“Jane Eyre”Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë 1816-1855

Daughter of Irish-born Protestant clergy-man Tragedy – death of mother( in 1821) and

2 sisters Tuberculosis, typhus poor conditions at

boarding school (inspiration) Parsonage at Haworth on the edge of

Yorkshire moors Sisters: Emily, Anne; Brother: Branwell

Family ties

Branwell – an artist (died 1848) Emily Brontë (died 1848) Most poetic of three sisters Pen name Ellis Bell Only novel “Wuthering Heights” (1847) No use of the events in her own life Novel stands out by its dramatic and

poetic force Futher info about the Brontë family

Charlotte Brontë – literary career Jane Eyre – published in 1847 - instant

success “The Life of Charlotte Brontë” by Elizabeth

Gaskell = one of the most famous biographies of the Victorian era

Other works: “Villette”, “Shirley”, “The Professor”

Collection of poems published in 1846 by Currer, Ellis and Acton (Anne) Bell

“Life” by Currer Bellaudio

Life, believe, is not a dreamSo dark as sages say;Oft a little morning rainForetells a pleasant day.

Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,But these are transient all;If the shower will make the roses bloom,O why lament its fall?

Write down as many facts as you can about the life of Brontë family.

You have 2 minutes

Jane Eyre 1

1st-person narrative of the title character Famous Gothic romance New kind of heroine:

defiantly virtuous, morally courageous and fiercely independent

Inspired numerous adaptions for TV and film Inspired other author’s works including

Jean Rhys’ ‘prequel’ Wide Sargasso Sea (1966).

Jane Eyre 2 – stages in the book Jane's childhood at Gateshead Jane's education at Lowood School Jane's time as governess at

Thornfield Manor Jane's time with the Riverses Jane's reunion with Mr. Rochester

Important issues in Jane Eyre

the relations between men and women women's equality the treatment of children and of women religious faith and religious hypocrisy (and

the difference between the two) the realization of selfhood the nature of true love more themes here

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 1966 by Dominica-born author Story of the first Mrs. Rochester, Antoinette (Bertha)

Mason, a white Creole heiress From the time of her youth in the Caribbean to her

unhappy marriage and relocation to England Oppressive patriarchal society Belonging neither to the white Europeans nor the

black Jamaicans Re-imagines Brontë's devilish madwoman in the

attic

Wide Sargasso Sea

2006

The end

Gothic

Prominent features of Gothic fiction include: Terror (both psychological and physical) Mystery The supernatural - ghosts Haunted houses and Gothic architecture,

castles Darkness, death, decay, doubles Madness, secrets and hereditary curses

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