Check out this Infographic to learn more about Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre . Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.
jane-eyre-charlotte-bronte
Cop yrig h t © 2 0 16 Cour s e He r o , Inc.
S ou r ce s : Enc y clopaedia Britanni c a, P enguin B oo k s, P o e try F ound a tion, N e w Y or k e r , W ashing t on St a t e Uni v ersity
Ja n e ’ s J o u r n e y
OVE R VIEW
Though of t en labeled a r omanc e , J ane E y r e is al s o a coming- o f -age s t or y , memo r able f or its g r oundb r eaking r ev eal o f a w oma n ’ s inner li f e . W e f oll o w Jane as she m a tu r es f r om a y oung orphan t o a t eacher and then a g ov erness; f r om the r e , w e w a t ch as she journ e y s a w a y f r om Thor n field and back in her que s t t o un r a v el her f eelings f or the impulsi ve , fiery M r . R oche s t e r .
Religion and S el f - C o n t r ol
Jane s ees di ff e r e n t e x amples o f pi e ty in Helen and S t . John, and d r aw s on her o wn mo r al code t o a v oid t em p t a tion and ma k e choices she f eels a r e rig h t .
Gender and Clas s
Jane ’ s actions and choices w e r e co n t r ov ersial t o ma n y r eaders, who s a w her r ebelliousness and r oma n tic choices as ignoring barriers o f gender and class.
Pa s sion
Jane is plain, but full o f i n t ellectual, mo r al, and p h y si c al passion. B ertha al s o r ep r e s e n ts passion, i n t ensified b y the impri s onme n t th a t le a v es her unable t o e xp r ess i t .
Much o f Jan e ’ s s t ory c ame f r om Charl o t t e B r o n t ë ’ s o wn early y ears. Along with her si s t ers Emily and Ann e , Charl o t t e endu r ed a horri f ying boa r ding s chool, w or k ed as a t eacher and g ov erness, and r e fu s ed p r opo s als f r om s ev e r al sui t ors. J ane E y r e w as immedi a t ely succes s ful, in g r e a t part since the richness o f its autho r ’ s i n t erior li f e is r e flec t ed in the title cha r ac t e r .
CHARL O T TE BRONTË 1 8 16
–
55
Sy m b o l s
Ma i n C h a r a c t e r s
The nov el has been vi ew ed th r ough a v ari e ty o f criti c al perspecti v es:
Low ood
Thorn field
Marsh End
Be r t h a Ma s o n
Wi f e B eautiful, r ep r e s s ed, pl a g u ed b y m a dne s s
J ane, Cha p t er 23
Jane E y r e
Her oine Independe n t , s t r ong, spiri t ed
Ga teshead Orphaned and t orme n t ed b y her au n t and cousins, Jane finds s olace in r eading.
Ferndean
Thr ough cruelty and sickness, Jane blos s oms i n t ellectually with friends and t eachers.
Ma r x i s t T r e a ts boo k s as "p r oducts" o f their e r a, and beli ev es li t e r a tu r e ultim a t ely r e flects class s truggl e . A Marxi s t r eading o f Jane E y r e f ocu s es on h o w class shapes Jane's r el a tionship with R oche s t er and o thers.
Fe m i n i s t Explo r es h o w ideas o f w omanhood a r e r ep r e s e n t ed in li t e r a tu r e . F emini s t criti c s f ocus on cha r ac t ers li k e Jan e , B ertha, and A del e , anal y zing the w ay s in which th e y undermine or p r opag a t e s t e r e o types o f f emale cha r ac t ers.
Po s t c ol o n i a l D r aw s our a t t e n tion t o h o w colonial and a n ti-colonial mes s ages a r e r ep r e s e n t ed in li t e r a tu r e . J ane E y r e sh o w s h o w W e s t ern v alues a r e of t en pe r cei v ed as "n a tu r al" and non - W e s t ern ones " s a v ag e ," especially looking a t R oche s t er's t r e a tme n t o f B ertha.
Fir e
Symboliz es passion; appears in the s t ory when B ertha a t t em p ts ( and ev e n tually succeeds) in burning Thor n field
Arriving as a gov erness, Jane is d r a wn t o Thor n field ’ s ma s t e r , M r . R oche s t e r . She ag r ees t o marry him, but on their w edding d a y it is r ev ealed th a t his fir s t wi f e , B ertha, is s till ali ve .
o y ou thin k , becau s e I am poo r , ob s cu r e, plain, and li t tle, I am s oulle s s and heartle s s ? Y ou think w r ong!
Mr . R o c h e s t e r
Lov e i n te r e s t Impulsi v e, fie r y , b r ooding
Mrs . R eed
Au n t Cr u el, p e t t y , u nf o r giving
Helen Burns
Childhood friendInnoce n t , spirit u al, kind
Adèle V a r ens
F o s ter daug h ter Pl a y ful, f o r eign, m a t eriali s tic
St . J o h n R i v e r s
Roche s te r ' s f oil R e s t rained, pious, cold
Jane is tak en in b y S t . John Ri v ers and his si s t ers, but finds she c ann o t marry the cold, a s c e tic S t . John.
Jane r e turns t o R oche s t er t o find him blinded f r om a fi r e s e t b y B ertha, and th e y marr y .
In turmoil Jane flees fr om R oche s t e r , who w a n ts her t o r emain as his mi s t r ess.
The Mad w oman
The madw oman in the a t tic, a coar s e cha r ac t eriz a tion o f B ertha, has become a s ymbol o f sc andal and s ec r e t
Th e m e s
Jane Eyre ? Upload them to earn free Course Hero access!
Have study documents to share about Jane Eyre? Upload them to earn free Course Hero access!