Jane Eyre Research Paper

Many themes, styles, genres, and modes of Victorian Literature are reflected in the works of the Bronte Sisters', especially that of Jane Eyre. Common themes of victorian literature are shared with Jane Eyre. Food was a reoccurring theme of throughout many Victorian novels because of the hunger that many people faced in this time period. This theme is reflected in the vivid description of under nourishment at Lowood School in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Another common theme was women's morality and sensuality. Before the publication of Jane Eyre, women were simple and genuine under the expectations of society, the "wife and mother from whom all morality sprang" (Lowes). After this novel was published, the "new woman" became predominant who …show more content…
Jane Eyre is written in first-person from the point of view of Jane. The genre of Jane Eyre can be classified as many different types; Romance, Mystery, and Gothic Fiction. It can be considered a classic romantic novel because of the passionate relationship that Jane and Rochester form. It is a mystery in the sense that throughout the book, Jane suspects something about Rochester and his past based on the incident of Grace Pool accidently setting his bed on fire in a drunken state and not getting fired for it. She then discovers the secret of his past that he has a wife, Bertha, who has one mad and was the one who set his bed on fire. It is considered Gothic Fiction because of the supernatural and fantasy elements that Charlotte Bronte includes (http://www.shmoop.com/jane-eyre/literary-devices.html) Through Charlotte's unique writing style, she incorporates "fantasy elements in Jane Eyre through references to fairy tales, prophetic dreams, mythic imagery, and extraordinary plot twists," (Shwingen). An example of the mythic imagery is shown through Charlotte's emphasis on the image of passion. Jane was always a passionate and emotional character since she was a …show more content…
One very unique and interesting character is Bertha, Rochester's insane wife. The Victorians during the nineteenth century had a fascination with health, sometimes greater than that of politics, religion, and Darwinism. They believed "an interdependent mind-body connection gained strength, and many people saw physical and mental health as being interrelated rather than separate entities," (Sonja Mayer). According to Mayer, these attitudes of the time are reflected in Bertha's character through her mental illness and the physical threat she puts on Rochester. Compared to Jane, Bertha is her opposite and portrayed to the reader as a monster. Rochester "describes her as having 'red balls' for eyes, a 'mask' instead of a face, and 'bulk' instead of an attractive form like Jane," (Sonja Mayer). Jane is strong in body and mind. She endured the unhealthy conditions at Lowood where many students had died and survived through cold and hunger when she had ran away from Thornfield and lived outside. Her mental strength is shown through her courage as a child with her evil aunt, bullying cousin, and hypocritical head master. She stayed true to herself and motivated to be successful as a woman in this time despite the difficult situations these people had created for her. In contrast, Bertha is portrayed by Rochester as having "gone mad". The Victorians would view this