly and Lockwood shows how Bronte has given the outsider a voice in a society that would have them stifled. Similarly, “Oranges are not the only fruit” is a first-person narrative that gives the outsider Jeanette a voice, expressing the prejudice and discrimination she receives as an outsider because of her evangelical background. The text also explores the extent to which she was made an outcast, often
Analyse the presentation of Jane in Bronte's 'Jane Eyre'
Anna-Louise Wigginton 13H August 2011 How is Jane presented in Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre'? Charlotte Brontë presents Jane in three different sections of her life that run through from childhood at her aunt's house to her adult life at Thornfield. The presentation of Jane's personality and looks is shown both through her own narration as well as the dialogue between the characters. The first section of Jane's life is at Gateshead, her aunt's house, and she is presented as a child who is 'but ten' and who is plain enough to be described as 'a little toad' by one of the house servants. After her parents' untimely death Jane was forced to live with relatives, which she did not mind until her uncle died too. After that she was treated with contempt by her aunt and cousins Eliza and Georgiana and her cousin John was a bully, he 'struck suddenly and strongly'. The unkindness Jane experiences causes her to have a burning sense of injustice from that point and it begins with her fighting back against John by calling him a 'wicked and cruel boy'. Her aunt's contempt for Jane however, may be because she refuses to ingratiate herself to her aunts wishes, which could be construed as Jane possibly being proud; Mrs Reed says that Jane should 'acquire a more sociable and childlike disposition. A more
Discuss the Role of Religion in Jane Eyre
Discuss the Role and Function of Religion in Jane Eyre Religion undeniably plays a critical role and function in the novel Jane Eyre. Religion and the characters it presents are used by Brontë throughout the piece to raise poignant questions regarding moral boundaries, the exact nature of religion as well as the guidelines we importance of such a moral code as to guide us to independence and eventual self-fulfillment. In this dissertation, I will evaluate the role and function of religion in Jane Eyre as a whole and develop some of the ideas it helps to present in the process. Before we proceed, it is important that a clear distinction be made between the "role" and "function" of religion in this novel. For purposes of this essay, the "role" of this device may refer to the effect of Religion on the novel's readership; "function" may be defined as the effect intended by Brontë in the inclusion of this critical theme. In Jane Eyre, we are presented with three different religious viewpoints through three distinct religious role models: Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns and St John Rivers. The inclusion of these three characters may be viewed as Brontë's means of presenting the flaws she sees in other people's assessment of what religion is, followed by a conclusion that presents what religion means to Jane and implicitly to Brontë herself. Alternatively, the characters
