Jane Eyre context

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  • Created by: Hikarasu
  • Created on: 13-05-15 21:05
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  • Context
    • Jane Eyre
      • Character who strongly resists traditional female norms. May not be a 'heroine' however as she does this for herself.
        • Will not follow normal rules.
          • Master! How is he my master? pg 15
            • Reeds
          • '''They are not fit to associate with me'' pg 34
          • '''poverty for me was synonymous with degradation'' pg 30
          • Jane does not marry Rochester until she is sure that she can look after herself- women were not supposed to do this
            • Relationship with Rochester
            • Ends in  equality- ''to be together is for us to be at once as free as in solitude''. pg 519
    • Rochester
      • Rochester is represented as a strong but FLAWED character in JE. Cannot deal with Bertha and so locks her away. Rough around the edges.
        • Fire- weather stormy. Representative of a male victorian- are females the only ones struggling with society?
      • Money
      • Status
    • Gothic description
      • The gothic language was new and almost radical at the time. Further emphasises how Jane stands out from traditional female position.
      • Why is JE written in the gothic?- Allows Bronte to enforce her ideas through a powerful, imposing language style.
      • UntitleShaking my hair from my eyes, I lifted my head and tried to look boldly round the dark room: at this moment a light gleamed on the wall. Was it, I asked myself, a ray from the moon penetrating some aperture in the blind? No; moonlight was still, and this stirred; while I gazed, it glided up to the ceiling and quivered over my head. pg 21.
        • Madness? Perhaps foreshadowing of Bertha's madness. Glimpses of Jane's inner madness- parallels.
        • Does Jane let trauma overcome her? Is she weak as she attempts to find something to rely on?
      • Jane in distress after she leaves Thornfield pg 372. Usually used to show weak females- Jane has done this BY CHOICE to fight for what SHE WANTS. represents STRENGTH.
      • Pathetic fallacy- pg  10 represents how this will not be a happy novel.
    • Cultural
      • Culture in which Jane grows up stereotypes females
        • The novel is focused on Jane's struggle to find her independence and fulfil her sense of self in a society that oppresses her
  • John Reed
  • Self-worth
  • Marriage
    • Jane rejects St. John's proposal- she wants something that makes her feel comforted and agrees with her. St. John does not provide this, and she cannot relate to his religious attitude.
      • ' In 1847 the idea of marrying a handsome and courageous man and supporting him in his vocation would have been attractive to many readers'
  • WSS comparison- Antoinette and Rochester's relationship does NOT end in equality- why? Antoinette easily submits. Unequal in personality to Rochester.

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