What aspects of Charlotte Bronte's depiction and use of the character of Bertha Mason are most clearly illuminated by Jean Rhys' depiction and use of her parallel character of Antoinette?
What aspects of Charlotte Bronte's depiction and use of the character of Bertha Mason are most clearly illuminated by Jean Rhys' depiction and use of her parallel character of Antoinette? In Wide Sargasso Sea, written by Jean Rhys in the 1960's, is a radical critique of the context of English Imperialism and male dominated society within which Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre. In order to both expose and oppose the parallels inherent in Jane Eyre, Rhys intertwines in her novel the two reading positions of feminist and postcolonialist criticism. Rhys demonstrates how both social and narrative conventions mandate that certain categories of women must be devalued if other categories of women are to assume importance. She does this by exposing to the reader how Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre, in order for her reader to give Jane an assumed importance, devalued by the Creole character Bertha; showing her to be made and giving us Jane's description of her as "[she] seemed...a woman... [she] reminded me... [of] the foul German Spectre - the vampire" and Rochester's comment that "the lunatic is both cunning and malignant." Rhys, it seems was politically inspired to rewrite Jane Eyre and write back to the empire. Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Jane Eyre which was written British Empire was at its peak. Jane Eyre was a representation of England to the English. Rhys decided to write
How does Charlotte Bronte prepare us for a change in Jane's life in chapter 12 of Jane Eyre?
How does Charlotte Bronte prepare us for a change in Jane's life in chapter 12 of Jane Eyre? Jane Eyre is a famous novel written by English writer Charlotte Bronte and was published in England in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. The Victorian era was a time period plagued with problems of inequalities, symbolism and independence between men and women, in this novel Charlotte Bronte uses Jane Eyre as a mouthpiece in order to express her views on such elements. The novel is about an orphan named Jane Eyre; Charlotte Bronte takes us on an incredible journey through which we see Jane Eyre's life in the Victorian era. Bronte uses thrilling and descriptive language to clearly describe Jane Eyre's tragic journey. Growing up she has a sad life, from the death of her parents to her abusive and horrendous & unfair treatment from Mrs. Reed or John Reed. Jane's tolerance of change begins very early in the novel and helps her in developing a strong sense of independence. When she moves to Lowood institute, she almost lives in a state of poverty, rationed food and poor accommodation, yet when she moves to Thornfield institute and is appointed as a governess, she meets Mr. Rochester and her life takes a rapid turn. Bronte uses many authorial techniques such as prophetic fallacy and imagery to convey her characters feelings; she also uses techniques such as first person narration to indulge us
The Wide Sargasso Sea How does your view of Antoinette change from part one to part two? What are the reasons for these changes and how does Rhys' writing achieve this?
The Wide Sargasso Sea How does your view of Antoinette change from part one to part two? What are the reasons for these changes and how does Rhys' writing achieve this? When we meet Antoinette for the first time, she is a child of no more than 10. The absence of a definite age mirrors her flightful and relaxed personality. This is a common technique involving several factors that forms a bond between the reader and the character. Her innocence as a child is taken for granted, and therefore any aspect of her life will be both honest and frank in its description. "She was much blacker - blue-black with a thin face and straight features." Because of the use of stream of consciousness writing, her comments on and interactions with the world around her are simple, direct and open. This is shown through her interpretation of various objects. "Our garden was large and beautiful as that Garden in the bible - the tree of life grew there." As common with other writers such as Joyce in "Portrait of the artist as a young man", Rhys adds an element of autism to the observations of the child. "I sat close to the old wall at the end of the garden. It was covered with green moss". The absence of direct meaning or symbolism, added to the already plain language serves to arouse the reader's sympathy for the character. We take her brutal honesty in her observations "I went up to him but he was
Charlotte Bronte-Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre How does Charlotte Bronte make us feel sympathetic towards Jane upon her treatment at Gateshead and Lowood? 1816, a legend was born. A legend known as Charlotte Bronte, now considered as one of the greatest female writers of all time. Bronte was one of five sisters but also had one brother. She was born in Thornton and was daughter to an Anglican Clergyman who moved with his family to Haworth, part of the Yorkshire Moors in 1820. After Charlotte's mother and two eldest sisters died, she was left with sisters Emily and Anne and brother Branwell. Charlotte and her other siblings were left under the care of their father and strict religious aunt, Elizabeth Branwell. Charlotte and her sisters had always been interested in reading and writing, even as small children. They would read each other short stories and poems and on occasions writing the smallest of novels on scraps of paper. All three sisters became successful novelists and poets and were forced to hide behind the pseudonyms, Curer, Ellis and Acton Bell due to the fact writing was not considered to be a career choice for women in Victorian times. Their true identities were revealed several years later. Some of Charlotte's novels included: Jane Eyre (1847), Vilette (1853) Shirley (1849) and The Professor (1857) The novel Jane Eyre follows a young girls life into adulthood in Victorian
How does Charlotte Bronte depict Jane Eyre(TM)s childhood through the first four chapters
How does Charlotte Bronte depict Jane Eyre's childhood through the first four chapters Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. It was first published as an autobiography under the pseudonym Currer Bell and immediately became a big success. Charlotte Bronte originally had to write her novel under a pseudonym because women were not allowed to publish books at that time as women had a lower status than men did. This is mirrored throughout the book, for example, John Reed had complete control over Jane and other girls and women of Gateshead hall. This leads on to how women were treated in the Victorian times; women did not have any rights over men and were not in any way independent. Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman. This means that the book Jane Eyre concentrates on the spiritual, moral, psychological, social development and growth of Jane Eyre from girl to adulthood. On this long and arduous journey, the main character must feel some loss or discontent at a young age that forces her to embark on this journey. In Victorian times, adults believed that children should be seen but not heard. A prime example of this is when Jane worked as a governess of Adele at Mr Rochester's house. Whenever Mr Rochester has guests at his mansion; his guests made remarks and comments about Adele's actions. The storyline of Jane Eyre is a reflection of Charlotte Bronte's life as it was an
What Techniques does Charlotte Bronte use to establish the Character
What Techniques does Charlotte Bronte use to establish the Character of Jane Eyre in Chapters One-Four of the Novel? In this essay I am going to analyse the novel 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte. Jane is an orphaned child sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle was her last remaining blood relative and, since he died, she has been severely neglected. She is treated like a slave and is bullied by her cousins. She was locked in a room in which her uncle died in and thought that she saw a ghost of him and fainted. The owner of Lowood boarding school comes to talk to Mrs Reed about her attending the school and Mrs Reed in spite of Jane gives him false information about Jane, telling him that she is a liar. Mr Brocklehurst never forgets what her Aunt said and uses it against her throughout her school life until it is proven that she is innocent. Jane grows up to work as a teacher at Lowood and eventually marries the wealthy Mr Rochester. I am going to show you some of the ways Charlotte Bronte uses to establish the character of Jane Eyre. One way that Bronte establishes the character of Jane Eyre is by creating characters who contrast with Jane. One of the characters that we can use as a contrast to Jane is Master John Reed: "Joan is not here: tell mama she is run out into the rain - bad animal!" He says when he was looking for Jane in the library. She was there, but
Jane Eyre is one of the earliest English novels with a strong, female central character. Do you think she 'sells out' by marrying Rochester, thus enabling a conventional, romantic ending to the novel?
Jane Eyre is one of the earliest English novels with a strong, female central character. Do you think she 'sells out' by marrying Rochester, thus enabling a conventional, romantic ending to the novel? "He stretched his hand out to be led." (Jane) Form start to finish, this novel has had one strong, female central character - Jane Eyre. We see her fight for independence as a female from her childhood right up until her marriage. These ardent, passionate beliefs do not leave her once married, if anything; they get stronger. Jane does not 'sell out' by marrying Rochester for now she is the more powerful half of the relationship. Jane is her husband's eyes and "He (Rochester) saw nature...books through me." She has everything she wished for and is dependent upon no one just as she had dreamed. "I resisted all the way- a new thing for me" Here Jane declares her independence for the first time in the novel after an argument with her cousin, John Reed. It was to be a turning point in her early life as now she did not take anything lying down, "(She) was a discord at Gateshead Hall." The next time we see Jane express her passionate nature is in her outburst with Mrs Reed. Here Jane realises she has made a mistake but excuses herself, "Something spoke out of me over which I had no control...I was now in for it." Jane's lack of submission seems to be a recurring theme
Hi My name is Nicole Awes.
Hi My name is Nicole Awes. I am fourteen and a female when I was six we moved to Australia because of the violence and crimes in Athens, Greece my home. I was born in Greece 1984 and now I am growing up in Australia. I'm finding it hard to grow up in a different country. My first day at high school was dreadful kids were looking at me strange and calling me names like ugly duckling, send her back to the zoo. It was difficult to learn also people were talking about me behind my back and throwing paper at me. They all followed me around at lunch and laughed at the food I had. There was a main girl leading these girls on her name was Jane and she was the girl that was tripping me and calling me names the most. But when I'm angry I'm angry and Jane didn't stop. Jane at lunch time tripped me and "bang" there I landed face first on the concrete. I had to do something now or she will keep on doing it until I leave high school. "Ouch" as I pulled out Janes hair and then Jane slapped me on the face, then it all stopped after miss Billawa stopped us and sent us to the principals office. I burst out in tears and Jane's Group sat there and laughed at me. My life wasn't pleasant at this time. I wish I could just be a normal kid without the teasing. I am feeling a bit left out with no one to help me and my parents wouldn't understand. I wish I could be Australian , or have a bigger
"The Gothic is an outlet for the repression of the society" Discuss.
"The Gothic is an outlet for the repression of the society." Discuss The gothic is shown as an outlet for the repression of the society in many ways. In Jane Eyre, immorality, women, madness and sexual desires/passions are being suppressed to ensure that they do not occur on the surface. However, the Gothic uses archetypal symbols, unexpressed passions, the double, madness, death, darkness and supernatural as an outlet for repression. Irrational and aberrant desires are shunned upon in any conservative society that functions on reason and logic. Therefore institutions like religion and moral codes are established, hitherto to modern days, to maintain a status quo and repress such behavior. The Gothic, on the other hand, provides its reader with a vicarious thrill of unleashing such behavior through its fascination with the supernatural. Through her dreams, Jane Eyre projects her inner rage towards Thornfield hall it confines her. She believes that "[t]o pass its threshold was to return to stagnation", subjected to the darkness and repetition of women's work. Whereas the "rayless cells" and the "viewless fetters" of Thornfield" are sources of her dread because they represent the lack of a "power of vision" that would connect her with wider knowledge, more varied activity and a larger world. Hence, the latent desire to dismantle such a form of repression is expressed in her
Examine the way in which childhood perspectives are created in Jane Eyre and Hideous Kinky
Examine the way in which childhood perspectives are created in Jane Eyre and Hideous Kinky. Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816 in Hamworth in Yorkshire. Her father was the vicar of the village she lived in. Her mother died when she was very young. With her two sisters, Maria and Elizabeth she was sent to a very strict boarding school where she was very unhappy. Both her sisters died of tuberculosis, which made her very upset. Jane Eyre was based on Charlotte Bronte's own experience and is a fictional autobiography. Esther Freud was born in London in 1963 almost 150 years after Charlotte Bronte. She spent most of her childhood in Sussex, she was taken to Morocco when she was very young but says she can't remember. Hideous Kinky was published in 1992, although it's not an autobiography its base on her childhood experiences in Morocco. Jane Eyre is set in the middle of the Victorian period where children had no rights and social class was everything. As the book goes on we see Jane grow from a rebellious and boisterous young girl to a sensible and determined woman. We see Jane move from place to place meeting and losing people. Although we do see Jane growing into a young woman we are only concentrating on the first 10 chapters in which we follow her childhood. Hideous Kinky is set in the 1960's, in Morocco .The book gives a view of life on the road to Morocco is put across