Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! CHARLOTTE BRONTË LIFE He farther was a pastor. She lived in Yorkshire (north of England) the atmosphere in the countryside is different  a remote place. She loved the place she came from; therefore, the Yorkshire moor (brughiera) is a relevant protagonist in both her works and her sisters’ works. DESCRIPTION  hilly, inspiring, seems to generate voices of those she loved that are eco of inner soul She also has a brother. They went to a boarding school, but it was unhealthy, therefore two sisters died there (turbecolosi). Jane Eyre made a description of Lowood School where her friend Helen Burns died, this is one of the numerous parallelisms between Jane and Charlotte. She has this enormous grief and pain for the death. After the tragedy, they all came home. For a brief period, she also went to Brussels to study language with her sister Emily, but she fell in love with a married man (another similarity with Jane Eyre life)  Accepted the position of a governess, like Jane Eyre  Tried to set up a school with her sister, on the contrary, Jane Eyre succeeds. Publication of Jane Eyre 1847 with another name, but after one year she reveals herself. Period of tragedy  her closed brother died due to the abuse of oppium. She got married but then in 1855 when she was aspecting a child, she got ill and died. JANE EYRE It’s a Bildungsroman (novel of formation)  we see the protagonist throughout all her life form childhood and adulthood, both physical and psychological growth. It involves a character who at the end find his role in the society. Jane Eyre has to face with some obstacles and difficulties. INNOVATION The perspective used is the one of a woman  new element at the time and it is partly autobiographical She’s an unusual heroine, it’s not only a question of marring, for her is a matter of having a full self- fulfilling. She’s an orphan bought up by her terrible aunt Reed, who doesn’t love her. 1. GATESHEAD: the first place she lives that she hates it because she’s hated, she also startes herself education by reading. She is considered a liar. She’s always disregarded as an inferior creature due to her social class 2. LOWOOD SCHOOL Then she gets a proper form of education in boarding school, that involves becoming a governess because she will have to support herself. She finds both happiness and difficulties 3. THORNFIELD HALL where she teaches to a french girl Adel but also learns something, she has the first encounter with the other sex then falls in love. 4. MOOR HAUSE At a certain point she escapes to a very small village, where she starts a new life, she gets to know new people, and also where she sets up a school for girl. She has finally her own independent, more difficulties but also satisfaction 5. FERDEN where she finds happiness. She has to struggle of her life. Love for her is not the thing that will make her fulfilled. With the money that an aunt left for her, she shares with other. ROUND CHARACTER  she is complex and defends her independence and dignity, indeed, she refuses to be mistress PLOT The novel Jane Eyre follows the journey of a young orphan named Jane. She is raised by her cruel and wealthy aunt, Mrs. Reed, and endures a difficult childhood. Her only solace comes from a kind servant named Bessie who tells her stories and sings to her. Jane’s life takes a dark turn when she is locked in the red-room, where her uncle died, and believes she sees her uncle’s ghost. She is sent away to school, where she faces cruelty from the headmaster, Mr. Brocklehurst. Jane befriends a fellow student named Helen Burns, but tragedy strikes when Helen dies from a typhus epidemic. Jane later becomes a governess at Thornfield Manor and falls in love with Mr. Rochester. However, she discovers that he is already married to a mentally unstable woman named Bertha. Jane leaves Thornfield and is taken in by the Rivers siblings, who turn out to be her cousins. She inherits a fortune from her late uncle and decides to share it with her newfound relatives. St. John, one of the siblings, proposes to Jane, but she realizes she still loves Rochester. Jane hears Rochester’s voice calling her and returns to find Thornfield burned down. She reunites with Rochester at his new residence and they eventually get married. The novel concludes with Jane happily married to Rochester and their first son being born. NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE As the title states, Jane Eyre is partly autobiographical. The novel’s protagonist tells her own story in the first person:  This allows the reader to follow the events from the perspective of a woman, which was relatively new at the time  The first-person narrator also gives unity to the novel, and allows the reader to identify with Jane’s fears and feelings But we also learn more about Jane through what the other characters say in the dialogues, which complete our knowledge of Jane as an intelligent and creative woman. Bronte limits her presence as the author, both by using a pseudonym, Currer Bell, and listing herself as a mere editor of the work. This strategy gives Jane a more authentic voice and supports her identity as an independent woman who embraces her agency. THE GHOST OF BERTHA MASON In the novel there are two man female characters  Jane Eyre prototypical Victorian heroine who gives her name to the book  Bertha Mason, Rochester’s first wife and a rather disturbing and mysterious presence throughout the book. Described by Rochester as an animal or a ghost and depicted as a haunting entity that contributes to the novel’s Gothic atmosphere. Bertha is Jane’s ‘counterpart (or ‘other’ self), and comes to be associated with the dark recesses of the female psyche, the danger of mental instability, and the surge of unconscious passions and dangerous desires that Jane is trying to repress to become a respectable woman. The version of Bertha’s story is given only by Rochester, who accuses her of being responsible for her own mental instability and her subsequent imprisonment. Her ‘otherness’ remains a mystery throughout the book and is strongly associated with her dubious ethnicity, dark complexion, and Jane faces struggles against societal forces and various characters that challenge her pursuit of happiness and belonging. Characters like Brocklehurst, Rochester, and St. John embody patriarchal values that aim to control Jane’s sense of self  Brocklehurst exercises control over the girls at Lowood, dictating their appearance and behaviour  Rochester attempts to manipulate Jane to keep her from leaving him, while also conflicting with her moral convictions  St. John tries to force Jane into a loveless marriage, driven by his desire to hold her into his ideal Christian martyr  Mrs. Reed, despite being a woman, weaponises patriarchal values against Jane The rigid Victorian class system further impedes Jane’s path, as she must rely on others for shelter and faces discrimination based on her social status.  Blanche Ingram represents the social order that favours wealth and beauty, contrasting with Jane’s plainness and challenging societal expectations. LOVE VERSUS AUTONOMY Jane Eyre is a story of Jane’s quest for love and a sense of belonging. She desires affection and values from those she loves. However, she learns that she must not sacrifice herself in the process of gaining love. Jane fears losing her autonomy and refuses Rochester’s marriage proposal as it would make her a mistress and compromise her integrity. At Moor House, she enjoys economic independence but lacks emotional fulfilment. Jane realizes that she needs to prove her self-sufficiency before marrying Rochester, as she wants a marriage of equals. She believes that they can be free together while maintaining their individual identities. SOCIAL CLASS Charlotte Brontë critiques the strict social hierarchy of Victorian England, particularly focusing on the complicated position of governesses. Jane embodies ambiguous class status, causing tension among those around her. As a governess, Jane possesses the manners and education of an aristocrat but is treated as a servant, leaving her powerless and without wealth. Her realization of the double standard becomes apparent when she develops feelings for Rochester, as she is his intellectual equal but not his social equal. Jane herself speaks against class prejudice, asserting her worth and challenging societal expectations. However, it is important to note that societal boundaries are not ultimately challenged in the novel  Jane can only marry Rochester as his equal because of her inheritance from her uncle. CONDITION OF WOMEN During the mid-1800s, Victorian society operated under the concept of separate spheres:  where men dominated the public sphere of business and politics  while women were confined to the home This belief was supported by the notion that women were physically weaker but possessed stronger morals than men. As a result, women were expected to be obedient to their husbands and maintain a mild temper. Financial independence was rare for women, especially those from higher social classes, and becoming a governess offered a means of security. Governesses occupied a unique position in upper-class households, as they had the education and manners of their superiors but lacked the status of masters or servants. Jane Eyre’s assertion of her agency, acceptance of her emotions, and marriage outside her social class made her a controversial and scandalous heroine when the novel was published. GENDER RELATIONS Jane challenges the traditional gender roles of Victorian England by asserting her autonomy and refusing to conform to Mr. Rochester’s demands regarding their wedding and married life. Despite Mr. Rochester’s attempts to plan their future and shower her with expensive gifts, Jane remains true to herself and holds on to her individuality. This contrasts with the typical expectations placed on women during that time period. In response, Mr. Rochester expresses his preference for a woman who is independent and strong-willed, going against the societal expectations for men of his social class. He admires Jane for her fierce and independent-minded nature. RELIGION Throughout the novel, Jane struggles to find the right balance between moral duty and earthly pleasure, between obligation to her spirit and attention to her body. She encounters three main religious figures: Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John Rivers. Each represents a model of religion that Jane ultimately rejects as she forms her own ideas about faith and principle, and their practical consequences. Jane ultimately finds a comfortable middle ground. Her spiritual understanding is not hateful and oppressive like Brocklehurst’s, nor does it require retreat from the everyday world as Helen’s and St. John’s religions do. For Jane, religion helps curb immoderate passions, and it spurs one on to worldly efforts and achievements. These achievements include full self-knowledge and complete faith in God. What events in the novel highlight England’s legacy of colonialism? In the novel, England’s history of colonialism is depicted through various instances that highlight the theme of exploitation. The Mason family’s plantation in the West Indies exemplifies economic exploitation, as the land and its resources are used for profit. Similarly, Jane’s inheritance is a result of colonialism, as her uncle earned his fortune from exploiting the land in Madeira. Another form of colonialism is portrayed through St. John Rivers’ desire to travel to India, driven by his aim to spread Christianity forcefully. This emphasises England’s colonial ideologies and the imposition of their beliefs onto others. GOTHIC AND ROMANTIC ELEMENTS Charlotte’s tale of Jane’s journey from poverty, hardship and emotional isolation to the condition of a happily-married woman touches on themes of horror, madness, passion and dreams that are typical of the Gothic genre. The setting is Gothic: Thornfield Hall is an old mansion which hides the dark secret of Rochester’s past, which in turn is the main element of the novel’s suspense. Gothic is also represented by supernatural situations, such as the communication between lane and Rochester when she hears his voice across the wild heaths from miles away. Rochester and Jane themselves are Romantic heroes. Rochester is a kind of Byronic hero, arrogant but intelligent and cultured, with a strong sense of guilt caused by his mysterious past. Finally, Jane herself is a passionate individual, whose Romantic nature is revealed in her highly imaginative watercolours, where nature appears as the reflection of her inner self. All of these elements combine to classify the novel as Romantic. BERTHA MASON Bertha Mason is a complex presence in Jane Eyre. She impedes Jane’s happiness, but she also catalyses the growth of Jane’s self-understanding. The mystery surrounding Bertha establishes suspense and terror to the plot and the atmosphere. Further, Bertha serves as a remnant and reminder of Rochester’s youthful libertinism. Some critics interpret Bertha as a symbol of:  Britain’s fear and confinement of other cultures during the height of imperialism  Others see her as a representation of the trapped Victorian wife, unable to travel or work outside the home, leading to frustration and anxiety  Bertha’s madness serves as a warning to Jane about the potential consequences of surrendering completely to Rochester  Bertha can also be seen as a manifestation of Jane’s subconscious feelings, particularly her rage against societal and gender norms. While Jane loves Rochester, she secretly fears the confinement of marriage, and Bertha becomes the outlet for her repressed emotions. Bertha’s actions, such as tearing up the bridal veil and burning Thornfield, mirror Jane’s inner fire and express the feelings that Jane must keep suppressed. Why did Mr. Rochester marry Bertha Mason? In order to improve his socioeconomic status and gain access to the Mason family’s wealth, Mr. Rochester married Bertha Mason. Being the younger brother in his own family, he would not inherit their estate, so marrying a woman with a substantial fortune was necessary. How is Bertha a feminist in Jane Eyre? From a feminist perspective, therefore, in Jane Eyre, Bertha’s situation highlights the need for female emancipation and racial equality in a patriarchal and colonial society. Bertha Mason in the attic served as a warning to other rebelling woman against the patriarchy social restraints.