by Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë  She was born at Thorton, Yorkshire in 1816 by Patrick and Maria Brontё.  Her father was the perpetual curate of Haworth.  Her parents died leaving five doughters and one son.  After their mother’s death, Mary, Elizabeth, Charlotte and Emily Brontё were sent to the Clergy Daughters’ School.

Clergymen’s daughters’ boarding school: Jane Eyre’s Lowood Jane Eyre’s boarding School Lowood was actually based on The Clergy Daughter's School at Cowan Bridge, which Charlotte attended with three of her sisters. The character Helen Burns was modeled after her eldest sister Maria.  At the boarding school: a. The food was bad b. Discipline was harsh c. Disease was rampant d. Bronte’s two older sisters (Maria & Elizabeth) died of tuberculosis.

 Charlotte was employed as teacher for four years  She was subsequently a governess  She went with her sister Emily to study languages in Brussels  She again worked as teacher  Charlotte married in 1854 the Revd A.B. Nicholls, her father’s curate, but she died in Jane Eyre was a governess too: she was probably modeled after herself.

The novel Jane Eyre was published in London in 1847

Key Facts  All events are told in the past from Jane’s point of view.  The setting is early 19° Century England.  Jane Eyre is classified as both a Gothic and Romantic novel. Jane Eyre is classified as both a Gothic and Romantic novel

A hybrid of two genres The Gothic Novel  There is an imprisoned woman (Bertha Mason)  A heroine who faces danger (Jane Eyre)  A romantic reconciliation The Romantic Novel  Jane championed for the rights of the individual over the demands of society  Believed that humans were inherently good  Valued imagination over reason

Jane Eyre: the main character  Jane begins the novel as an angry, rebellious, 10 - year old orphan and gradually develops into a sensitive, artistic and independent young woman.  Jane is an intelligent, honest, young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship.  She gains her independence and lives with the man she loves, she is able to overcome the social constraints of her position as governess and become a heroine.

Jane’s story:  In the first part she describes her childhood in the house of her aunt, Mrs.Reed and at Lowood Institution.  In the second part she describes her permanence at Thornfield Hall: Mr Rochester’s house where she takes the position of governess for Adèle Varens, a young French girl.  In the last part St.John Rivers saved Jane and she begins a new life with him and his sisters.  At the end she returns by Mr.Rochester.

Jane’s childhood at Gateshed Hall.  Jane is a little orphan who past ten jears living in the house of aunt, Mrs.Reed.  The girl is maltreated because she is seen as ungrateful.  One day,after fighting with his cousin,Jane comes unjustly imprisoned in the red room,and here she becomes nearly crazy,seeing the ghost of the good uncle Reed,who appears to comfort her.

Permanence at Lowood  She is sent to Lowood Institute, a girls’ school that collects all the little orphan daughters of families in difficulty.  Mrs. Reed, tells Mr. Brocklehurst, the school’s clergyman, that Jane is a wicked child, ruining future chances of happiness for her niece.  Jane spent eight jears there, six as student and two as teacher

 Crucial will be the friendship with Helen Burns and Miss Temple, who will be her greatest friends.  Jane arrived to Lowood with the accusation on her head that she is a liar. Jane is comforted by her friend Helen Burns.  Miss Temple, a caring teacher, facilitates Jane’s self- defence  While Mr.Brocklehurst family lives in luxury, the eighty pupils are subjected to cold rooms, poor meals, and thin clothing.  Many students fall ill when a typhus epidemic strikes. Jane’s friend Helen dies in her arms.  Afer Lowood’s butchery, several benefactors erect a new building and conditions at the school improve dramatically.

Helen Burns Miss Temple  She endures her miserable life there with a passive dignity that Jane cannot understand.  She didtressed by maltreatments,she remains unwavering in her religious beliefs.  She is the kindly superintendent of Lowood.  She strives to treat the students with as much compassion as possible,even providing them with extra food.  She helps clear Jane of Mrs.Reed’s accusations against her.

Childhood scenes.  -o8hdDM -o8hdDM

Thornfield Hall  Eight years later, Jane has become a teacher at Lowood.  Two years later, she advertises her services as a governess and recived only one reply from Alice Fairfax, the housekeeper of Thornfield Hall.  Jane takes the position of governess for Adèle Varens, a young Frech girl, adopted by the owner of Thornfield.

 After four months Jane finally met the owner of Thornfield: Edward Rochester.  Jane enjoys Mr. Rochester's company and he too, spending many evening hours talking with him and learning about the things he has seen in his travels.  However, odd things begin to happen: a strange laugh is heard upstairs, a near-fatal fire mysteriously has almost killed Mr Rochester and a guest named Mason is attacked.  Jane is informed that her aunt, Mrs. Reed, is very ill and dying, then she returns to Gateshead, where she remained for more than a month, until her aunt dies.  Mrs. Reed rejects Jane's efforts at reconciliation, but does give her a letter previously withheld out of spite, concerning her uncle John Eyre, asks her to go to live with himi n Madeira, but his aunt had told him that she had died of the fever at Lowood.  After returning to Thornfield, Jane is very sad over Rochester's apparently impending marriage to Blanche Ingram. But on a midsummer evening, he proclaims his love for Jane and proposes to marry him.

Proposal Scene.

 During the wedding ceremony, Mr. Mason declare that Mr. Rochester cannot marry, because he is already married to his sister.  Mr. Rochester bitterly admits the truth, explaining that he was tricked by Mr. Mason and his father into marrying her without seeing, she was then later revealed a violent madwoman.  However he decides to bring her home with him to England to confine her safely, with an attendant-nurse, Grace Poole, to look after her needs.  Jane, disappointed, leaves Thornfield in the middle of the night.

Mr Edward Rochester.  Jane’s boss at Thornfield  Gruff, rude and not really handsome (but his great passion and forcefulness make him an extremely appealing and sensual character in Jane's perspective)  He has spent much of his adult life roaming about Europe.  Made wealthy by family money  Benefactor to Adèle Varens

Alice Fairfax Adèle Varens  Housekeeper at Thornfield Hall.  Serves a mother figure for Jane  Tells Jane about secrets of Thornfield and the Rochesters  Jane’s pupil at Thornfield.  Spoiled child from France.  Her mother abandoned her.  Rochester brought her to Thornfield.

Bertha Mason  Rochester’s clandestine wife.  Exotic, sensual personification of the Orient  Woman who has become insane, violent, and bestial.  She lives locked in a secret room and is guarded by Grace Poole.  She starts the bedroom fire, and eventually burns the house down  Kills herself in the house fire

Moor House. ixFIA&feature=endscreen&NR=1  Jane is going to die, but she is saved by St. John Rivers, a young clergyman  He finds her a teaching position and Jane becomes warm friends with Mary and Diana, St. John's sisters.  St. John discovers Jane's uncle John has died and left her his entire fortune.  St. John reveals that John is also his and his sisters' uncle.  Jane is overjoyed by finding her family  St. John asks Jane to accompany him to India as his wife but the next morning, she leaves for Thornfield to ascertain that Mr. Rochester is well.

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 Jane arrives at Thornfield and find only blackened ruins.  She learns that Rochester's wife burns the house and committed suicide  Mr. Rochester lost a hand and his eyesight, but Jane tells him that she will never leave him.  Mr. Rochester, again, proposes to marry him and she accepts. Conclusion

Themes  LOVE  MOTHER FIGURE

Love  Jane is constantly in a search for love.  She searches for romantic love through Rochester.  Motherly love through Miss Temple and Mrs. Fairfax  Friendship through the Rivers, Helen Burns,and Rochester.  Jane’s search for love might stem from the scorn she felt as a child.

Mother Figure  In her search for love, Jane also looks for the mother figure that she missed as a child.  Jane finds the characteristics she is looking for in: 1. Miss Temple 1. Mrs.Fairfax 2. Rivers sisters

Talking about Jane Eyre… WIDE SARGASSO SEA Jean Rhys (1966)  The novel acts as a prequel to Jane Eyre. It is the story of Antoinette Cosway (Bertha Mason). THORNFIELD HALL Emma Tennant (2007)  Adele longs to return to the glitter of Paris and to the mother who has been lost to her. JANE ROCHESTER Kimberly A.Bennett(2000)  Tells the story of the first years of Jane and Edward's marriage. It is a story of forgiveness, growth, passion and eventually freedom.

The End.