Notesale: Turn your study into money

Document Preview

Extracts from the notes are below, to see the PDF you'll receive please use the links above

---

Jane Eyre - Context
Victorian Society
-Clear idea of social class
-Strong belief in the supremacy of the rich because of pedigree and wealth
-75% of population belonged to the manual labour class by 1967
-In London, 11% of children in primary schools were malnourished
-Upper class controlled the armed forces, the church, the civil service and the world
of the law
-NHS was not available, healthcare was unaffordable for most
-Conservatives dominated the government
-Children from rich families were taught at home by a governess until they were 10
years old, boys then went to public school while girls either discontinued their
education or were taught things such as languages, social skills etc by a governess
-Charity schools educated the poor, supported by private contributions and usually
operated by a religious body
-Most middle class women went on to work as governesses for the upper classes
-Negative stereotypes emerged that they had affairs with their employers and
were cruel towards the children they taught/cared for
Romanticism
-In the 18th century, fascination with all things classical, writers and painters turned to
the Gothic, the foreign, the exotic, and the supernatural-all of which are present in
Jane Eyre
-Instead of prizing reason and logical thinking, they insisted emotional response was
more important
-Jane chooses feeling over logic
-Imbrued nature with a personality, ascribing it to human mood and moral impulses
-Bronte uses reoccurring moon imagery at key points in the novel, Jane sees
it as a consoling and motherly figure
-Jane’s love of nature reflects Bronte’s own deep love of her natural surroundings
-Gothic fiction is designed to intensify the reader’s emotional response by introducing
the unfamiliar and the inexplicable into a familiar, safe and realistic world
-Bronte uses supernatural events to reinforce this theme
-Bronte combines supernatural elements with a rational realism that gently mocks the
overactive imagination of Jane
-In appearance, Rochester is a typical gothic hero
-Romantic writers emphasise the importance of the individual, inspired by both the
French and American writers and in turn the enlightenment
-Rosamond is the one character that is a social reformer, but she is ultimately
dismissed by Jane
-Romantic poets and novelists influence her style however Bronte still is majorly
influenced by religion

Byronic Hero: Mr Rochester
- A variant of the Romantic Hero, created by Lord Byron
-Developed in the 1800s
-Archetype
-A more realistic type of hero than the traditional Romantic one as they are more
psychologically and emotionally complex
-Tend to focus on their self at the center of existence, rather than the rest of society
-Some key characteristics include: intelligent, cunning, arrogant, depressive,
manipulative, reckless or suicidal, sexually appealing and seductive, violent, an
isolated or troubled past etc
-Featured in various other works including Byron’s own poetry and Wuthering Heights
-Some believe that there are also Byronic Heroines, Jane is potentially an example of
this due to her having spent years in isolation and her sharing many of the
characteristics of a traditional Byronic Hero; for example, she is intelligent, somewhat
arrogant-see description of Blanche-, somewhat reckless-see her childhood-, she is
perceived as unattractive but is intriguing etc
...
Typically, the
values of society are gradually accepted by the protagonist and he/she is ultimately
accepted into society
-Examples of the genre include Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Lion King,
Emma, Little Women etc
A Hero’s Journey
-Narratology
-Template of a broad category of tales and
lore that involves a hero who goes on an
adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a
victory, and then comes home changed or
transformed
-Popularized by Joseph Campbell, who
was influenced by Carl Jung's view of myth
-Applies to Jane Eyre
1: Life at Gateshead
2: Lowood
3: Helen Burn’s advice and Miss
Temple
4: Thornfield
5: Life as a governess
6: Proposal

7: Bertha
8: Finding cousins
9: Hearing Rochester
10: Return to Thornfield
11: Marrying Rochester
12: Rochester regains sight, Jane has a family

Charlotte Bronte
-Born in 1816, died in 1855
-Wrote under the pseudonym Currer Bell
-Daughter of a priest
-Had five siblings, two of which were also authors (Emily and Anne)
-Her two older sisters died while at school in Lancashire
-Her only brother, Branwell, died of tuberculosis which was aggravated by his drug
and alcohol addictions, Emily and Anne also died of this disease within the same
year
-Attempted to open a school with her sisters
-Worked as a governess
-Died due to pregnancy complications, morning sickness rendering her severely
weak



---