1. What elements of this novel seem to support the “propriety” of class distinctions? What elements seem to scorn them?

2. In the next slide, you will see a famous Victorian painting entitled Miranda in the Tempest. Please comment on any possible connection to the predominant values of the time. You might also reflect on character connections in Bronte’s novel.

4. Bertha, many critics have said, is more than a mere character; this mad woman rummaging about the attic also carries allegorical meaning. What do you suppose she might represent beyond herself? Explain.

5. In the 20 th century critics began to discuss the psycho-sexual tension that emerges in this novel. They tend to see Jane as a character seeking both to exert power (masculine) and to submit to the power of another (feminine). Discuss.

6. Discuss the fairy tale elements of this novel—particularly those associated with Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.

7. Binary oppositions tend to be important in nearly all works of literature, but perhaps the most prevalent example is good vs. evil. In what specific ways does Bronte gradually develop and intensify this opposition as the text proceeds?

8. Columnist Germaine Greer once said, “Human beings have an inalienable right to invent themselves.” To what extent do you think Jane Eyre would agree? Why do you say so?

9. Victorian critics were taken aback by Jane’s penetrating anger. To what extent does anger define Jane’s character? To what extent does it prove a detriment?

10. Many critics consider this novel to be a bildungsroman—a tale documenting the maturation of the protagonist. To what extent would you agree that this novel is a bildungsroman? Why?

11. Most critics would agree that Rochester is a textbook Byronic Hero. Why might they consider him so?

12. Harold Bloom says, “It will hardly endear me to feminist critics if I observe that much of the literary power of Jane Eyre results from its authentic sadism in representing the very masculine Rochester as the victim of Charlotte Bronte’s will- to-power over the beautiful Lord Byron.” Please comment.

13. Comment on the Horse Chestnut incident as an example of pathetic fallacy. What deeper meaning emerges as a result of it?

14. Which two characters seem most to “foil” one another? Explain.

15. Which character seems most sympathetic? Why do you say so?

16. The reader will note that Bronte frequently presents key occurrences and then will interpose a chapter in which Jane processes what has happened before she presents the next key plot moment. What do you suppose is the reason for this narrative approach?

17. Which seems to be the most important sentence in the entire novel? Explain.

18. Which seems to be more significant in this text: interior life or exterior life? Support your answer with the text itself.

19. Please comment on the particular significance of the protagonist’s name.

20. Some would contend that Jane is a character who looks more to the past and to the future than to the present? What do you think of that assessment? Explain why.

21. Critic Robert Heilman claims that the gothic “genre” actually, “enlarge(s) the sense of reality and its impact on the human being.” What do you suppose he means? Explain with specific reference to Jane Eyre.

22. How much of Charlotte Bronte appears in the character of Jane Eyre? Explain in relative detail.