Essay about Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre an - 3613 Words

How and why are selected canonical texts re-written by female authors? Answer with close reference to Charlotte Bronte#8217;s Jane Eyre and Jean Rhys#8217;s Wide Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea is a relatively still sea, lying within the south-west zone of the North Atlantic Ocean, at the centre of a swirl of warm ocean currents. Metaphorically, for Jean Rhys, it represented an area of calm, within the wide division between England and the West Indies. Within such an area, a sense of stability, permanence and identity may be attained, despite the powerful, whirling currents which surround it. But outside of this #8216;sea#8217;, one may be destabilised, drawn away by these outside forces, into the vast expanse of†¦show more content†¦She also establishes a literary relationship between Jane and Antoinette, which Bronte does not describe. Rhys also invites comparison between Bronte and herself, in terms of the feminist writer. I shall consider these in due course. Rhys (p)revi ews Jane Eyre by correspondences in thematic content and characterisation. Her book was written for very personal reasons and invited many comparisons with events in her own life. Antoinette represents the culmination of her female fictional characters. In Rhys#8217;s fiction, for the leading lady, we can invariably read Rhys herself. I have therefore focused on those themes with direct relevance to Antoinette. There are a whole series of binary oppositions and comparisons considered by Rhys: Love-hate, fear-attraction, black-white, Anglican-Catholic, history-fiction, freedom-captivity, male-female, British-French. Their number, along with the clear lack of distinction between them, are indicative of the conflicting forces at work, both within Dominican society and those impacting on it from outside. The history of the country reflects both internal and external conflicts. Most notably, prior to 1834, between Britain and France. Two key, connected themes grounded in the social and cultural history of Dominica, are slavery and exploitation. The social and cultural shift created by the Emancipation Act 1833 was enormous: the enslaved were free and theShow MoreRelatedJane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte1601 Words   |  7 Pagesfeminist, one must see it through the lens of the time and place Brontà « wrote it. Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre was a feminist work in that Bronte expressed disdain for oppressive gender structures through the voice of Jane Eyre, and the actions of Bertha Mason. Jane Eyre was a steamy novel for its time, with imagery as blatantly concealed as Jane’s description of Rochester’s hand as being â€Å"rounded, muscular; and vigorous†¦long, strong†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Brontà « 312) A modern reader might blush at the description and itsRead MoreJane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte1437 Words   |  6 Pagestools that depict history. One great work of art that portrays these constant struggles is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontà «. While addressing social issues of a governess, Brontà « also tackles Victorian society’s corrupt and unjust ideals by using different settings and characters such as Mr. Rochester and Gateshead Manor. In Jane Eyre, the depiction of a rigid social class restricts the protagonist, Jane Eyre, from marrying her love, Mr. Rochester. Sadly, Jane’s relationship is also jeopardized by passionRead MoreJane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte1374 Words   |  6 PagesJane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Within the specter of the Gothic fictions arises the atmosphere of gloom, terror, and mystery with some elements of uncanny challenging reality. One major characteristic function of the Gothic fictions is to open the fiction to the realm of the irrational and perverse narratives, obsessions, and nightmarish terrors that hide beneath the literally civilized mindset in order to demonstrate the presence of the uncanny existing in the world known rationally through experienceRead MoreJane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte781 Words   |  3 PagesThrough her trials and tribulations, Charlotte Bronte has kept her passion for poetry alive and remains as one of the most influential British poets of all times. Even though she is one of the most famous female writers of all times, she is mostly famous for her most popular novel Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte has experienced more tragedy in her life than happiness by losing her mother and all five of her siblings. But, in her moments of tragedy, she expre ssed her feelings through poetry. As a resultRead MoreJane Eyre, By Charlotte Bronte949 Words   |  4 PagesSurrounded by witnesses, Jane stands in front of the minister, poised to take her marital vows as the mystery of Thornfield unravels. Unbeknownst to her, Rochester’s actual wife, Bertha Mason, is within close proximity.The knowledge of Bertha, and the mystery, will pose as a test to Jane s morals and her character. Through Jane Eyre, a powerful Victorian-era novel, Charlotte Bronte portrays the role of women in Victorian society while masterfully solidifying Jane’s role as its polar opposite: anRead MoreJane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte1714 Words   |  7 Pages Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brà ¶nte voiced the radical opinions of Brà ¶nte on religion, gender, and social class. Jane Eyre, a young orphan who lived with her vituperative aunt and cousins, strayed away from the Victorian ideals of a woman and established a new status for herself. Jane Eyre was originally written in 1827 and was heavily influenced by the late gothic literature of the 19th century. Gothic literary aspects such as supernatural occurrences, mysteries and dark secrets, madness and dangerRead MoreJane Eyre, By Charlotte Bronte1620 Words   |  7 PagesIt is often said that it is the role of literature to challenge and confront the conventional values of a society. In the novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte the idea of challenging and confronting conventional values is stressed often. Perhaps it is in relation to the author herself, as seen in the autobiographical elements recognizable throughout the novel. Some of these autobiographical elements include the form of which the novel is written in, called Bildungsroman where the story is focusedRead MoreJane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe nineteenth-century Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is considered to be a gothic novel. Gothic literature took place mostly in England from 1790 to 1830, falling in to the category of Romantic literature. The Gothic takes its roots from previous horrifying writing that extends back to the Middle Ages and can still be found in writings today by many authors including Charlotte Bronte. The strong description of horror, abuse, and gruesomeness in Gothic novels reveals truths to readers through realisticRead MoreJane Eyre, By Charlotte Bronte929 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontà « explores how Jane wants to find love--not just romantic love but to value and sense of belonging. The book challenges how the language of middle-class love affects the way a character’s self-identity can alter the action, how Jane sees herself later when she found love and sense of belonging as independent women. When Jane was a child she struggles to find her own identity Jane begins to change through her journey once she realizes her own identity and this helpsRead MoreJane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte1359 Words   |  6 PagesFollowing the ex periences of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, expresses many elements of gothic literature throughout her novel Jane Eyre. In her perfect understanding of gothic literature, she expresses the three types of evil commonly found in gothic literature, including the evil of the supernatural, the evil within or the instinctual evil motives of humans, and lastly, the evil because of societal influence. Jane Eyre experiences all of these three evils with her aunt and three cousins with her residency