2) The mattress.

This is
the second part.
1)The dressing. This is Without this your
the bit that comes first. paragraph, just like the
It’s the point you wish bed is incomplete and
to make and should be far from comfortable. It
in the form of a topic is the evidence or the
sentence. The topic
sentence is a sentence
3. The frame or base. This is
in a paragraph which
the final part of your
shows what the
paragraph it holds the two top
paragraph is about and
layers together. This is the
explanation which links the

Three steps to ensure that you are

embedding your quotes
1) Use quotes to support your arguments and not to replace it.
Find quotes that fit in with your points and use them as evidence to
support your claims

2) Put the quote in to context. Give the context and speaker (when
needed before the quote) e.g. On learning of the possibility that
Rochester may stay away from Thornfield for countless months Jane
experiences ‘a sickening sense of disappointment’.

3) Trim the quote down to less than a sentence. This will force you
to use your own words in the sentence alongside the quote e.g. Jane
shows physical symptoms of missing Rochester and when there is no
news of his return her feelings intensify, she starts to feel ‘a strange
chill and failing of the heart’.

Every single paragraph in your Jane Eyre coursework (except the introduction
and conclusion) should follow the point, evidence and explanation structure
mentioned above. All paragraphs should also embed the quotes and link the
explanations back to the question. Below are some examples of PEE paragraphs
for you to use as a guide when you write or revise your own PEE paragraphs.

Point- In chapter 17 Bronte uses separation as a device to reveal Jane’s

developing feelings for Rochester.

Evidence - She says ‘i was beginning to feel a strange chill and failing at the
heart’.
Explanation - The ‘strange chill’ and ‘failing heart’ are physical symptoms of
Jane’s growing affection for Rochester and suggest that she is troubled by his
absence.

Paragraph -In chapter 17 Bronte uses separation as a device to reveal Jane’s

developing feelings for Rochester. She says ‘i was beginning to feel a strange
chill and failing at the heart’. The ‘strange chill’ and ‘failing heart’ are physical
symptoms of Jane’s growing affection for Rochester and suggest that she is
troubled by his absence.

P – At the end of chapter 17 it is apparent to the reader that Jane’s feelings for
Rochester are anything but unrequited. He has also developed feelings for her
and as a result when she discretely leaves his party of guest he follows her out
to check that she is ok. Rochester notices that something is bothering Jane.

E- He tells her that ‘a few more words would bring tears’ to her eyes expressing
a genuine concern for her state of mind. When Jane refuses to express what is on
her mind and asks to be excused Rochester bids goodnight saying ‘Good-night ,
my...’ suddenly stopping his speech in midsentence.

E- The reader assumes that Rochester, had he completed his sentence would
have referred to Jane as his ‘darling’ or ‘love’. This natural slip of the tongue
shows that he has also developed feelings for Jane. Ending the chapter in this
way Bronte is able to build on the tension and suspense already established to
leave the reader wondering whether Jane and or Rochester will have be able to
break away from the norms of Victorian society and declare their love.

P –In Chapter 18 Bronte continues to develop the relationship between Jane and
Rochester , although the barrier of class remains ever present. Rochester is
shown to consider Jane as his equal and this is evident when he asks her to join
the game being played.

E- Rochester asks Jane ‘will you play’ in response she narrates ‘i shook my
head’.

E- The fact that he asks her to join in implies that he regards her highly and
suggests that he sees her as a companion or friend as opposed to an employee.
Bronte uses Jane’s refusal to remind the reader that Jane is aware of social divide
between them. However when alone with Rochester she is able to engage with
him in intellectual conversation and an equality that away from public eyes is
clearly blossoming into a deep affection.
Your Homework

You need to bring to the next lesson a draft to hand in of your essay, it should be
complete except for the conclusion. You essay should consist of at-least 14 PQE
paragraphs using evidence from chapter 17-23. It should have a clear
introduction and quotes needed to be embedded. Please use the PQE examples
as a guide to support you in refining the grids that you already have in order to
create you essay.

Jane's relationship with Mr. Rochester

This relationship dominates the novel, as it becomes the most important thing in Jane's
life. At first Jane finds Rochester rather rude and insensitive, but it is her ability to stand
up to him that earns his love. He hopes to secure her in a bigamous marriage. Although
the modern reader is sympathetic to Rochester who was tricked, as a young man, into
marrying a lunatic, the 19th century reader would have no doubt that Jane does the right
thing in leaving him - to be his mistress is not an option. The fire that widows him also
disables him. He has to learn to depend on Jane. And as an heiress, she does not even
depend on his fortune any more.

Subject/implications/moral and philosophical context

• Try to trace the different stages of Jane's relationship with Rochester. This is a big
subject, so be selective. Why does he prefer her to the conventional beauty of
Blanche Ingram?

Style/structure/narrative craft

• How does Jane influence the reader's response to Mr. Rochester?

• Comment on the mystery surrounding Rochester's wife. How is this presented in
the story?
• Comment on Jane's remarks to the reader about her relationship with Rochester.

Effects of language/emotive, ironic, figurative effect/patterns and details

• Explore the way in which Brontë presents the themes of sight and blindness,
sanity and madness.
• How does Brontë use dialogue to show the various stages of Jane's relationship
with Rochester?
• Comment on the ideas of the natural and the supernatural in the presentation of
this relationship.
The depiction of love

One of the most unusual aspects of Jane Eyre is the depiction of Jane's relationship with
Mr. Rochester. From the beginning, the novel defies contemporary conventions of the
romance in its emphasis on Jane as a plain woman, lacking the physical beauty which
usually characterized fictional heroines. As mentioned previously, Mr. Rochester is also
described as being physically unattractive, dark, and sullen. At one point soon after their
meeting, Mr. Rochester asks Jane if she finds him attractive, and she surprises him and
the reader with a firm "No." Jane and Mr. Rochester's early conversations also progress in
unusual ways; characteristically with his questioning her in terms of her beliefs and
opinions, and her honest, if restrained, answers to his unusual questions. As the
relationship progresses, Mr. Rochester tests Jane more and more. His first test is with
statements desired to provoke a certain response. Then he tests her with his
manipulative disguise as the old gypsy woman to try to discover her feelings for him, and
with his cruel manner of proposing marriage by first allowing Jane to believe that he
intends to marry Blanche Ingram. If Jane is not the typical Victorian heroine, Mr.
Rochester is certainly not the typical Victorian hero.

In addition to these unusual conversations, Brontë gives readers a number of glimpses of

Jane and Mr. Rochester in various positions that are unusual for literary depictions of
Victorian couples. For example, we frequently see her, a small girl, giving physical
support to the older and stalwart Mr. Rochester. When he falls off of his horse upon first
seeing Jane, it is Jane who helps Mr. Rochester. When Mr. Rochester's bedroom is set
aflame, Jane rescues him. Later, when he is shocked to learn of Mr. Mason's arrival at
Thornfield after the gypsy incident, Jane is there for him. And at the end, when he is
crippled and blind Rochester depends entirely on Jane to guide him. Moreover, when Mr.
Rochester finally does propose marriage to her, Jane reacts with restraint and strongly
refuses his wishes to give her jewels and fine new clothes.

Jane is able to gain a new perspective on her relationship with Mr. Rochester when she
meets her cousin, St. John Rivers. Unlike Mr. Rochester, Rivers is a strikingly attractive
man, but Jane finds his piety and coldness very unattractive. As cruel Mr. Brocklehurst
tried to control Jane by telling her that bad girls go to hell, Rivers gradually begins to
impose his will on Jane by using religion to subdue her, telling her that she will deny God
if she does not accept his proposal of marriage and accompany him as a missionary to
India. Just as she is about to break under the strain of this latest male oppressor, Jane
psychically hears Mr. Rochester's voice calling her back to him.