The opening chapters of Jane Eyre are not an account of childhood but rather the beginning of the discussion of the female identity. Discuss.
' The opening chapters of Jane Eyre are not an account of childhood but rather the beginning of the discussion of female identity' The fact that this essay is based on a very small chunk of the novel makes it hard to fully discuss the female identity of Jane. this requires me to thoroughly explore the context in which the novel is written in order to have a complete understanding of the circumstances surrounding Charlotte Brontë in the Victorian era which may have influenced her in the writing of Jane Eyre. At the time of writing 'Jane Eyre' Charlotte was living in Victorian England in the middle of the 19th century. 19th century women living in Britain had a much more submissive role in society than they do today. Women were not allowed to vote and the law completely ignored then as humans. a woman was legally bound to her nearest male relative and any property that she only became her husband as soon as she was married. They were also not allowed to attend university. We can believe this because it is alleged that Charlotte Brontë published her book under the name of Currer Bell which suggests that she had to sell it under a male identity otherwise her work would have never been published this way Brontë's work was published and not discredited for written by a irrational woman. The novel opens with Jane's narrative and we are immediately thrust into the world of a
Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre, explores the quality or life in a society that does not favour equality - In this text the author uses several techniques to create sympathy for the character.
Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre, explores the quality or life in a society that does not favour equality. In this text the author uses several techniques to create sympathy for the character. Bronte uses emotive language to describe how she feels such as " nibbed fingers " and "heart saddened" Bronte also uses imagery to relate to Jane's feelings and emotions "sombre" and "dismal" Social context in this novel makes you feel sorry for Jane as she was at a young age "I was but ten" And she had no money or anything of value left by her dead parents "you have no money; your father left you none. Jane's personality make you feel for her as she couldn't help what happened to her, she feels that it isn't fair and society is treating her unjustly. Charlotte Bronte helps create sympathy for Jane by using several techniques. Bronte uses settings to describe Jane's feelings and she also uses emotive language to create sympathy. "Nibbed fingers and toes" This quote reflects the weather but it also shows how she feels this quote says Jane feels cold inside and she doesn't feel accepted into the family. With Jane being an orphan that also creates sympathy. Bronte uses emotive language like "sombre" and "dismal" to show how she feels. Using social context also creates sympathy, charlotte uses social to show us what it would be like for Jane if she didn't live with
Jane Eyre - Too Passionate?
Jane is accused by many of being too passionate. It is not however that she is too passionate, but that she behaves according to her nature that makes her strong. The one time that she ignores her instincts, she almost destroys herself. 'Conscience, turned tyrant, held Passion by the throat.' Discuss. The topic regarding whether Jane is too passionate or whether she merely follows her nature is quite controversial. From my point of view she is not almost destroyed by ignoring her instincts, but rather strengthened internally. If I may, I would bring faith into it, by commenting that the mature Jane is only willing to behave according to her nature, if her nature is aligned with her religion. By leaving the man she loves, Jane acts in accordance with her faith, ultimately leaving her conscience free of the torment she would have faced should she have obeyed Mr Rochester. In obeying her conscience, she allows what one could call the will of God to guide her to a place where she is independent of others and their emotions, rather perhaps on her new life as a teacher. Some may criticise Ms Brontë for being unrealistic, fanciful in supposing it possible that Jane should arrive at the very house her cousins were living in, and for St John to guess her real identity. Others such as myself would then point out that Ms Brontë was just as religious as she was imaginative, and
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
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
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
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
How does Bronte use the second generation to further explore the themes of Wuthering Heights?
How does Bronte use the second generation to further explore the themes of the novel? The second generation expand on the numerous themes such as love, revenge, hatred and natural imagery. The relationship between Hareton and Cathy help boost the theme of love, while the way Heathcliff uses Linton shows an element of revenge and hatred. The dominant theme for the second generation seems to be the whole idea of Heathcliff extracting revenge on the Linton's in hope that he can help the sorrow he feels for Catherine's death. The relationship between Cathy and Linton isn't a true loving relationship - it is being manipulated by Heathcliff for his own selfish gains. There is no sign of a loving bond, although Cathy does care to some extent about Linton as she visits him and wonders about him. The most important feature of Cathy and Hareton's love story is that it involves growth and change. Early in the novel Hareton seems brutal, savage, and illiterate, but over time he becomes a loyal friend to Cathy and learns to read with help from her - this is one of the scenes where Wuthering Heights is shown as a warm, open place. When Cathy first meets Hareton he seems completely alien to her world, she denies that they are cousins because of his appearance and job on the farm. This relationship also ties in with the theme of social class - Catherine has been well brought up in a totally
How effective is Chapter One as an introduction to the methods and concerns of Jane Eyre?
How effective is Chapter One as an introduction to the methods and concerns of Jane Eyre? Jane Eyre's character, named after the main character herself, goes through a very dramatic ordeal in the book by Charlotte Brontë. Her emotions and feelings are very well depicted in the book, and to understand them completely one has to read between the lines and concentrate on the finer details of the novel. The first chapter shows the reader Jane's childhood, and the strains and struggles she has to put up with throughout it. Orphaned as a child, Jane is forced to live with her aunt and cousins, who live a very different lifestyle to the one she is used to. She is constantly picked on by her cousins and disowned by her aunt. Jane's emotions and thoughts are revealed in full depth in the first chapter, the book beginning with a thought of hers, which readers see as a pathetic fallacy: "...the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question." The detail of this sentence makes the reader imagine the setting in their head, the many descriptive words bringing the scenario to life. The pathetic fallacy definitely sets the mood, and the first few sentences bring the reader into the start of dark, gothic-styled storyline. The book is written in the first person, the older Jane retelling her
Conflict in Wuthering Heights. The conflict between nature and culture which forms part of the thematic structure of Wuthering Heights, is played out in the relationship between the two houses: Wuthering Heights which represents nature and
The conflict between nature and culture which forms part of the thematic structure of 'Wuthering Heights', is played out in the relationship between the two houses: Wuthering Heights which represents nature and Thrushcross Grange representing culture. This conflict can be interpreted in many ways, for instance in historical terms as a rural way of life contends against industrialisation; in psychological ways as a struggle between the ego and the id and in sexual terms as a choice between experience and representation. From the very beginning the narrator, Mr Lockwood identifies himself as a man of culture, he comes from a 'civilised society' and appropriately is living at the Grange. He, like the reader, is an outsider to the Wuthering Heights and his description of the 'stunted firs', 'gaunt thorns' and the 'narrow windows' creates a chilling and unwelcoming atmosphere. The name of the place also reflects this situation; 'Wuthering' meaning stormy hinting gothic elements. Mr Lockwood states the house is 'completely removed from the stir of society'; it is surrounded by the moors which symbolise freedom posed by nature, were Mr Heathcliff and Catherine's bond first developed. There is also almost a conflict among the house with the ill-tempered characters and its description; for instance, Mr Lockwood 'detected' that the name of the house is 'Hareton Earnshaw' yet it is
