Bronte, Jane Eyre Trama, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Bronte, Jane Eyre Trama e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Bronte Charlotte Bronte is important not only for the link with dickens about the topic of education, that is present in Hard times, but also because in Jane Eyre there is another important topic: the condition of women during the victorian age. So there is a contrast between the age and the way in which Jane Eyre behaves and thinks about herself. Bronte did not only write this novel, but it is the most famous. Jane Eyre was published in 1847 and is an educational novel, it follows the growth of the protagonists, Jane Eyre, and the novel starts when the protagonist is 9 years old. The plot: The novel begins when the protagonist is around 9 years old, and she’s an orphan so she lives with her uncle’s family, because her parents have died of Typhus, the only one who loves her is her uncle, who unfortunately dies very soon. One day as a punishment for fighting with her cousin, John Ryde, Jane is imprisoned in a room that is called “red room”, because of its curtains, and that was the room where her uncle had died, and as Jane is only 10 years old, only a child, she imagined to see her uncle, she’s frightened, so she screams and faints. When she wakes up she realizes that her Aunt has decided to send her to a school because she doesn’t like Jane. She’s very happy to leave the house where she was treated badly, but when she arrives at the school, called Lowood School, she realizes that the condition of children in there wasn’t the best. It wasn’t a workhouse, as in Oliver Twist, but it was a charity school for orphans, so the theme of the orphans is always present in these novels during the victorian age. In particular, the figure of the headmaster of the school is horrible, he’s cruel, he preaches a doctrine of poverty and probation to his students, while he uses the school funds that where given by the rich families, for appearance, for his personal interests to have a wealthy lifestyle. (E’ un ipocrita,) They didn’t have enough food, so it is evident the hypocrisy between the appearance and the reality; that was an important aspect of the victorian age, “victorian compromise”. Another important aspect was the appearance, so the rich families wanted to show their wealth and they gave money to the charity school, but the headmaster didn’t use this money for children but for himself. In this school Jane Eyre lived 8 years, until she was 18, when she decided to leave because she found a job as a Governess , during these 8 years she suffered from a lot of injustices , the only best memory and experience for her was her friendship with Helen Burns, a girl that was older than Jane, however she could face some horrible condition in that school because of that friendship with Helen, that died during a cold winter, because these children surely didn’t have enough to face the serious and hard condition of that winter. Jane Eyre lived a lot of negative experiences in Lowood School, but one positive aspect of this experience was that even if she was an orphan, she didn’t have anything, she had the opportunity to live in this charity school (because the government would only pay for that, and nothing else), but the great difference between workhouses and the charity school was that Jane received an important education, and so this aspect changed her condition, because thanks to this education she left school and she could find a job, as a Governess, so she could rely on herself even if she was an orphan. This is very important if we consider the condition of women during that period, they didn’t work, or if they did they had to work in farms, so Jane can be considered an emancipated woman, that thanks to the education she had she received a job, that was different from the job that other women had. Her “master” was Mr. Rochester, when she arrived in this wonderful house, she didn’t met him immediately but only later, she was the Governess of Adele Varens, a little French child that was the daughter of mr. Rochester mistress, with whom he had had a relationship, but then this French woman died and decided to bring the child to Great Britain. (Quindi Jane nonostante viva in questa scuola che non era meglio delle workhouse, c’è una cosa che salva questa charity school cioè il fatto che i bambini ricevano l’istruzione, che può cambiare una persona, infatti quando Jane lascia la scuola, può avere un lavoro dignitoso, né nelle miniere, né nelle fabbriche, ma diventa la governante di una bambina francese che è la figlia di mr Rochester, che Jane non conosce subito, lui ha avuto una relazione con una donna francese che poi muore, e ha portato la bambina in Gran Bretagna) In this novel there are also gothic elements, because when Jane arrives at mr Rochester house, she heard some strange noises that came from the top room, she asked information about these strange noises, and the other servants told her that in the top room of the house there was a servant, Grace Poole, who was mad, and was better for Jane to avoid the room. Mr Rochester wasn’t always a resident in Thornfield Hall (the house), when he arrived at this house Jane met him, and It is important the relationship that was built between him and Jane, because if we consider the social class of these 2 characters, it is evident that they belong to different social classes, he was noble and rich, and she was just an orphan, but in the evening between the two of them there were long conversations about different topics, she was a educated woman who could speak to a man from a different social class, without any problem, because she knew a lot about culture, so they were on the same level when they spoke. It is evident that also this aspect is innovative and different, compared to the role of women during that period, because Jane doesn’t think that she’s inferior, but she’s proud of herself and her education, and little by little she fell in love with mr Rochester and the same happened for him. But other strange things happened in the house: one night it catches fire and Jane saved mr Rochester. And then after he proposed to Jane to marry her and she accepted, the night of her wedding she had the veil on her bed, someone got into the room and cut the veil into pieces. The day of Jane’s marriage 2 men arrived, and when there was the moment when the priest ask if someone doesn’t agree with the marriage, one of these 2 men said that mr Rochester was married and he couldn’t marry Jane, and the woman that was in that strange room was Grace Poole but she was only the servant who took care of Bertha Mason who was the wife of mr. Rochester; he was obligated to marry her even if he knew that she was mad. Jane decided to leave mr Rochester and his house, because in the first moment the puritan ideas prevail, so she doesn’t want to be mr Rochester mistress, that was the only solution since he’s married. She didn’t have any money, she lived in the streets, she didn’t have any food, and then 2 women found her and invited her to live in their house, they were 2 sisters that had a brother who was an anglican priest, who was St. John Rivers. Jane lived with them, she recovered her health and discovered that she had some relatives, because she discovered that the 2 sisters and the brother were her cousin, but not only, she discovered she was a rich woman because another uncle had left his money, even if her aunt mrs. Reed, hadn’t given any information about Jane Eyre (non ha senso ma mo lo spiega in italiano: vabbè scopre che sono cugini, e scopre anche di essere ricca perché un altro zio aveva chiesto alla zia presso la quale era stata all’inizio notizie su Jane ma lei aveva detto che Jane era morte, e lui aveva lasciato una grossa eredità a Jane, Mrs. Reed la fa chiamare e le confessa che aveva detto a questo zio che lei era morta, ma in realtà lei ha una grossa eredità che condivide con questi parenti ritrovati) Little by little St. John Rivers fell in love with Jane, he proposed to her, even if the priest doesn’t talk about love, he doesn’t say that he had fallen in love with her, but he asks her to go in mission in india with him, so she could help him. Jane at the beginning didn’t know what to do and when she almost accepted this marriage proposal that could’ve given her respectability one night she heard a voice that was calling her and she imagined that this voice was the voice of Mr. Rochester. So she decided to come back to mr rochester house and to live with him. Another innovative aspect, because when she decided to come back to his house there are 2 important aspects: she rejected the respectability that st. John River could’ve given her, at the same time by returning to his house she’s accepting to become his mistress, because she doesn’t know anything about what happened in that house. When she arrived she found out that the house didn’t exist anymore because it has been burnt. Bertha Mason had died, because she had put fire to the house, and even if Thomas Harding Thomas Harding is the first one to be influenced by this pessimism. He was strongly influenced, in his way of writing, by the movement of the naturalism, founded by Emile Zola, that started in France. It shared the pessimism expressed by Darwin, and tried to apply the scientific method to literature, as a consequence of that, the way of writing of Thomas Harding tended to be impersonal, and objective. (La vita dice di farla dal libro p 333) - E dalla scheda p.222 (dalla scheda) In most of his works the plot takes place in Wessex. The Anglo-Saxon divided the south of England in 7 kingdoms, and the most important was Wessex. Little by little its dialect became the most used, and it can be identified as “old English”. Most of his novels were based in Wessex, because he firmly believed on what Darwin had written and he also shared the pessimistic point of view expressed by the philosophers of that time, so Wessex is the past. Another 2 key words about Harding is that when he created his characters he considered the characters’ “Historical Cases”. There are some philosophers that denied the free will, human beings couldn’t decide anything on what they wanted to be, in fact Harding created historical cases, we don’t read real characters, they are prototypes, but they stand as historical cases. He wants to underline that between the past, the presence and the future the situation of human beings hasn’t changed, it is always the same. He wants to say that human beings are free, but surely there is a destiny, a faith that decides about these cases, these human beings. So he’s affirming that they aren’t free, but their way of living, what they are is affected by the destiny and the faith. The way he writes about nature is wonderful. He could be romantic, because for romantic poets the nature was important, the nature was the spirit of a divine presence. But surely this isn’t the real consideration about the nature that Thomas Harding has. On the contrary if we read about the nature, (and the passage on the photocopy is meaningful) it is surely wonderful, it follows its cycles, its seasons, so in a certain way there is this contrast between the characters that are affected by the faith, and can’t decide anything about their lives, and the nature that follows its cycles, its seasons, it’s charming. In a certain way his idea of nature is similar of the idea of nature of Giacomo Leopardi, the nature is cold, considering the destiny of the characters. In a wonderful day in august, when the sun is shining and everything is wonderful, in contrast there is the life of Tess that had reached her conclusion: death. (La prima percezione di questa natura è come se fosse romantico, la descrive nei dettagli, fa da sfondo alla tristezza di quello che sta raccontando, è più vicino all’idea di Giacomo Leopardi, la natura che non riflette le condizioni dei personaggi che sta descrivendo, ams sembra quasi che sorrida anche di fronte ad una situazione di grande tristezza, come vedremo nel brano di Tess) P.227 DELLA FOTOCOPIA Alec is the emblem of the victorian man, that thinks that money can buy everything, he thinks he can buy Tess, because she is poor, and this is another important aspect, the life of Tess will be affected, influenced by the fact that in a society where richness is the most important aspect, Tess doesn’t have any role in this society because she is poor. She’s seduced, has a child meanwhile she isn’t married. (Sta leggendo un po’ il plot e poi dice ste cose). iF ALEC is the image of the new rich victorian man, who thought that everyone has a price, Angel Clare is the emblem of the appearance of the victorian age, because he was shocked ind disillusioned of the story. (Quindi prevale il puritanesimo, Tess si rende conto, la prima notte di nozze si rende conto che non ha letto la lettera, perché la vede sotto al tappeto, decide di raccontare la sua storia e Angel Clare rimane scioccato da questa storia, quindi decide di abbandonarla. Lei è una donna povera e nella società vittoriana dove il benessere materiale è tutto lei non ha nulla.) (Tess in un momento di rabbia quasi volesse ribellarsi al destino uccide Alec, lei è la vittima del destino e del fato, viene giustiziata e impiccata, e questo è il primo romanzo che ha una fine cosi tragica, perché lei non muore di morte naturale ma viene uccisa) Sono emblematiche le ultime parole “Justice was done” The subtitle of the novel is “ a pure woman faithfully presented”; it was important to tell to the victorian readers that beyond the appearance of a woman that had had a child and a relationship with a man without marrying him first, wasn’t a lost woman, but a pure woman. So the subtitle is also meaningful. All his characters can’t be called “protagonists”, Tess is surely the main character, but saying that she is the protagonist might be ironic, because she is the protagonist of what? Her life was rich only of negative events that affected her way of living. Because when Harding creates his characters, considering that he was influenced and affected by the French movement, the naturalism, it was evident that he wanted to create “historical cases”, it means that the characters even if they have a name and surname, so he can think as them as people that really lived the situation that Harding writes about, they aren’t only the people with their life, but changing some circumstances, some situation, the situation of human beings is always the same. So tess had that type of negative events in her life, and the conclusion was the death, other human beings can have other different negative events, but the structure is always the same, and it is that human beings are only puppets in the hand of someone or something that Thomas Harding calls “immanent will” so he didn’t use the traditional word of “divine presence” he uses other words to name someone or something that is different from the human reality and that only uses human beings as puppets. So Tess isn’t only Tess, we can change the name, the circumstances, but the condition of human beings is always the same, that is the reason why he decided to set the story in Wessex. (Il climax di questo pessimismo che è già iniziato nel romanticismo, camuffato, però l’esaltazione di qualcosa nasconde qualcos’altro; nel secondo periodo dell’età vittoriana emerge questo pessimismo, è evidente con Harding, il climax sarà conclamato da parte di tutto nel 900 quando si affermerà Dio è mORTO, quindi tutte le certezze cadono da questa affermazione, e Thomas Harding è il primo che non usa la definizione di Dio, ma parla di questa forza, volontà immanente, che considera l’uomo un burattino, e l’ultima parte del romanzo dimostrerà questo.) In fact he says “Justice was done …” Tess was born in a society where richness is the most important aspect, because humans were judged for what they had and not for what they were, so Tess couldn’t decide about her life because she didn’t have money in a society where the material aspect was the most important feature. “President of the immortals had ended his sport with Tess” è ironico, e c’è un pessimismo incredibile. Thomas Harding in his way of writing, was influenced by the naturalism, that affirmed that literature had to use a scientific language, it means that the style had to be objective, impersonal, detached. Thomas Harding was an architect, that is important because it influenced his way of writing, and the passage on the photocopy is also meaningful to underline this aspect. His writing tended to be impersonal, detached, the narration was in third person, but he was an architect so his style can also be defined as architectural, that is evident in the passage. —- 3: The nature is described in a detailed way, because he thought that it was the best place for human beings to live, he writes about the seasons, but human beings don’t find joy and consolation in the nature, but there is this contrast between the beauty of the nature and the condition of mankind. 3-8: It’s July and it’s a market day, this is the description of what there is on the back of these two characters, so architectural style, because he describes very well the houses and what there are in this city, because they are going up the hill, they also admire the landscape. 9-11: descrive dettagliatamente, è proprio come un architetto descriverebbe un paesaggio, lui era un architetto, quindi spesso descrive il paesaggio che fa da sfondo ai personaggi. (Si sono lasciati dietro questa città dove si terrà il mercato in una bellissima giornata di luglio) The other word to describe his way of writing is cinematic because firstly he focused on the general landscape, and only later, little by little, he closed up on the two characters that are the main object of what he wanted to write about. 11-14: he uses persons, sono quelle licenze poetiche per sottolineare those two distinct persone. Questo essere inconscio non deriva dal fatto che sono spensierati, ma dal fatto che sono sicuramente preoccupati. ”They had emerged upon…” sono riemersi quasi da questa strana che porta verso sopra, e poi ritorna su quello che è l’oggetto , sembrano preoccupati di lasciare alle spalle le case e i loro cari. 18-19: loro anche se sono giovani hanno la testa bassa e questi raggi di sole sembrano proprio risplendere senza pieta su di loro. 20-25: ci sono due ragazze Angel Clare, e Liza Lu, camminano mano per la mano, e sono in silenzio. Il narratore onnisciente ritorno, fa riferimenti anche all’arte , queste due persone che stano salendo con la testa bassa, ansiose, hanno fretta di camminare, e il sole splende quasi impietosamente. 26-32: Hanno raggiunto la parte alta della collina e c’è quasi dentro di loro una forza che non si rendono conto cosa sia, poi si mettono dietro una pietra e aspettano, sembrano paralizzate. 33: Ritorna la tecnica architettonica e cinematic allo stesso tempo, perché guardano tutto ciò che hanno attorno a loro. 40-42: Di nuovo torna Thomas Harding con la sua tecnica architettonica a descrivere quello che i personaggi dalla sommità della collina possono vedere, ma in realtà i due personaggi non sono interessati a vedere quello. Intanto il sole è su di loro quasi oppressivo, quindi la nutra non rispecchia lo stato d’animo dei personaggi, era un giorno meraviglioso, ma per i due personaggi, come anche per Tess, non è un giorno meraviglioso. 43-48: Dopo aver descritto il paesaggio, in realtà l’interesse del narratore onnisciente e dei due personaggi è solo un edificio, ovvero la prigione, perché dice che dalla sommità si può vedere bene quello che passando lungo la strada non si riesce a vedere. Nella giornata meravigliosa, in un paesaggio meraviglioso, i due personaggi, rivolgono il loro interesse verso la prigione. 48-54: questa prigione, con la sua forma ottagonale, descritta in tutti i suoi dettagli, era quasi un pugno nell’occhio alla bellezza del resto della città. “Gazers” queste due persona che guardavano, non sono interessati alla bellezza del paesaggio, am il loro punto di interessa è quella macchia cosi brutta di quella torre di quella prigione che può essere vista meglio dalla sommità della collina. 55-58: La brezza è una cosa piacevole durante l’estate, contrasta con la realtà di questa bandiera nera, che ad un certo punto sventola sulla prigione. Significa che Tess è stata giustiziata, ed è questo quello che i due gazers vogliono vedere, avrebbero visto attraverso quella bandiera nera se tess fosse stata giustiziata. La conclusione 59-65: Prima gazers, coloro che guardano con intensità per rendersi conto se quell’evento che temevano fosse successo oppure no, adesso che l’hanno visto, sanno che tess è stata giustiziata, sono rimasti senza parole, si inginocchiano come se stessero pregano, non lo sono sicuramente, rimangono senza muoversi, e di nuovo mano nella mano decisero di scendere. Come adamo ed Eva, hanno un significato che non è più di carattere religioso, ma soltanto della solitudine dell’essere umano che è soltanto una pedina nelle mani del fato. Qui emerge un grande paragone tra Jane Eyre e Tess, sulla condizione della donna. Alec è l’emblema del nuovo uomo vittoriano, ha comprato il titolo nobiliare, tanto che tess pensa di essere un suo parente, perché non ha più niente, e lui pensa che con i