Comparison of Jane Eyre and The Color Purple.
Comparison of Jane Eyre + The Color Purple Both novels are variations of the same theme: the spiritual and emotional growth of the heroine. Is this a fair assessment? Both novels convey important, political messages exploring the idea of feminism and womenÆs emancipation. Bronte uses Jane as a figure of female independence, while Walker demonstrates her views on civil rights and commitment to feminism through Celie. In this essay I will be examining the traumatic journeys that both Jane and Celie go through, to find their eventual happiness. I will also be considering the spiritual and emotional growth of both girls, throughout their journey in life. Written in 1847, Jane Eyre was an immediate best seller in the early Victorian period. At this period in time, women had a very inferior status to men, which allowed Bronte to stress her theme of female independence. Jane is the eponymous heroine of the novel, going through severe tests in each stage of her life, so that she can eventually deserve her eventual happiness. Jane starts her journey with her childhood at Gateshead. Here, we quickly discover that Jane is unhappy and it is evident by the way she hides behind the thick red curtains in the deserted room, that she is lonely and isolated. It is quickly apparent that Jane has a strong personality and though she is only ten years old, she refuses to be dominated by her
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
Jane Eyre - Through A Critical Lens
Ron Nair Pd. 5 /31/08 Who Is That Woman? Analyzing Jane Eyre through a New Historicist Lens Historical research has always been an issue of trial and error. Through analyzing novels such as Jane Eyre, historicists can learn about that part of our past by looking at the prevalent themes in the novels, such as social and gender inequalities. By analyzing the historical context of Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre, as well as the readers' present-day biases, Jane's story of love and personal evolution transforms into a revolutionary cry against religion, gender and social inequalities. The time when novels are released is an extremely important piece of information that any new historicist has to look at. Jane Eyre was published in London, England in 1847. When it was published in 1847, Jane Eyre was a bestseller. Many critics believed that the novel was well written but they were curious amongst them regarding the author. The book was originally printed with Currer Bell as the editor and no other information was disclosed concerning the author. The gender of the author was debated for a while until it was released that the author was a woman. Soon, the reviews of the novel became increasingly negative because the public could not believe that a woman could have "written such a passionate novel and seemed so knowing sexually" (Brooklyn CUNY Jane Eyre). I found two
Jane Eyre
How far do you think it is fair to describe Mr Rochester as a Byronic Hero? By Aisling Clifford 11J Charlotte Bronte was heavily influenced by Lord Byron's works and even goes as far to refer to him in her book (the corsair). From this stems what is known as the Byronic hero. Through out time there have been many different characters that portray the characteristics needed to be called a Byronic hero for example Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. In the novel Jane Eyre, lays a character often described as a Byronic hero. These heroes are often seen as rude, obnoxious and difficult to manage at times. They care little for etiquette and social rank. Most have a dark past in which some hidden secret lurks. Byronic heroes are prone to moodiness and are generally well travelled, while in their past considered to have been a womaniser. Most are not considered to be handsome as this helps the reader to relate to them. The character which seems to meet all these requirements is none other than Mr Rochester. Rochester in certainly not considered to have what could be seen as good looks "with his broad and jetty eyebrows; his square forehead, made squarer by the horizontal sweep of his black hair. I recognized his decisive nose, more remarkable for character than beauty; his full nostrils, denoting, I thought, choler; his grim mouth, chin, and jaw-yes, all three were very grim, and
Research notes on "Jane Eyre"
“An epic tale of love, secrets and passion” BBC adaptation full title · Jane Eyre author · Charlotte Brontë (originally published under the male pseudonym Currer Bell) type of work · Novel genre · the Gothic; the romance novel; and the Bildungsroman time and place written · 1847, London date of first publication · 1847 publisher · Smith, Elder, and Co., Cornhill narrator · Jane Eyre protagonist · Jane Eyre setting (time) · Early decades of the nineteenth century. setting (place) · The novel is structured around five separate locations, all supposedly in northern England: the Reed family’s home at Gateshead, the wretched Lowood School, Rochester’s manor house Thornfield, the Rivers family’s home at Moor House, and Rochester’s rural retreat at Ferndean. characters· Jane Eyre Edward Rochester St. John Rivers Mrs. Reed Bessie Lee Mr. Lloyd Georgiana Reed Eliza Reed John Reed Helen Burns. Mr. Maria Temple Miss Scatcherd Alice Fairfax Bertha Mason Grace Poole Adèle Varens Celine Varens Sophie Richardason Mr. Briggs Blanche Ingram Diana Rivers Mary Rivers. Rosamond Oliver John Eyre Uncle Reed themes · Love versus autonomy; religion; social class; gender relations motifs · Fire and ice; substitute mothers symbols · Bertha Mason; the red-room Jane Eyre Main Facts "It is not violence that best overcomes hate nor vengeance that most
Jane Eyre
Pursuit of Feminism in the Victorian period In the novel Jane Eyre, the author Charlotte Bronte advocates the spirit of feminism by illustrating how Jane overcomes the stereotypical belief that many people in the Victorian era holds about women. Women were considered inferior and constricted by the society that they lived in. Bronte firmly conveys the message of feminism by depicting the equal rights women should possess during the particular period of time. Through Jane, Bronte advocates feminism by portraying how Jane successfully resists the belief that people had towards the figure of women, men's oppression, and restrictions of being women. Jane strives to transform the image that people hold about women. The development of Jane's thoughts and emotions enables Jane to acquire the sense of bravery to fight. She constantly endeavors to fight against the unfair reality to gain the equal rights that women should have. She keeps in mind that women do not have to depend on men mentally, physically nor financially. Blanche Ingram, who hopes to marry Rochester for his money, wants to find a rich man whom she can depend on for the rest of her life. Ingram believes that woman's role is to look beautiful and attractive enough to appeal a man with wealth and look. Because Jane senses how woman like Ingram is looked upon others, she struggles to alter this image. Jane rejects to
Jane Eyre: Human Condition
Jane Eyre Human Conditions Jane Eyre demonstrates the human condition in various ways throughout the novel. Mr. Rochester demonstrates the human conditions of reckless abandon and foolish love. Mr. Rochester demonstrates this with his wife Bertha. Mr. Rochester is a very passionate character, and passion often leads to recklessness and/or foolishness. Mr. Rochester married Bertha in Jamaica and because he did not marry for love, he neglects her when she goes mad. Instead of facing his problems or considering the consequences, Mr. Rochester locks Bertha away in the attic. Mr. Rochester demonstrates reckless abandon through his own selfishness of keeping Bertha hidden and a secret from Jane. When he and Jane become romantically involved, he continues to keep Bertha in secrecy and when he and Jane are engaged, he still does not confess his secret. Mr. Rochester demonstrates the human condition of reckless abandon out of foolishness from love. Foolish love is another human condition also revealed in Mr. Rochester. While Mr. Rochester is still married to Bertha, he insists that he and Jane run away together to France to live as husband and wife. Mr. Rochester is deeply in love with Jane and because of his emotions, he does not think about the craziness of his proposal. He is a fool in love willing to drop everything and forget about his wife Bertha, to ride off with Jane into
Jane Eyre: Analysis of Nature
Jane Eyre - Analysis of Nature Charlotte Bronte makes use of nature imagery throughout "Jane Eyre," and comments on both the human relationship with the outdoors and human nature. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines "nature" as "1. the phenomena of the physical world as a whole . . . 2. a thing's essential qualities; a person's or animal's innate character . . . 4. vital force, functions, or needs." We will see how "Jane Eyre" comments on all of these. Several natural themes run through the novel, one of which is the image of a stormy sea. After Jane saves Rochester's life, she gives us the following metaphor of their relationship: "Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea . . . I thought sometimes I saw beyond its wild waters a shore . . . now and then a freshening gale, wakened by hope, bore my spirit triumphantly towards the bourne: but . . . a counteracting breeze blew off land, and continually drove me back." The gale is all the forces that prevent Jane's union with Rochester. Later, Brontë, whether it be intentional or not, conjures up the image of a buoyant sea when Rochester says of Jane: "Your habitual expression in those days, Jane, was . . . not buoyant." In fact, it is this buoyancy of Jane's relationship with Rochester that keeps Jane afloat at her time of crisis in the heath: "Why do I struggle to retain a valueless life?
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Introduction The character of Charlotte Bronte's second novel, JANE EYRE, was advertised from the outset by its subtitle, "An Autobiography," and was received as such by its first critics. Blackwood's reviewer (October 1848) said that it was "a pathetic tale, so like the truth that it si difficult to avoid believing that many of the characters and incidents are take from life." G.H. Lewes found the same thing: "Reality--deep significant reality, is the characteristic of this book . . . . " In JANE EYRE the author gathered together not merely the recent experiences of her adult years, but the unobliterated recollections of childhood at the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge. Confined as that experience had in reality been to a period of ten months in the author's ninth year, it is given a duration and a prominence in the novel that cast its shadow over all the subsequent action. Jane Eyre, the heroine, is essentially a "deprived child," a penniless orphan whose isolation in an inimical world makes her doubly vulnerable to its indifference and cruelty. It also makes her doubly responsive to the least proffer of friendship and love. At the orphanage the child forms a passionate attachment to an older and precociously intelligent girl, HELEN BURNS (whose prototype was Charlotte's own eldest sister, Maria, who died of tuberculosis at
Jane Eyre- Analysis of the character 'Bertha Mason' and her importance in the novel 'Jane Eyre'
Analysis of the character 'Bertha Mason' and her importance in the novel 'Jane Eyre' Bertha Mason is quite possibly the biggest antagonist in 'Jane Eyre'. Although Master Reed and Mrs Reed are emotionally and physically cruel to Jane, Bertha potentially does the most amount of damage to her, intentionally or indirectly. The scene in which Bertha is revealed is arguably the most important scene in the novel. Occasionally referred to as the 'madwoman in the attic', she is not only a huge part in Jane Eyre but a massive part of literature as well. Although Bertha only appears a few times in the novel, Charlotte Bronte has managed to invent a character that essentially creates the stories conclusion and all the unfolding drama surrounding it. Bertha is an unknown character throughout the beginning of the novel, yet even when Jane and the reader are finally introduced to her, we still know very little about her. Although Mr Rochester tells us the story behind his and Bertha's marriage and how she ended up locked in the room on the third floor, there is still an air of mystery around her and when she is first described by Jane's own eye, the reader cannot help but be fascinated and appalled at the same time. Jane describes her first experience of seeing Bertha as '...at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being,
