Discuss how the novel Jane Eyre explores and criticises social hierarchy and gender relations in the Victorian Age.
Dev Dutta Roll No. 0877 B.A. English Hons., 1st Year Discuss how the novel 'Jane Eyre' explores and criticises social hierarchy and gender relations in the Victorian Age. Charlotte Bronte published 'Jane Eyre: An Autobiography' in 1847 under the pseudonym 'Currer Bell'. The novel's narrative is in first-person form, through the perspective of Jane, the title character. The success of this work lies behind the way in which it addresses, and often defies several social norms of that age. It is to some extent, autobiographical in reality and not just in name. Parallels can be drawn between the lives and careers of Bronte and Eyre. Also, the strong and forceful way in which Jane opines about people and situations makes it clear to the reader that the author has placed Jane in that particular circumstance, in order toexpress her own thoughts about a past experience. The novel follows the pattern of a bildungsroman, which weaves the plot around the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist (in this case, Jane). This allows the author to address different stages of social and gender discrimination, and the way they influence Jane's mind. However, the narrative is not representative of the protagonist's intellect at the given point. Rather, it is written in retrospect by Jane, who adds her own analytical comments in narrative interstices, often in justification of her
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre Before writing this assignment I am going to write about the novelist who possibly has written one of the best novels I have ever read. The novelist who wrote Jane Eyre is called Charlotte Bronte, Charlotte was born In Thornton, Yorkshire in 1816. She was the third child to have been born by her parents Maria and Patrick Bronte. Mrs.Bronte died in the year of 1821 so Charlotte and her fours sisters and her Brother Branwell were left in the loving care of their aunt Elizabeth Branwell- Charlotte and her sisters were sent to a school of Daughters Of The Clergy. Between 1831 to 1832 Charlotte was at Miss.Woolers school at Roehead where she did later return as a teacher in 1835. In 1847 she published Jane Eyre. This became a success so she later published three over novels "Shirley", "Villette" and "Professor". The Bronte sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne all created brave and indomitable heroines: Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Emily's fiery Catherine Earnshaw of the famous book Withering heights and Anne's Helen Graham who was in the Tenant of Wildfell Hall left her drunken and brutal husband- perhaps partly based on their brother Branwell taking her son with her and earning a living as an artist, and audacious action in the masculine dominated world of Victorian Society. To have their books published they had to adopt male pseudonyms. By the names of Currer, Ellis and
Jane Eyre and Victorian Women
Jane Eyre and Victorian Women Introduction Whilst the Victorian era saw Britain becoming the epitome of power and wealth, the status of women was a perfect example of the discrepancy between this and the appalling social conditions. Women were expected to remain pure and clean, and were expected to be treated as if they were holy yet had limited rights which meant that they could not vote, hold a job that wasn't teaching or own property. It was also believed that women should not be educated to the levels that men were. The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said "Women exist in the main solely for the propagation of the species." These somewhat misogynistic words perhaps highlight the opinions that were held about women during the Victorian period. However, despite the barriers put up for women, the number of female writers increased greatly. The catch was that in order to be taken seriously, they had to write under male aliases. This includes Charlotte Brontë, who wrote Jane Eyre as Currer Bell and Mary Ann Evans who wrote Middlemarch as George Eliot two of the novels that we will be talking about. Jane Eyre Jane feels exiled and ostracized at the beginning of the novel, and the cruel treatment she receives from her Aunt Reed and her cousins only increases her feeling of alienation. Charlotte Brontë may have created the character of Jane Eyre as a means
The feminism in Jane Eyre
Haian Nguyen October 31, 2009 Word Count: 3271 In what ways might Jane Eyre be considered a feminist novel? For many years, women have always been placed under a multitude of societal constraints and limitations in society. This status quo accepted by society as an ideal defined by the norms of each time period. Feminists disagree with this unjust power to define the women's status as dependent upon the dominant male figures. However, as time progresses, more women sought and seek to overturn the status quo by voicing their opinions that all are equal, making this one of the feminist's characteristics. Feminism can be defined as: 1) the belief that women and men are, and have been, treated differently by our society, and that women have frequently and systematically been unable to participate fully in all social arenas and institutions; 2) a desire to change that situation; 3) a "new" point-of-view on society, when eliminating old assumptions about why things are the way they are, and looking at it from the perspective that women are not inferior and men are not "the norm." As an approach to change the belief that women and men are, and have been treated differently by our society, feminist writers utilize the power of literature to speak out against inequality through their feminist novels. Feminist novels are books written to illuminate women's inequality in society.
Jane Eyre
How does Charlotte Brontë convey Jane Eyre's state of mind in chapter two of the text 'Jane Eyre'? Jane Eyre's state of mind is conveyed throughout chapter two in Brontë's 1847 novel, Jane Eyre. Her vivid description of her fractured sense of self is portrayed during her emotional time in the 'red room'. The story explores a diverse child by involving numerous techniques and situations that enables the reader, to understand Jane's situation and her feelings towards people and the places around her. Bronte uses fist person persona she also uses a narrative voice, this allows the audience to gain an insight into the mind of Jane. The experience that Jane explores reveals a cultural context within the role and society of women of the time. Furthermore Jane Eyre is put into the role of a 10-year-old orphan that lives with her aunt. Jane is very strict in the way she presents herself and her well-chosen words. She seems to be an intellectual adult fixed into a 10 year olds body. Her ability of understanding provokes Jane's loneliness causes her to become isolated and inferior to other members of the household. Jane's hierarchy in the house is very abused and used against her, which also states her well being in the house. As she is young, inferior, and a girl this allows Bronte to go into depth on women and how others portray them. Due to her abusive aunt and cousins, resulting
Jane Eyre
Mutha 1 Mutha Rushabh Ferns Sylvia English language 06 November 2008 JANE EYRE -BY CHARLOTTE BRONTË Self Reflection /World Connection Personal response to the novel - According to me the author of the novel, Charlotte Brontë has articulated herself to the fullest. She has described the plot, theme, and the setting in such a good way that it is very easy for the reader to create a picture in his mind. In my opinion the themes that provoked my interest mainly are -Confidence and Independence, Morality, Social Class, Atonement and Forgiveness, and of course Love and Passion .Throughout the book Jane Eyre demands to be treated as an independent human being, a person with her own needs and talents. The story is not only a love story; but recognition of the individual's worth. Jane refuses to become Rochester's wife because of her "impassioned self-respect and moral conviction." She also rejects John River's purity as much as Rochester's liberty. Instead, she works out a morality expressed in love, independence, and forgiveness. In terms of social class Jane herself speaks out against class prejudice at certain moments in the book, for e.g. "Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!-I have as much soul as you-and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have
Jane Eyre
Coursework question: write about the ways in which Charlotte Bronte uses the red room incident as a turning point in the novel for the young Jane Eyre. In your answer you should comment on the following: * How Jane is portrayed before being locked up in the red room. * How Jane's cousins treat her * Her change in attitude towards her aunt after the event. Jane Eyre The red room incident Charlotte Bronte uses the red room incident as a turning point in the novel for the young Jane Eyre. The incident sets the momentum for the rest of the novel; it determines how Jane's character is going to develop. Besides if it hadn't happened then most, if not all of the novel would not have taken place. Jane Eyre, a nine year old orphan, on a rainy, sombre, bitter day curls up with a book in the window bay; is discovered and stuck by her cousin John Reed; fights back then is locked up in the terrifying red room as her punishment by her aunt Mrs Reed. It was Mrs Reed's dead husband's whish she should keep his niece Jane. As a result John Reed thinks of Jane as an outsider and has no remorse for Jane. He often exerts his authority and power over her" say...Master Reed", he also demands that he was addresses as Master Reed by Jane. He fells that its unfair that Jane the outsider should be a burden upon his mother "...You are a dependant, mamma says; you have no money; your father
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' was first published in England in October, 1847, and it made a huge splash among the Victorian reading public. The novel was subtitled, "An Autobiography," and readers through the years have been charmed by the strong voice of the heroine who tells the story of her life. The story of the young heroine is also in many ways conventional, the rise of a poor orphan girl against overwhelming odds, whose love and determination eventually redeem a tormented hero. Yet if this all there were to 'Jane Eyre', the novel would soon have been forgotten. Her book has serious things to say about a number of important subjects: the relations between men and women, women's equality, religious faith and religious hypocrisy, the realization of selfhood, the nature of true love, and importantly the treatment of children and of women. Its representation of the underside of domestic life and the hypocrisy behind religious faiths drew both praise and bitter criticism, while Charlotte Bronte's striking expose of poor living conditions for children in charity schools as well as her poignant portrayal of the limitations faced by women who worked as governesses sparked great controversy and social debate. 'Jane Eyre' uses a first-person narrative strategy strongly emphasizing the correctness of the narrator's views. Since this narrator is a governess, the focus
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre Social protest is an act of express opposition through words to do with social issues. This is what charlotte Bronte did by writing this book, 'Jane Eyre'. Mainly Charlotte Bronte was protesting against the position of middle class women, social inequality between the rich and the poor and marrying above or below status. These issues were very important in the Victorian times. Charlotte Bronte was very critical of the Victorian society. To her everything was not fair. The book 'Jane Eyre' is based on a true-life story. It is just like a reflection of Charlotte Bronte's life and the way she was treated. People were divided into different classes: upper, middle and lower class. All these classes were treated differently and unfairly. The upper class were the highest of the classes; they were treated with the most respect and honour. Middle class then was divided into, upper and lower middle class. Upper middle class were treated more or less the same as upper class individuals, they were respected and people below them obeyed them. Lower middle class middle class mostly consisted of orphans who were dependents; people who were of a higher class then raised them. Working class was the lowest class of them all; the majority of them were treated like slaves, and were not given any self-respect. Nearly all of them had jobs even the children. Women of that age were not
Jane Eyre
Essay: Jane Eyre Jane Eyre is a Victorian novel by Charlotte Bronte written and set in that era. It was published in 1847, but under the male pseudonym of Currer Bell. Jane Eyre suffered many hardships in her life and in the book she relates to them, and draws parallels between her life and Jane Eyre's life. There were three publications with revised texts. In this essay I will outline, analyse and cross-reference the two major themes underlying the opening chapters. I will discuss the following ideas: How setting is used to reflect Jane's feelings and the contrast of Jane's views with the patriarchal Victorian household. I will concentrate on the author's methods of evoking empathy and sympathy in the reader, and the language used to do this. I will show how the author's language affects the reader's perception of the characters. The author uses setting in the opening chapters to great effect. She uses the setting to reflect Jane's mental and emotional state. She uses a number of emotive verbs, nouns and adjectives to illustrate a complex psychological landscape. The author uses a variety of adjectives and writing techniques to relay the character's mood. One of these methods that is repeatedly used, is the pathetic fallacy. It is used a lot in the opening chapter. The narrator says, 'in the leafless shrubbery,' and goes on to say, 'clouds so sombre.' These are examples of
