Jane Eyre
Synopsis
Jane Eyre is a young girl taken in by her Uncle Reed, who has since passed away, and her malicious aunt Mrs. Reed. In their house, Gateshead Hall, she is constantly mistreated and punished. Eventually, Mrs. Reed sends Jane to Lowood School, where she receives a Protestant education amid harsh conditions, including outbreaks of disease that kill many of the other girls. She finishes school there, and stays for a few years as a teacher. Next, Jane leaves to work at Thornfield Hall as a governess, teaching young Adele who is Mr. Rochester’s charge. She believes that he has no interest in her and incorrectly assumes he plans to marry the wealthy and beautiful Blanche Ingram. Jane and Mr. Rochester eventually fall in love, and plan to get married, but that plan is interrupted by the revelation that Mr. Rochester is already married to Bertha, the madwoman who he keeps secretly locked in the attic. This causes Jane to flee, despite having no money or connections. St. John and the River Sisters take Jane in at the Moor House. St. John eventually realizes that the he and his siblings are Jane's cousins. Upon the news of their uncle’s death, Jane receives a massive inheritance, which she splits between the four of them. She then goes to find Rochester, only to see Thornfield burnt to the ground. She travels to his secondary residence, Ferndean Manor, and reconciles with him there. Rochester tells Jane that Bertha started and died in the fire, allowing them to finally marry and have a child.
Characters
Jane Eyre*: poor, obscure, plain, headstrong
Mr. Fairfax Rochester*: Jane's employer and eventual husband, wealthy, direct, impulsive,
discerning
St. John Rivers*: Jane's cousin who proposes to her, religious, self sacrificing, reserved, unfeeling,
pronounced "sinjin"
Mary and Diana Rivers*: Jane's cousins, welcoming, educated, independent
Bertha Mason: Rochester's former wife, laughs manically, has an affinity for fire, known as the
savage and dark-skinned "madwoman in the attic"
Grace Poole: Bertha's keeper, often drunk, not very good at her job
Adèle Varens: the young daughter of Rochester's ex-lover Celine Varens, spoiled, excitable
Blanche Ingram: beautiful, well known, social, witty, wants to marry Rochester for his money
Mrs. Reed: Jane's cruel aunt, took Jane in because of her late husband John Reed, resentful,
stubborn
John Reed: Jane's cousin, Mrs. Reed's son, violent, severe, falls into a life of gambling and
drinking, leading him to suicide
Helen Burns: Jane's only friend at Lowood, virtuous, tolerant, submissive, dies of consumption
John Eyre: Jane and the Rivers siblings' uncle, planned to adopt Jane, but never met her, he
leaves her his fortune
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*appears in You on the Moors Now
Symbols / Themes
Fire: passion, rage, danger
Birds: freedom, expression
Eyes: perception, understanding, awareness
Weather: contrast emotions, foreshadowing
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Independence may be jeopardized by social class, gender, or relationships.
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Religion and social expectation aren't necessarily wholly aligned with morality because ethics are personal.
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Home is a feeling rather than a location or genetic lineage.
Historical Context
Novel Setting
Time Period
Approximately 1799 to 1819
Government + Politics
Georgian era (1714-1837)
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Covers the reigns of George I, George II, George III, George IV, and William IV
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Monarchs built a worldwide trade network that was founded on colonization, especially in the eastern shore of North America and the South Asian subcontinent
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Enlightenment era (1715-1789)
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Characterized by favoring reason as well as ideals of liberty and fraternity
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Associated with the scientific revolution
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Slightly before the setting of Jane Eyre, but informed the 19th century
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England was almost constantly at war, especially with regards to the revolutions in France and America as a result of the enlightenment ideal of popular sovereignty (government by the people for the people.)
Novel Writing and Publication
Published October 18, 1847
Victorian era (1837-1901)
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Due to the mechanization of farming, the population of England almost doubled, even as many British citizens immigrated to the United States.
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Educational reforms lead to a much larger percentage of the population being literate
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Partially due to the Industrial Revolution's popularization of science, enrollment in Sunday schools included more than half of five to eight-year-olds by 1851​
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While much of the population could not afford to buy many books, libraries were increasingly common
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England continued to colonize much of the world
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The Crimean War (as well as a series of proxy wars known as the Great Game) was primarily driven by conflict between Russia and the United Kingdom
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The Labour Party developed as a separate entity in British politics (in contrast to the two longstanding groups of Whigs and Tories), they represented social democrats and trade unionists
Economy + Class
In England, the Industrial Revolution (see Science and Technology section below) dramatically increased the wealth of the upper class, but also led to the creation of a new middle class that possessed technical skills working in factories.
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The development of more specific laws also increased the number of ways the upper class could prosecute those of the middle and lower classes.
Privacy became a key feature of the Middle Class due to the self-contained nature of the nuclear family and the compartmentalization of work and home lives.
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Poverty was a large issue in urban areas, where workers of all ages were paid very little to work in extremely dangerous conditions.
Gender + Family
Women were expected to have high standards of etiquette, most importantly being demure and subservient.
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Women were treated as the property of the men closest to them, most likely being their father and then transferred to a husband in marriage.
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Wealthy women did not take jobs, a lot of lower class women were forced to work in factories or on farms to support their family.
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Wealthy women were educated by governesses in subjects like proper etiquette, religion, modern languages, music, drawing, dancing, and domestic arts (embroidery, sewing, knitting).
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Marriage was most women's only hope of upward social mobility, so a high importance was placed on keeping up appearances to win the favor of rich men.
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Religion (i.e. Protestantism and its practices) was often seen as an extension of a woman's domesticity.
Religion + Beliefs
The Enlightenment era (see Government and Politics section above) overall favored reason and led to a decline in church attendance, but the relationship between rationality and faith was never static.
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The Evangelical Revival (also known as the First Great Awakening in the US) lasted through the 1730s and 1740s. It marked a renewed faith in salvation, particularly in favor of Protestantism and the Church of England. John Wesley preached the importance of forming a personal relationship with God by reading the Bible and praying individually.
The Victorian Era was more focused on the incorporeal and unexplainable than the Georgian Era (although there continued to be great advances in the sciences during both periods).
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There was a great importance placed on reform and improvement during this time period, politically, spiritually, scientifically, etc.
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Nonconformists, those who opposed the Church of England, included Baptists, Congregationalists, Quakers, Unitarians, Presbyterians, and Methodists, all of which had their own unique practices. They protested to be able to run for office and gain other rights that they previously were not afforded.
Culture + Art
The Georgian era coincided with the ideas of the Romantic literary and artistic movement, including popular poets Wordsworth and Lord Byron, and composers Handel, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven.
Popular forms of entertainment included sports, brass bands, theatre, opera, circuses, and paranormal events such as seances, mesmerism, and mediumship.
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The Gothic revival was seen across art and literature as a subset of Romantic culture.
Science + Technology
The Industrial Revolution started in the 1760s. This included technological advancements in textiles, metallurgy, steam and water power, and factory mechanization. It was largely centralized in Great Britain due to its political power as well as its wealth of resources from colonization. The mechanization of farming caused many rural families to move to newly growing urban centers, hoping to find work in factories.
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This time also saw major developments in mapping the periodic table of elements, finding a vaccine for smallpox, and excavating the past with archaeology.
Railways and telegraphs were increasingly common in both war and domestic applications.
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The lightbulb, typewriter, calculator, telephone, camera, and internal combustion engine were all invented during this time.
Charlotte Brontë
April 21, 1816 — March 31, 1855
Born in Yorkshire, England, Charlotte was the oldest of the Brontë sisters. As a child, she attended the Clergy Daughters' School in Lancashire. Charlotte believes that the school's poor conditions led to the deaths of two of her sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, who caught tuberculosis there. She then went on to study at Roe Head, where she eventually became a teacher. Three years later, she started work as a governess in Yorkshire. She disliked the position due to cruel treatment from the children and their families. Charlotte and her sisters then attempted to open a school, which closed because it didn't draw enough students. The sisters shifted their focus toward writing, all using male pseudonyms with the last name Bell. After publishing Jane Eyre, Charlotte received a proposal from Arthur Bell Nicholls, her father's assistant at the church he ran. She initially refused him, and her father similarly disapproved because of his poor financial status. Eventually, Charlotte fell in love with him, and she and her father accepted his proposal. Soon after their marriage, she became pregnant, which ultimately led to her death.
