...woman Antigone is Sophocles' Antigone, and the 19th century Englishwoman Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre, can be seen as highly unfavourable and disdainful of women. Both Antigone and Jane Eyre struggle and resist against a society which places men above them, and which sees expressions of female autonomy and liberty as unfavourable trends. Antigone and Jane Eyre both live in societies where a patriarchal culture dictates how these women should act within society, and what type of behaviour is acceptable, and which isn't. The control and subjugation of women – and the way they express themselves – can be seen as a consequence of discursive formations which aim to define the intrinsic qualities of men and women. It is in this context that the stories of Antigone and Jane Eyre can be seen as challenging conventional notions of gender and gender stereotypes, a highly pervasive discourse which affects a cluster of other ideas. This essay will argue that the characters Antigone in Sophocles' Antigone and Jane Eyre in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre are characters who challenge gender discourses which were very prominent during their time, and subsequently, the ideational influences which structured leadership, the creation of identities, opinions regarding natural attributes, and cultural . While Antigone lives in a pre-modern society dominated by males who take the subservience and submission of women to be a given, Jane Eyre is a young woman within modern society who also challenges residual gender...
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...Freud’s Id, Ego, and Superego Personified in Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre follows the story of Jane, an orphan, as she develops from a young girl to a young woman of marriageable age. While there are many other characters in the novel, the most developed ones are Jane and the two men that propose marriage to her: Edward Rochester and St. John Rivers. Almost a century after Bronte published her novel, Freud theorized that the psyche developed into three different parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. Jane Eyre’s three main characters personify these parts of the human psyche: Rochester represents the id, St. John the superego, and Jane the ego. Edward Rochester, Jane’s employer and the master of Thornfield, exemplifies Freud’s id. The id, as interpreted by Saul McLeod, is the part of the psyche that is the most basic, unconscious, instinctual part; it begins at birth and demands immediate satisfaction, it is also contains the libido. It acts according to the “pleasure principle” and seeks only self-gratification and pain avoidance (McLeod). Mr. Rochester, wealthy and with few responsibilities, is left free to spend his time pursuing pleasure, traveling Europe, and having an affair with the French singer and dancer Celine Varens. He is not bothered by society’s morals when he tries to marry Jane, even though it would make him a bigamist because he is already married to the woman hidden in his attic. The marriage to Jane also flaunts society’s norm of class separation...
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...“The main source of Jane Eyre’s interest is the story of immense human endurance” How far do you agree with this statement (Explore the methods which Charlotte Bronte uses to present the idea of human endurance) Jane as narrator certainly shares with the reader a story of immense human endurance. We see this throughout the whole novel. Early example of such are in the Gateshead section of the novel where Jane endures a lack /absence of love. She is forced to endure physical and verbal cruelty though the actions of the cousin John Reed. Who taunts her about her social class and lack of money, ‘You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent, mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you out to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen’s children like us..’ Jane endures physical cruelty when John flung the book at Jane, striking her on the head. Through the red room we are able to see the symbolism of Jane’s entrapment, isolation and desire to break free. There is also an element of foreshadowing and imagery emphasises on how isolated Jane is from the rest of her peers “dark and haunted chamber” Even at Lowood this is a recurring theme of the unjust and sufferable nature of her childhood. The endurance from the Red Room is a symbol of her isolation from compassion during her childhood. Through the repeated use of this symbol we see how Jane is imprisoned by her own treatment. Following Jane’s escape from the Red Room we see that she...
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...Film Review: Jane Eyre Review by: L. E. J. Target audience: 16+ Medium: Magazine Starring: Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens, Lorraine Ashbourne. Run time: 202 min 1 Introduction Inspired by the 1847 novel written by Charlotte Bronte, director Susanna White created this interesting adaptation in the form of a four-episode miniseries simply called “Jane Eyre”, released in 2006, starring actors Ruth Wilson, Toby Stephens and Lorraine Ashbourne. 2 The story The story of Jane Eyre is one of hardship, jealousy and contempt, but also one of love, forgiveness, happiness and much, much more. Throughout the roughly three-and-a-half-hour plot we witness a woman’s journey from being an unwanted child left at an orphanage at an early age, into developing a far more interesting life than most would have expected. Jane Eyre never knew her parents. She spent her early years with her aunt and two cousins, all of whom despised and resented her. Little Jane is an intelligent child, but her stubbornness only adds to her aunts hatred of her. Her aunt is convinced that the child is “possessed by Satan”. Still a child, Jane is kicked out of her Aunts home and has to live in an orphanage for girls. The rule there is strict, and she is quite eager to get out, which she finally does eight years later when she is employed as a governess to the ward of a wealthy man named Edward Fairfax Rochester. It is here in Sir Rochester’s castle most of the plot plays out. For the first time in the...
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...Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel, Jane Eyre, has been reproduced into many types of entertainment over the course of the last century. Each reproduction depicts the characters, settings, and events in a unique manner. Most notable of these differences is how the work deals with Bertha, the crazed wife of Mr. Rochester who stands between Jane and happiness. Two recreations that depict different ways of developing suspense around Bertha are the 1944 black and white film directed by Robert Stevenson and the 2011 film directed by Cary Fukunaga. Due to the first person narration of the novel, Brontë utilized the motif of the supernatural and dramatic revelations to build suspense around Bertha’s reveal. Stevenson’s 1944 production of Jane Eyre as a...
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...that all continue to be cherished long after their initial creation. Those novels that continue to interest readers through time are examples of writing that forms deep levels of understanding. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte has stood the test of time due to its impact on society, masterfully utilized motifs, and the continued relevance Bronte’s message has to readers. Emma, by Jane Austen will weather time equally as well as Jane Eyre, as both of the novels display incredible use of language in their distinctly different criticisms of English society in the 19th century. Both Authors employ motifs as a way to express dissatisfaction with society...
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...Throughout the novel Jane Eyre wrote by Charlotte Bronte, the main protagonist, Jane Eyre, did not strive to abide the social “rules” set in her time period. Taking place back in the nineteenth century, one can imagine how absurd the social standards are. In this time, people were told that if they would happen to go anywhere but up in status, that they would be disowned or looked down upon. The biggest three rules that Jane Broke through the novel include her looks and possessions not affecting her status, the fact that Jane did not marry within the social class in which she was born into, and finally Jane did not stay in the social status she was born into. One of the societal rules Jane broke throughout the novel involved her not being...
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...by Germanic tribes and regarded it as ugly and barbaric. This erroneous attribution continued through the eighteenth century.” (http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/gothic/gothic.html) Horace Walpole first introduced this genre of literature in The Castle of Otranto in 1764. In the following years, successful gothic-inspired novels were published such as The Monk (1796), Frankenstein (1818) and Dracula (1897). Gothic stories often involve: - Gloomy weather - The appearance of the supernatural - The psychology of horror and terror - Spooky structures (castles, abbeys) - A sense of mystery and dread - The appealing hero and its villain - The heroine in danger - (Usually) a strong moral closure. The Gothic element in Jane Eyre emphasizes the mystery and the supernatural through the dark, gloomy settings and violent events, which raises a horrific atmosphere. Mr. Reed's ghostly presence in the red-room, Bertha's mysterious laughter in the attic, and Rochester's dark and brooding personality are all examples of gothic conventions, which add to the novel's suspense, entangling the reader in Jane's attempt to solve the mystery at Thornfield. According to Robert Harris, the elements of Goth includes: 1. Setting in a castle. The action takes place in and around an old castle, sometimes seemingly abandoned and sometimes occupied. Inside the castles, there are secret passages, trap doors secret rooms, hidden staircase and sometimes with ruined sections. Ex: Horace...
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...The story of Jane Eyre contains multiple character foils. The purpose of the foils is to contrast the characters in order highlight or understate the qualities of the characters. Blanche Ingram serves as a foil to Jane. Miss Ingram is described as very beautiful, elegant and accomplished woman. “I never saw a more splendid scene: the ladies were magnificently dressed; most of them—at least most of the younger ones—looked handsome; but Miss Ingram was certainly the queen” (Chapter 16). The descriptions of Miss Ingram go on to note her lavish clothing and hair as well as her complexion and eyes being very noteworthy. This description contrasts Jane, who has a more plain appearance. Miss Ingram seems to use her beauty as a means to attract Mr....
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...The main interest of this novel is not to be found in its depiction of social class but rather the multiple representation of the main protagonist. Charlotte Bronte uses the character Jane Eyre to represent children who were seen but not heard “ ” A women in a patriarchy society and the treatment of the proletarian by the bourgeoisie. Bronte creates a microcosm were each character represents an aspect of society and through their interaction and treatment of Jane the reader is able to get a true understanding of the multiple themes, the Victorian society and Bronte’s own social and political believes . Therefore this novel is too complex to be simply associated with the theme of social class. Throughout the novel Jane finds herself in a state of isolation .At the start of the novel through the interaction between John reed and Jane Eyre Bronte is able to portray a patriarchy society and show how it starts from a young age “ for they are mine” the use of personal pronouns further indicates his power over Jane . Even the servants recognise his position in the house hold “your master” as if he owns Jane. A Mere child. The use of the word “master” implies that she is his property and that she is below him in statues. . In a society where religion was everything and God was seen as the creator of all things men were seen as the closest thing to God in terms of the amount of power they held clearly demonstrating how insignificant women where compared to men in the Victorian...
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...to selling labour power in order to live’ (1991 p.57) are controlled by this power which often leaves them vulnerable to the rich. Furthermore, the villains and villainesses appear to be used in order to demonstrate the ‘inequalities of the rich and the poor’ (Eagleton 1996 p.200). The wealth of the ‘bourgeois’ gives them access to many privileges and opportunities that the poor can never have access to. In the first novel Jane Eyre (Bronte 1847) Mrs Reed highlights the selfish nature of the wealthy. She speaks of Jane as ‘such a burden to be left on my hands’ (1992 p.203) because she has no wealth of her own. Mrs Reed sees her as one of ‘social inferiority’ (Nunokawa cited in David 2001 p.145) who is of no use to her. Jane does not like Mrs Reed and she explains ‘well might I dislike Mrs Reed for it was her nature to wound me cruelly’ (1992 p.27). Arguably, this shows how ‘power is crystallized and submission bred’ (Eagleton 1996 p.7) as those with wealth use their power to prey on those less fortunate than themselves. Upon learning that Jane Eyre has a prosperous relative who wants to adopt...
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...it surprised me so much. I have seen that much of the research papers common opinion was ”Women writers can never write as excellent as men.” Is that true? In my opinion, these thoughts are too narrow and bigoted. The people who have this opinion probably already have their own preconceived notions before they’ve made their judgment. I know there are more men writers than female writers, but you can’t deny that there are a lot of excellent female writers in this world too. Some of them are very famous and the fictions they created are so popular nowadays. They affect countless reader’s minds and how they chosed their next books. For example, Agatha Christie’s << Murder on the Orient Express>> and Charlotte Brontë’s << Jane Eyre>>, are better than most books which are in the same genre. We can never ignore what women writers did to help build the history of world literature and their amazing fictions. They have their own advantages and disadvantages. One big positive quality that female writers have is that they can describe their character’s feelings and minds very well. Most of the time they can express feelings with their pens far better than men. Kegan Gardines believes that these differences in experience will be apparent in the writing. She gives examples of the characteristics of women’s writing that differ from men’s writing: “recurrent imagery and distinctive concept … for example, imagery of confinement and unsentimental descriptions of child...
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...that distorts Jane’s image gives an eerie mood, making the reader wary of what is to happen. (links to identity) * Jane imagines how the ghost haunts the room, heightening the sense of horror she feels. The supernatural is a key element in a Gothic novel. * There is an overall sense of foreboding and spookiness that makes the reader empathise with Jane as she is so young. * The lack of realism heightens the sense of the supernatural. * The romantic scene of the rain in the moors sets up the Gothic theme for the rest of the novel. Passion * The purity of her childhood as she endures intense and bitter feelings that arise due to unpleasant life experiences. * She cannot control her temper, and is therefore punished. She is labelled a “picture of passion” as women were expected to remain calm and ladylike. Her anger comes as a shock to everyone at Gateshead, hence her punishment. * Red is the colour of passion, as well as danger and embarrassment. If she cannot learn to control her emotions. She will end up being shunned by society as she does not fit in, and will be considered “mad” and a “savage”. This creates a sense of foreboding as this is a possibility of what could happen to Jane later on in the novel. * This reminds us of Antoinette from WSS. (links to oppression) Family * Shown in a negative light. 10 year old Jane...
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...Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë An Electronic Classics Series Publication Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a publication of the Pennsylvania State University. This Portable Document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk. Neither the Pennsylvania State University nor Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, nor anyone associated with the Pennsylvania State University assumes any responsibility for the material contained within the document or for the file as an electronic transmission, in any way. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, the Pennsylvania State University, Electronic Classics Series, Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, Hazleton, PA 18202-1291 is a Portable Document File produced as part of an ongoing student publication project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access of those wishing to make use of them. Cover Design: Jim Manis Copyright © 2003 - 2012 The Pennsylvania State University is an equal opportunity university. Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë PREFA PREFACE A PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION of Jane Eyre being unnecessary, I gave none: this second edition demands a few words both of acknowledgment and miscellaneous remark. My thanks are due in three quarters. To the Public, for the indulgent ear it has inclined to a plain tale with few pretensions. To the Press, for the fair field its honest suffrage...
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...The husband was perceived as the person to obtain all control. Women's roles revolved around the four characteristics of piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. These roles are all extremely demeaning and exhausting ones to have follow through with. However, it created fewer divorce cases between couples compared to modern society. During the Victorian Era, divorce cases were handled by the Church of England; which made it even more difficult due to how poor it was viewed as by most. The literature of the time shows us a few examples of couples trapped in marriages. One of the most famous being Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë....
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