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
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.
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Jane Eyre has been hailed for taking the Victorian novel in a unique direction, with its sympathetic and realistic presentation of a woman's inner life, desires and psychology. Some say that not all of the women in the novel are afforded such grace. Modern readings point out that Bertha Mason, consigned to the role of the "madwoman in the attic" by Bronte, is a victim of the intersection of patriarchyA system of society where men hold power and women are excluded. and colonialismThis 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. in the West Indies. This was explored in depth in Jean Rhys' 1966 novel Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel to Jane Eyre told from the perspective of Rochester's wife.
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Jane has lived a life practically devoidWithout or absent. of love, having lost her parents and beloved uncle. She is persecuted by her cousins and aunt, and the sisterly love she finds at Lowood ends when Helen Burns unexpectedly dies. Despite this, she navigates relationships throughout the novel adroitlyIn a clever or skilful way. , running from Rochester when she realises that her wishes cannot morally be fulfilled with the man she loves, and turning down marriage with St. John because their relationship would be passionless. Conventions of the time stated that marriage should be a meeting of fraternal affection rather than romantic passion, but Bronte's heroine rejects this on principle, and ultimately marries somebody she is passionately in love with.
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Jane does not attach any importance to wealth or class, but she is acutely aware that others do, and that the inferiority of her class status exposes her to mockery and derision. Her high level of education appears to be of little consequence compared to her material disadvantages. Her eventual marriage to someone of a higher class than herself is foreshadowed early in the novel, when we learn that Jane's mother was cast off by her relatives for marrying down. Despite the vast importance of class differences, Jane states specifically that in her marriage to Rochester, they live as equals.
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Religion is portrayed critically in the novel. Many of the religious characters are misguided, deploying their faith to justify judgement, cruelty and dehumanisation. Mr Brocklehurst is an example of this. Characters like Helen Burns and St. John Rivers are broadly more positive examples of religious zealHaving great enthusiasm for a cause. , but for both, their faith precludes the possibility of real passion and a depth of emotional experience. Jane is devout, but eventually finds a balance between staying true to religious principles and taking joy in the pleasures of life and love.
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A motif of the novel is what remains unseen and unobserved, from the novel's plain and unobtrusive protagonist and Rochester's incarcerated wife to the forceful power of emotion which hovers just beneath the surface. The narrative, through its richness, colour and lucidityClearness. , also leaves a lot to be inferred. It is packed with references to magic, the supernatural and the occultA term used to refer to supernatural happenings outside the bounds of the traditional religions. The word literally means hidden., many of which have multiple and ambiguous interpretations. Many passages, for example the one describing Jane's experiences in the red-room at Gateshead, also draw heavily from Gothic influences.
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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.
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.