Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre tells the story of an outspoken and passionate woman in Victorian England. Despite her plain appearance and her low social status, the novel's heroine falls in love, sticks to her beliefs and eventually finds her independence. But the "insane" first wife of her suitor Mr Rochester casts a dark, GothicCharacterised by gloom, mystery and horror. shadow over this classic romance.
Jane Eyre
Glossary
Gothic - Characterised by gloom, mystery and horror.
Patriarchy - A system of society where men hold power and women are excluded.
Colonialism - This refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.
Devoid - Without or absent.
Adroitly - In a clever or skilful way.
Zeal - Having great enthusiasm for a cause.
Lucidity - Clearness.
Occult - A term used to refer to supernatural happenings outside the bounds of the traditional religions. The word literally means hidden.