Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre (1847)

 

Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre (1847)

I. Charlotte Brontë: Biographical Sketch

1. Birth & Early Adversity:

ØBorn April 21, 1816, Thornton, Yorkshire; third of six children of Anglican minister Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell.

Ø  Shifted to Haworth (1820); mother died of cancer (1821); elder sisters Maria and Elizabeth dead from tuberculosis (1825).

2. Education & Formative Experiences:

Ø  Attended Clergy Daughters’ School (inspiration for Lowood School in Jane Eyre), later educated at home.

Ø  Collaborated with siblings in creating fictional worlds (e.g., Angria), cultivating literary imagination.

3. Career & Pseudonym:

Ø  Worked as governess/teacher, reporting critiques of gender/class in her novels.

Ø  Studied in Brussels (1842–44); unrequited love for Constantin Heger (married) inspired Villette and The Professor.

Ø  Published under androgynous pseudonym "Currer Bell" to circumvent Victorian gender bias.

4. Major Works & Publication:

Ø  Jane Eyre (1847), Shirley (1849), Villette (1853), The Professor (posthumous, 1857).

5. Personal Life & Death:

Ø  Married Arthur Bell Nicholls (1854); died during pregnancy (March 31, 1855), aged 38.

Ø  Buried at St. Michael and All Angels Church, Haworth.

Charles Dickens - Great Expectations

II. Jane Eyre (1847): Overview

1. Publication & Reception:

Ø  Published under "Currer Bell"; immediate commercial/critical success.

Ø  Renowned for strong female protagonist and innovative first-person narrative.

2. Plot Trajectory:

Ø  Orphaned protagonist Jane Eyre endures abuse at Gateshead, hardship at Lowood School, employment as governess at Thornfield Hall.

Ø  Forges complex relationship with Byronic hero Edward Rochester; discovers his confined wife (Bertha Mason, the "madwoman in the attic").

Ø  Rejects bigamous marriage; achieves independence; returns to Rochester after Bertha’s death and his disabling injuries.

3. Central Themes:

Ø  Morality & Religion: Jane’s decisions guided by Christian ethics (e.g., refusal to marry Rochester while Bertha lives).

Ø  Gender Equality: Protagonist challenges Victorian separate spheres ideology, demanding intellectual/emotional parity.

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."

Ø  Social Class: Critiques Victorian class hierarchy (e.g., Jane’s marginalization as governess).

Ø  Love vs. Autonomy: Jane prioritizes self-respect over romantic passion.

"I would always rather be happy than dignified."

4. Literary Techniques:

Ø  Gothic Elements: Haunted settings (Thornfield Hall), psychological terror, Bertha as Gothic double.

Ø  Autobiographical Resonance: Jane’s experiences mirror Brontë’s life (e.g., governess role, Brussels schooling).

Ø  First-Person Narrative: Creates immediacy and psychological depth; focuses feminist subjectivity.

III. Critical Reception & Legacy

1. Contemporary Reviews:

Ø  Praised for emotional intensity and character complexity; condemned for "coarseness" and moral subversion.

2. Modern Perspectives:

Ø  Hailed as foundational feminist text; proto-feminist readings of Jane’s agency.

Ø  Postcolonial critiques (e.g., Bertha as racialized "Other" in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea).

3. Literary Endorsements:

Ø  Virginia Woolf: "We read Charlotte Brontë not for exquisite observation... but for her poetry."

Ø  Harold Bloom: Classifies Jane Eyre as a "classic of Gothic and Victorian literature".

4. Adaptations & Influence:

Ø  Numerous film, television, and theatrical adaptations; inspired intertextual works (e.g., Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier).

IV. Key Characters

1. Jane Eyre: Resilient protagonist; embodies moral integrity and quest for self-actualization.
2. Edward Rochester: Byronic hero; represents restrained passion and patriarchal ambiguity.
3. Bertha Mason: Antillean Creole heiress; confined as "mad"; Gothic symbol of repressed female rage.
4. Helen Burns: Jane’s devout friend at Lowood; exemplifies Christian stoicism.
5. St. John Rivers: Austerely religious suitor; contrasts Rochester’s passion with cold pragmatism.

V. Brontë’s Enduring Significance

1. Literary Innovation:

Ø  Merged Gothic conventions with social realism and autobiographical narrative.

2. Cultural Impact:

Ø  Pioneered complex female subjectivity in Victorian literature; influenced New Woman writing.

Ø  Continues to inspire feminist, psychoanalytic, and postcolonial scholarship.

3. Timeless Relevance:

Ø  Explores universal tensions: morality/desire, independence/belonging, silence/self-expression.

"The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself."

Literary Glossary:

1. Byronic Hero: Charismatic but flawed protagonist embodying rebellion and introspection.
2. Gothic Double: Character (e.g., Bertha) reflecting the protagonist’s suppressed fears/desires.
3. Separate Spheres: Victorian ideology confining women to domestic/private realms.
4. Proto-Feminism: Early literary challenges to patriarchal norms preceding organized feminism.

"Jane Eyre remains a beacon of moral courage and feminist resolve, illuminating the struggle for selfhood in a constraining world."

 

Excerpts from Jane Eyre

1. On Independence: "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."
2. On Love: "I would always rather be happy than dignified."
3. On Morality: "I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself."

Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre remains a timeless exploration of love, morality, and independence. Brontë's life and works continue to inspire readers and scholars, cementing her place as one of the most important figures in English literature.