CHARLOTTE BRONTE’S JANE EYRE: TRANSLATION

STUDY PROJECT WORK

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the

requirements for the degree of

BACHELOR OF ARTS

in

ENGLISH

BY

MADHURI. D

203311101017

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Dr.M.G.R EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE

(University with Graded Autonomy Status)

CHENNAI 600 095

MARCH 2023
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that MADHRI. D (Reg No. 2033111011017) is a bonafide

student of the III B.A. English, Dr. M.G.R EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH
INSTITUTE (University with Graded Autonomy Status)Chennai – 600 095 during
2020 – 2023 and his/her project work entitled CHARLOTTE BRONTE’S JANE
EYRE: TRANSLATION STUDY is done by her.

Head of the Department

Submitted for Viva Voce Examination held on

Project Co-ordinator External Examiner

 CONTENT

Acknowledgement

CHAPTER I – Introduction 01

CHAPTER II – Translation Study of Jane Eyre 03

CHAPTER III – Conclusion 19

Bibliography 22
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I thank the Lord Almighty for giving me the strength to complete this project.

I would like to thank our beloved Chancellor Thiru.A.C.Shanmugam, and

honourable President Er.A.C.S.Arunkumar for giving this opportunity to do B.A.
(English) program in the esteemed Dr M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute
(University Graded with Autonomy Status), Chennai – 600 095.

I would like to thank Dr. S. Geethalakshmi Vice-Chancellor, Dr C.B.

Palanivel, Registrar, Dr. Merlin Sathyaraj, Joint Registrar, H&S for their support.

I thank Dr. Mary Thomas, Dean, Department of English, Dr. Chandrasena

Rajeswaran, Dean, Department of English and Dr A. Anitha, Head, Department of
English for their support and encouragement in completing the project work.

I sincerely thank my supervisor Ms. N. Nafiza Begum, Assistant Professor

Dept. of English for her guidance throughout the project.

I take this opportunity to thank all the Faculty Members of the Department
of English for their encouragement.

Signature
 CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION

AUTHOR– CHARLOTTE BRONTE

"Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be.
The more she is engaged in her proper duties, the less leisure will she have for it, even
as an accomplishment and a recreation."

These were the responses of England’s poet laureate Robert Southey, when
young twenty years old Charlotte Bronte sent a sample of her poetry.

His response indicates the political difficulties faced by women as they tried to
enter the literary arena in Victorian England; domestic responsibilities were expected
to require all their energy, leaving no time for creative pursuits. Despite a lack of
support from the outside world, Charlotte Bronte found sufficient internal motivation
and enthusiasm from her sisters to become a successful writer and balance her
familial and creative needs.

As a school for the daughters of poor clergymen opened at Cowan Bridge in

1824, Mr. Brontë decided to send his oldest four daughters there to receive a formal
education. Most biographers argue that Charlotte's description of Lowood School
in Jane Eyre accurately reflects the dismal conditions at this school.

Charlotte began putting all of her energy into her writing. After discovering
Emily's (one of her sister) poems, Charlotte decided that she and her sisters should try
to publish a collection of poems at their own expense. In 1846, they accomplished this
goal, using the masculine pseudonyms of Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell because of the
double standards against women authors. Although their book, Poems, was not a
financial success, the women continued their literary endeavours. First edition of Jane
Eyre was released on October 16, 1847. The novel was an instant success, launching
Charlotte into literary fame.

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ABOUT THE NOVEL – JANE EYRE

Jane Eyre, hybrids the genres of Gothic (mysterious-horrific)

Bildungsroman( novel about personal suffering and having the courage,
determination) and Romance.

The novel begins with Jane living at her aunt's, Mrs Reed. Mrs Reed and her
children are very cruel towards Jane and one night Mrs Reed locks Jane into the 'Red
Room', a supposedly haunted room in the family home.

Mrs Reed sends Jane to Lowood School where the headmaster, Mr

Brocklehurst, is also cruel towards Jane. Conditions are very poor at the school and
Jane's best friend, Helen Burns, dies of consumption. Jane later becomes a teacher at
Lowood.

Jane applies for a governess position at Thornfield Hall and gets the post. She
becomes governess for Adele. Jane begins to fall in love with her employer, Mr
Rochester.

A fire breaks out at Thornfield, nearly killing Rochester as he sleeps. Jane

saves him. Rochester claims it was Grace Poole - a servant - who started the fire,
however Jane doesn't think it was.

Jane is shocked when Rochester confesses his love and desire to marry her.
She thought he wanted to marry Blanche Ingram. On the day of their wedding, a man
turns up at the church to declare that Rochester cannot marry as he is already married.
Rochester reveals all about his marriage, claiming his wife Bertha, is mad and he still
wants to be with Jane.

Jane cannot be with Rochester when he is still married so she runs away,
becoming homeless and then sick. The Rivers family take her in and nurse her back to
health.

Jane inherits her uncle's wealth and estate. She finds out that the family that
took her in are actually her cousins. St John Rivers asks Jane to join him in his
missionary work abroad and be his wife. She nearly accepts but when she hears
Rochester calling her in a dream, she decides she cannot marry someone she doesn't
love.

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 CHAPTER – II

TRANSLATION STUDY
OF JANE EYRE

“AN IDEAL LADY”: translation reinvents JANE EYRE

By Kelsey McFaul

Charlotte Brontë’s gothic romance has been translated hundreds of times in

almost 200 years, into Chinese, Turkish, and Amharic.

Growing up, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre was a favorite: the first book I
owned multiple copies of—a thumbed Penguin Classics, an early American reprint,
an enlarged version with woodcut illustrations—and one of the first I read multiple
times. Often pinned as a romance or compared to Jane Austen, Jane’s coming of age
story from orphan to governess to romantic partner is truly a gothic psychological
thriller, even a ghost story.

Just three years after Brontë published the novel (under a male pen name) in
1847, people were reading a Russian translation in St. Petersburg and a Spanish one in
Havana. In the years since, Jane’s popularity beyond the Anglophone world hasn’t
waned. According to a research group based at the University of Oxford Jane
Eyre has been translated close to 600 times, by hundreds of translators, into more than
60 languages.

In addition to translations, Jane Eyre has been widely adapted into films, TV
shows, and plays, and it’s also inspired other novels. The most famous of these, Jean
Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, reimagines the story of Rochester’s first wife, locked in the
attic in Brontë’s version, raised on plantations in the Caribbean. Wide Sargasso
Sea also begins to address the colonialism and sexism that haunt the older text.

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 The number of interactions with Jane Eyre is impressive: just the list of
translations far exceeds what we could cover in a blog post! Translations that
incorporate a different title—originally Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, in English—
are some of the most intriguing. Here’s a selection, presented in no particular order, to
spark your curiosity.

Jane Eyre ou Mémoires d’une gouvernante, translated by Paul Émile Daurand

Forgues, 1849 (French)

When Jane works as governess, her student Adèle speaks French, and the title
of the first French translation (Jane Eyre, or the Memoirs of a Governess) emphasizes
this period of her life. Just two years after the novel’s publication in England, it was
serialized in French by Paul Émile Daurand Forgues. Forgues published his
translation, usually referred to as an adaptation, in the Revue de Paris newspaper
between April and June 1849.

简爱 (Jianai), translated by Fang Li, 1954 (Chinese)

This cleverly invented Chinese title is composed of two characters that can
make a sound similar to Jane Eyre (Jianai) and can be translated as “simple love,” so
the title says both these things together. It’s been used for almost every translation of
Jane Eyre into Chinese since 1954.

Jane Eyre: Yıllar Sonra Gelen Mutluluk, translated by Ceren Taştan, 2010
(Turkish)

This Turkish title can be translated as Jane Eyre: Happiness Comes After
Many Years, which eloquently sums up Jane’s long search for a home and love.

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A Paixão de Jane Eyre, translated by Mécia and João Gaspar Simões, 1941
(Portuguese)

Bronte’s portrayal of her protagonist’s intense inner life has earned her
recognition as “first historian of the private consciousness.” Jane’s psychology is
rarely expressed in words but rather through natural elements like storms and
sunlight. Still, the title of the first Portuguese translation (The Passion of Jane Eyre)
emphasizes the novel’s passion and anticipates later translations, including Leyguarda
Ferreira’s 1951 O Grande Amor de Jane Eyre / The Great Love of Jane Eyre.

Other translation titles highlight the sadder parts of Jane’s story, or gesture at the
novel’s feminist themes:

 In Farsi, U‫ ;یتیم‬subtitled ‫[ ژن ئر‬Orphan: Jane Eyre] translated by Masʻud Barzin,

1950

 In Italian, La porta chiusa [The Closed Door], translator unknown, 1958

 In Tagalog, Kapag bigo na ang lahat: hango sa Jane Eyre [When Everything
Fails: A Novel of Jane Eyre], translator unknown, 1985

While Jane has travelled widely and into many languages, there are places where
she is still scarce. Translations into African languages are few and far between: an
Amharic translation, Žénʻéyer, was published by an unknown translator in 1981, and in
2005 Antoinette Stimie published a translated and abridged version in Afrikaans.
Amal Omar Baseem al-Rifayii published the first known translation by a female
Arabic translator in 2014.

Still, once Jane arrives in a language, she often finds popularity. Since the novel
was first translated in Iran in 1980, 29 more translations have followed. A 1943
Spanish translation by Juan G. de Luaces first published in Barcelona has since been
republished in Buenos Aires in 1954, in Madrid in 1967, and in Bogota in 1985. If

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history is any guide, we’ve got many more acts of translation to look forward to, and
Jane will continue to make her way to new readers.

LIFE OF JANE EYRE

Life at Gateshead

The novel opens with Jane reading alone in the breakfast room, hoping she
can find peace away from the Reed family. However, this doesn't last, as Master John
Reed arrives, wanting to torment Jane. He taunts Jane by calling her a 'rat', claiming
she is poor, ungrateful and as she depends on his mother's wealth, is a beggar. Jane
retaliates and a fight breaks out. Mrs Reed arrives with her servants to stop the fight
and orders Jane to be taken and locked in the 'Red Room.' The Red Room is a
'haunted' room in the household, and it is here that Jane believes she meets her uncle's
ghost. She is terrified by this and bangs on the door, wanting to be let out, but no one
comes for her. Jane suffers a fever and it nearly kills her.

Lowood School

Mrs Reed does not want Jane in her household anymore so sends her to
Lowood School, a school run by the cruel Mr Brocklehurst. She tells him that Jane
must be punished and Brocklehurst relishes any opportunity to punish Jane in front of
her peers. Conditions at the school are not very good - illness is rife and there isn't
enough food or water for the girls. Jane makes her first friend and, for the first time in
her life, understands the value of friendship and love. Tragically, Helen Burns, Jane's
best friend, dies of consumption and Jane is there with her until her death, refusing to
leave her side. Soon after, the school is taken over by some kind and sympathetic
gentlemen, thus improving the conditions. Jane later becomes a teacher there.

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Thornfield Hall

Jane decides to leave Lowood School and applies for a governess position.
She gets the position and moves to Thornfield Hall where she looks after and teaches
Adele, a lively French girl. After a few months, Jane meets Rochester, the owner of
the estate and her boss. She finds him aloof and rude yet intelligent and sharp. She
begins to fall in love with Edward Rochester, fantasising what life would be like with
him.

A fire

During the night, a fire breaks out at Thornfield, nearly killing Rochester as he
sleeps. Jane raises the alarm and saves Rochester by putting out the fire. Rochester
thanks Jane and leaves her wondering who started the fire. The next morning,
Rochester claims it was Grace Poole, his alcoholic servant. However, Jane isn't
convinced by Rochester's story and is convinced Grace Poole didn't start the fire, as
she hasn't been dismissed by Rochester.

Blanche Ingram

Mrs Fairfax, the housekeeper at Thornfield, announces that Rochester is

expecting guests. The household are extremely excited and anxious, as they haven't
had guests to the household for years. Preparations get underway to prepare for the
party's arrival. A party of guests arrive, including the beautiful Blanche Ingram who it
is rumoured Rochester will marry. Jane becomes heartbroken at this news, and awaits
the marriage proposal, supposing that Rochester loves Blanche.

Rochester Proposes

Rather than proposing to Blanche, Rochester confesses his love for Jane and
asks her to marry him. Jane is shocked and does not believe him at first but eventually
accepts. They prepare for their marriage, Rochester insisting that he wants to marry
quickly and quietly. On the day of their wedding, Mr Mason arrives at the Church and
declares that Rochester cannot marry as he is already married to his sister, Bertha

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Mason. Rochester confirms the story by taking Jane to the attic to see his wife, who is
mentally unstable and prone to violence.. Rochester exclaims that despite his
marriage, he still wants to be with Jane and they could still live together. Jane locks
herself in her room, away from everyone so she can think and decide what to do.

Jane flees from Thornfield

Jane decides that she cannot be with Rochester, as he is already married. She
stays true to her principles and decides to run away, becoming homeless in the
process. She forages for food in villages and journeys away from Thornfield Hall,
hoping Rochester will never find her. When she is hungry, delirious and close to
death, the Rivers family take her in and nurse her back to health. When she gets
better, Jane becomes a schoolmistress at the village.

Jane inherits family and fortune

St John Rivers (the brother in the Rivers family) arrives at Jane's school to
announce that her uncle has died, leaving his wealth and estate to her. John also
reveals that Jane's uncle is also his, making them cousins. Jane is overwhelmed and
rejoices that she has family, splitting the inheritance between them. St John decides to
undertake missionary work in India. He asks Jane to accompany him and she agrees;
however, St John suggests they should be married for their journey. Jane reluctantly
accepts, however, when she hears Rochester calling her name in the night, she decides
she cannot marry someone she doesn't love.

Jane returns to Thornfield

Upon hearing Rochester's voice, Jane returns to Thornfield. When she arrives,
she discovers it has burnt down. Jane suspects the worst - that everyone in the
household has died, including Rochester. She soon hears the truth, that Bertha burnt
the Hall down and Rochester, in his attempt to save her, became blind and lost his
hand. Jane makes the journey to Ferndean to see Rochester. As he has lost his sight,
he believes he is imagining Jane's voice. He is overwhelmed that she is there,
breaking down and confessing his love for her. The novel concludes with Jane and
Rochester married with children. Edward manages to regain sight in one eye to see his
first-born child.

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 THEMES
LOVE, FAMILY AND INDEPENDENCE

As an orphan at Gateshead, Jane is oppressed and dependent. For Jane to

discover herself, she must break out of these restrictive conditions and find love and
independence. Jane must have the freedom to think and feel, and she seeks out other
independent-minded people as the loving family she craves. Jane, Helen Burns
and Ms. Temple enjoy a deep mutual respect, and form emotional bonds that
anticipate the actual family Jane finds in Mary and Diana Rivers. Yet Jane also has a
natural instinct toward submission. When she leaves Lowood to find new experiences,
she describes herself as seeking a "new servitude." In her relationship with men, she
has the inclination toward making first Rochester and then St. John her "master."

Over the course of the novel, Jane strives to find a balance between service
and mastery. Jane blends her freedom with her commitments to love, virtue, and self-
respect. At the end, Jane is both guide and servant to Rochester. She finds and creates
her own family, and their love grows out of the mutual respect of free minds.

Religion

Religion and spirituality are key factors in how characters develop in the
novel. Jane matures partly because she learns to follow Christian lessons and resist
temptation. Helen Burns introduces Jane to the New Testament, which becomes a
moral guidepost for Jane throughout her life. As Jane develops her relationship with
God, Mr. Rochester must also reform his pride, learn to pray, and become humble.
Brontë depicts different forms of religion: Helen trusts in salvation; ElizaReed
becomes a French Catholic nun; and St. John preaches a gloomy Calvinist faith. The
novel attempts to steer a middle course. In Jane, Brontë sketches a virtuous faith that
does not consume her individual personality. Jane is self-respecting and religious, but
also exercises her freedom to love and feel. Religion is wonderful tool to unite people
which is being used right opposite today.

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Feeling vs. Judgment

Just as Jane Eyre can be described as Jane's quest to balance her contradictory
natural instincts toward independence and submission, it can also be described as her
quest to find a balance between passionate feeling on the one had and judgment, or
repression of those feelings, on the other. Through the examples of other characters in
the novel, such as Eliza and Georgiana, Rochester and St. John—or Bertha, who has
no control over her emotions at all—Jane Eyre shows that it's best to avoid either
extreme. Passion makes a person silly, frivolous or even dangerous, while repression
makes a person cold. Over the course of the novel, Jane learns how to create a balance
between her feelings and her judgment, and to create a life of love that is also a life of
serious purpose.

The Spiritual and the Supernatural

Brontë uses many themes of Gothic novels to add drama and suspense to Jane
Eyre. But the novel isn't just a ghost story because Brontë also reveals
the reasons behind supernatural events. For instance, Mr. Reed's ghost in the red-room
is a figment of Jane's stressed-out mind, while Bertha is the "demon" in Thornfield.
In Jane Eyre, the effects of the supernatural matter more than the causes. The
supernatural allows Brontë to explore her characters' psyches, especially Jane's inner
fears. The climactic supernatural moment in the novel occurs
when Jane and Rochester have a telepathic connection. In the text, Jane makes it clear
that the connection was not supernatural to her. Instead, she considers that moment a
mysterious spiritual connection. Brontë makes their telepathy part of her conceptions
of love and religion.

Feminism
The idea of the equality of men and women emerged more strongly in
the Victorian period in Britain, after works by earlier writers, such
as Mary Wollstonecraft. R. B. Martin described Jane Eyre as the first major feminist
novel, "although there is not a hint in the book of any desire for political, legal,

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educational, or even intellectual equality between the sexes." This is illustrated in
chapter 23, when Jane responds to Rochester's callous and indirect proposal:

‘Do you think I am an automaton? a machine without feelings?...Do you think,

because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think
wrong—I have as much soul as you,—and full as much heart...I am not talking to you
now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh;—it is
my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and
we stood at God's feet, equal,—as we are.’

The novel "acted as a catalyst" to feminist criticism with the publication by

S. Gilbert and S. Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic (1979), the title of which
alludes to Rochester's wife. The Brontë’s fictions were cited by feminist critic Ellen
Moers as prime examples of Female Gothic, exploring woman's entrapment within
domestic space and subjection to patriarchal authority, and the transgressive and
dangerous attempts to subvert and escape such restriction. Both Wuthering Heights
and Jane Eyre explore this theme.

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CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF JANE EYRE

The novel charts the growth of Jane Eyre, the first-person narrator, from her
unhappy childhood with her nasty relatives, the Reeds, to her blissful marriage to
Rochester at Ferndean. Reading, education, and creativity are all essential
components of Jane's growth, factors that help her achieve her final success. From the
novel's opening chapters to its close, Jane reads a variety of
texts: Pamela, Gulliver's Travels, and Marmion. Stories provide Jane with an escape
from her unhappy domestic situation, feeding her imagination and offering her a vast
world beyond the troubles of her real life: By opening her inner ear, she hears "a tale
my imagination created . . . quickened with all incident, life, fire, feeling, that I
desired and had not in my actual existence." Similarly, she believes education will
allow her the freedom to improve her position in society by teaching her to act like a
"lady," but her success at school, in particular her drawing ability, also increases her
self-confidence. Jane confesses that artistic creation offers her one of the "keenest
pleasures" of her life, and Rochester is impressed with Jane's drawings because of
their depth and meaning, not typical of a schoolgirl.

Although artistic and educational pursuits are essential elements of Jane's

personality, she also feels a need to assert her identity through rebellion. In the
opening chapters of the novel, Jane refers to herself as a "rebel slave," and throughout
the story she opposes the forces that prevent her from finding happiness: Mrs. Reed's
unfair accusations, Rochester's attempt to make her his mistress, and St. John's desire
to transform her into a missionary wife. By falling in love with Rochester, she
implicitly mutinies against the dictates of class boundaries that relegate her, as a
governess, to a lower status than her "master." Besides rejecting traditional views of
class, she also denigrates society's attempts to restrict women's activities. Women, she
argues, need active pursuits and intellectual stimulation, just as men do. Most of
Jane's rebellions target the inequities of society, but much of her personality is fairly

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conventional. In fact, she often seems to provide a model of proper English
womanhood: frank, sincere, and lacking in personal vanity.

Jane's personality balances social awareness with spiritual power. Throughout

the novel, Jane is referred to as an imp, a fairy, a relative of the "men in green." As
fairy, Jane identifies herself as a special, magical creature. Connecting herself with
the mythical beings in Bessie's stories, Jane is affiliated with the realms of
imagination, with the fantastic. Jane's psychic abilities aren't merely imaginary: her
dreams and visions have a real impact on her life. For example, supernatural
experiences, heralds of visions "from another world," foreshadow drastic changes in
Jane's life, such as her move from Gateshead to Lowood, or her rediscovery of
Rochester after their time apart. Thus, Jane's spirituality isn't a purely Christian one —
in fact, she rejects many of the Christian characters in the novel, such as St. John
Rivers, Eliza Reed, and Mr. Brocklehurst — but a mixture of Christian and pagan
ideas. Like nature, Jane's God is filled with bounty, compassion, and forgiveness —
qualities lacking in many of the spiritual leaders she criticizes in the novel.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

Based on the ideas of Karl Marx, this theoretical approach asks us to consider
how a literary work reflects the socioeconomic conditions of the time in which it was
written. What does the text tell us about contemporary social classes and how does it
reflect classism? Jane Eyre depicts the strict, hierarchical class system in England that
required everyone to maintain carefully circumscribed class positions. Primarily
through the character of Jane, it also accents the cracks in this system, the places
where class differences were melding in Victorian England.

For example, the novel questions the role of the governess: Should she be
considered upper class, based on her superior education, or lower class, because of her
servant-status within the family? What happens when relationships develop between
people of different classes, such as Rochester and Jane?

Jane's ambiguous class status becomes evident from the novel's opening
chapter. A poor orphan living with relatives, Jane feels alienated from the rest of the
Reed family. John Reed tells Jane she has "no business to take our books; you are a
dependent . . . you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentleman's children like
us." In this quote, John claims the rights of the gentleman, implying that Jane's family
was from a lower class, and, therefore, she has no right to associate on equal footing
with her wealthy cousins. Jane's lack of money leaves her dependent upon the Reeds
for sustenance. She appears to exist in a no-man's land between the upper- and servant
classes. By calling her cousin John a "murderer," "slave-driver," and "Roman
emperor," Jane emphasizes her recognition of the corruption inherent in the ruling
classes. As she's dragged away to the red-room following her fight with John Reed,
Jane resists her captors like a "rebel slave," emphasizing the oppression she suffers
because of her class status.

When Miss Abbot admonishes Jane for striking John Reed, Jane's "young
master," Jane immediately questions her terminology. Is John really her "master"; is
she his servant? Emphasizing the corruption, even despotism of the upper classes,

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Jane's narrative makes her audience aware that the middle classes were becoming the
repositories of both moral and intellectual superiority.

Jane's experiences at Thornfield reinforce this message. When Jane first

arrives, she is happy to learn that Mrs. Fairfax is a housekeeper, and not Jane's
employer, because this means they're both dependents and can, therefore, interact as
equals. Mrs. Fairfax discusses the difference between herself, as an upper-servant, and
the other servants in the house; for example, she says Leah and John are "only
servants, and one can't converse with them on terms of equality; one must keep them
at due distance for fear of losing one's authority." As a governess, Jane is in the same
category as Mrs. Fairfax: neither a member of the family nor a member of the serving
classes. The ambiguity of the governess is especially pronounced, as we see with the
example of Diana and Mary Rivers: the well-educated daughters of upper-class
parents who've fallen on hard financial times, the Rivers are better educated than their
employers, though treated with as little respect as the family cook.

Victorian society brutally maintained the boundaries between governesses and

the upper-class families, practically prohibiting marriages between the two groups and
attempting to desexualize governesses, who were often accused of bringing a
dangerous sexuality into the family. Blanche, for example, calls governesses "incubi,"
and Lady Ingram believes that liaisons should never be allowed between governesses
and tutors, because such relationships would introduce a moral infection into the
household.

The relationship between Jane and Rochester also emphasizes class issues. In
a conversation preceding their betrothal, Rochester treats Jane like a good servant:
Because she's been a "dependent" who has done "her duty," he, as her employer,
wants to offer her assistance in finding a new job. Jane confirms her secondary status
by referring to Rochester as "master," and believing "wealth, caste, custom," separate
her from him. She fears he will treat her like an "automaton" because she is "poor,
obscure, plain and little," mistakenly believing the lower classes to be heartless and
soulless. Claiming the aristocratic privilege of creating his own rules, Rochester
redefines Jane's class status, by defining her as his "equal" and "likeness."

Before she can become Rochester's wife, Jane must prove her acceptability
based on class. Does she have an upper-class sensibility, despite her inferior position

15
at Thornfield? For example, when Bessie sees Jane at Lowood, she is impressed
because Jane has become "quite a lady"; in fact, her accomplishments surpass that of
her cousins, yet they are still considered her social superiors based solely on wealth.
The conversation emphasizes the ambiguities of Jane's family's class status and of the
class system in general: Should a lady be judged based on academic
accomplishments, money, or family name? The novel critiques the behavior of most
of the upper-class characters Jane meets: Blanche Ingram is haughty and superficial,
John Reed is debauched, and Eliza Reed is inhumanely cold.

Rochester is a primary example of upper-class debauchery, with his series of

mistresses and his attempt to make Jane a member of the harem. In her final view of
Thornfield, after Bertha has burned it down, Jane emphasizes the stark contrast
between her comforting, flowering, breathtaking dream of Thornfield, and the reality
of its trodden and wasted grounds. The discrepancy emphasizes that the world's vision
of the upper classes doesn't always capture the hidden passions that boil under the
veneer of genteel tranquility.

One of Jane's tasks in the novel is to revitalize the upper classes, which have
become mired in debauchery and haughtiness. Just as Rochester sought Jane for her
freshness and purity, the novel suggests that the upper classes in general need the pure
moral values and stringent work ethic of the middle classes. At novel's end, Rochester
recognizes the error in his lifestyle, and his excessive passions have been quenched;
he is reborn as a proper, mild-mannered husband, happily dependent on his wife's
moral and intellectual guidance

The novel is also met with different criticism for its unconventionalism,
immorality, passionate exchanges, anti-authoritative and anti-Christian tendencies,
and improbabilities within the storyline. An anonymous review published in The
Mirror of Literature, Amusement and Instruction in December of 1847 had a critical
and negative reaction, citing anti-Christian and anti-authoritative sentiments. In their
opinion, the novel blatantly violates contemporary moral and social codes and aims
blows against political, religious, and social institutions at every opportunity.
The novel completely lacks morality, but in a peculiar way, as it speaks
strongly against vices while also telling a story that makes love of man seem
irreconcilable with love of religion.

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 The author attempts to persuade the reader that happy people only
occasionally think of God, and in times of trouble especially, thus lacking in a
depiction of true religion that would be satisfactory to the reviewer. The reviewer
dislikes Brontë’s depiction of clergymen, St. John Rivers, because he is ill-formed,
cold, stoic, and unfeeling. The reviewer posits that there is not a single natural
character, and every depiction is despised, especially the clever and not handsome
Jane because “the heroine herself is a specimen of the bold daring young ladies who
delight in overstepping conventional rules” (“The Last New Novel [Unsigned review
of Jane Eyre]” 1847).

The reviewer even dislikes her character as a child because of her un-childlike
bold and confrontational nature. Rochester does not escape this criticism or receive

any redeeming characteristics, and the reviewer sees no reason as to why Jane would
fall for him and he for her. Another point of contention is the depiction of high society
in the form of Blanche Ingram: the reviewer states no lady would ever be so rude to a
footman. Though the reviewer is not a fan of the novel, he could not deny that “the
extraordinary daring of the author kept [him] awake” (“The Last New Novel
[Unsigned review of Jane Eyre]” 1847).

This daring comes in the form of unrealistic storylines, foolish beliefs, and
inadequate characters. Some unrealistic scenes that the reviewer found particularly
revolting include the revelation of Bertha Mason, the description of her suffering, and
the story of how Rochester’s home was burned down. Such extravagance overpowers
the few good scenes in the novel, such as Jane and Rochester’s reunion.

The moral offense of Jane and Rochester’s illegitimate romance and the fact
that the novel’s popularity is partially owed to the reader’s love of that romance is
also against religious and manmade laws. With respect to character, Rigby finds Jane
uninteresting and inconsistent at the fault of the author, who makes her one person to
other characters and another to the readers especially through the discrepancies
between what Jane thinks and what she does. She lacks the conventional attraction of
heroines.

One might think that Jane’s moral strength in leaving Rochester would please
Rigby, but it further infuriates her because it seems to be done out of pride and the
laws of her own mind rather than religion, and the lack of former acquaintances that
Jane has to turn to seems unrealistic. Rigby includes scenes from the latter portions of
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the novel for the purpose of analyzing and criticizing Jane’s character. Mr.
Rochester’s character is consistent and intellectual, but he speaks of his immodest
past without filter and more seeks to violate the laws of God and man with his
illegitimate proposal of marriage. Rigby is disgusted by the fact that some readers are
so drawn in by characters as ungodly, uninteresting, and unworthy as Jane and Mr.
Rochester.

With respect to writing, the moral, religious, and literary deficiencies

overpower beautiful and powerful passages, but Rigby cannot deny the author’s
power. Rigby is also certain that the author is a man, not because of the power or
vulgarity of the writing, but because of the mistakes made in descriptions of womanly

works and clothing (Rigby 1848). Overall, Rigby dislikes the novel because of its
moral faults, but she concedes that it is powerful and spellbinding because of Brontë’s
free writing style.

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 CHAPTER – 3
CONCLUSION

The novel was praised for its originality, freedom of thought and
expression, realism, accuracy, and character composition. Author and critic George
Henry Lewes wrote a positive review for Jane Eyre, citing its realism, well-developed
characters, and descriptive writing. He began his review by urging readers to buy the
book and emphasizing how it will stay with them. This 1847 December issue
described how the novel contained a few characters, though the few it had were drawn
well. Lewes enjoyed Jane’s character because she is a realistic woman, not intelligent
or overtly moral.

With her plainness, she is made loveable by the personality, strength, and
honesty she exhibits throughout the novel. The character of Mr. Rochester is also
well-written, despite his imperfections, though Lewis believes he is not as realistic as
Jane. Perhaps, Lewis posits, this difference is because Brontë is a woman. Lewis
attributes the success of Jane’s character to the autobiographical nature of the novel,
as the author is “unquestionably setting forth her own experience” (Lewes 1847).
Brontë’s own experiences give Jane a realistic charm and cause the novel to uniquely
impact the reader with its personal language.

Lewes praised Brontë’s writing technique – specifically, her worldly

knowledge, character perception and manipulation, passion, description, and the
novel’s realism. To exhibit Brontë’s mastery of description, he includes a scene from
Jane’s childhood in which she describes the bedroom that Jane has been locked in. In
fact, Lewes favors the descriptive aspects from Jane’s childhood. From the beginning
of the review, Lewes correctly assumes the writer is a young, nascent female and a
new author because of his belief that such great work must come out of real
experiences. He thu s implies that Brontë herself had experienced Jane’s improper
passions and plights. Although this assumption had no negative effects on the review,
Brontë didn’t appreciate such speculations because of their distracting nature and
potential damages to her character (Lewes 1847). In short, Lewes praised the novel
for its realism, accuracy, and character composition.

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 An anonymous review in The Era from November of 1847 was similarly
positive, praising the originality and morality of the novel. The review recommended
the novel and highlighted its brilliant originality. It stated that “the story is…unlike all
we have read…” (“Review of Jane Eyre from the Era” 1847). The reviewer believed
that the novel is morally sound. Jane’s “trials and temptations” highlight the
importance of correct morals and obeying the laws of man and of God, no matter the
circumstance.

This respect of human and divine law will ultimately lead to happiness, though
the path may be treacherous. Similar to Lewes, this review believes the characters are
lifelike, truthful, and well-fashioned. They are described as “Cartoons of Raphael”
because they convey such great realism while lacking extensive elaboration (“Review
of Jane Eyre from the Era” 1847). He is, however, more focused on the uniqueness
and power of the story itself rather than the characters, so no strong reactions to or
descriptions of Jane and Rochester are highlighted. The reviewer believes the
story is natural and true.

Unlike Lewes, he doesn’t find the latter parts of the novel to be too
improbable or inferior to the beginning. The expression and power of thought are
what make the novel revolutionary and engaging. Further, consistent with the
prominent sexism of the 19th century, the reviewer believed that the author couldn’t
be a woman because of the novel’s incredible power and uniqueness. He instead
thought that the tale expanded upon other written inventions of the male mind in its
romance and conflicts (“Review of Jane Eyre from the Era” 1847). Overall, the
reviewer recommended the novel because of its uniqueness, well-developed
characters, and freedom of thought and expression.

Jane Eyre was a fascinating character in my opinion, she rejected social norms
entirely, refusing to be the quite lady in the corner. I enjoyed her refreshing honesty
and her sense of justice.

The contrast between Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers, is Mr. Rivers, more
"pure" and "godly" of the two men, and Jane respects him immensely, but it's Mr.
Rochester's passion and love that captures her heart, and perhaps her entire being. Mr.
Rivers, in essence, leaves her cold.
20
 Jane's whole life was one of being trampled on. Even St. John, with his
demanding desire for Jane to join him on his missionary trip as his wife, was a form
of trampling on her spirit.

Jane not only needed love, she needed respect and equality with her partner -
and only Mr. Rochester fit the bill.

Jane's spirit, her moral compass, and overall, the way she accepts Mr.
Rochester allows him to become a better man.

And for the era it was written, everyone can agree her notion that women
should be at liberty to feel what they want and work at what they enjoy.

The words of Mr. Robert Southey when twenty-year-old Bronte submitted the
sample. Well, it proved to be wrong. Yup, completely wrong and standing proof that
it is a vague statement is the novel by the very own Bronte.

Mr. Robert Southey’s quote shall rather be replaced with these, Every time
someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting
place.

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with

an independent will.” ― Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 "On Tuesday next will be published, and may be had at all the libraries, JANE EYRE.
An Autobiography. Edited by Currer Bell. 3 vols, post 8vo. London: Smith, Elder, and
Co., 65, Cornhill". Daily News (London). 13 October 1847. p. 1.

 "The HarperCollins Timeline". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 18 October 2018.

 Lollar, Cortney. "Jane Eyre: A Bildungsroman". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 22
January 2019.

 Burt, Daniel S. (2008). The Literature 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Novelists,
Playwrights, and Poets of All Time. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 9781438127064.
 Gilbert, Sandra; Gubar, Susan (1979). The Madwoman in the Attic. Yale University
Press.

 Martin, Robert B. (1966). Charlotte Brontë's Novels: The Accents of Persuasion. New

York: Norton.

 Roberts, Timothy (2011). Jane Eyre. p. 8.

 Wood, Madeleine. "Jane Eyre in the red-room: Madeleine Wood explores the
consequences of Jane's childhood trauma". Retrieved 7 December 2018.

 Brontë, Charlotte (16 October 1847). Jane Eyre. London, England: Smith, Elder & Co.
pp. 105.

 Brontë, Charlotte (2008). Jane Eyre. Radford, Virginia: Wilder Publications. ISBN 978-

1604594119.

 calculated using the UK Retail Price Index: "Currency Converter, Pounds Sterling to

Dollars, 1264 to Present (Java)".

 Gaskell, Elizabeth (1857). The Life of Charlotte Brontë. Vol. 1. Smith, Elder & Co.
p. 73.

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 Gubar II, Gilbert I (2009). Madwoman in the Attic after Thirty Years. University of
Missouri Press.

 Carol Atherton, The figure of Bertha Mason (2014), British

Library https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-figure-of-bertha-mason 
Retrieved 30 May 2020.

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/j/jane-eyre/charlotte-brontxeb-biography

https://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/article/jane-eyre-translated-57-languages-show-how-
different-cultures-interpret-charlotte-brontes-cl

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8jm39q/revision/1

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/jane-eyre/themes

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/j/jane-eyre/critical-essays/a-marxist-approach-
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https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/j/jane-eyre/critical-essays/a-postcolonial-
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https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/critical-reception-of-jane-eyre/

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