First published: 1847, England
Original Language: English
Topics: Marriage, schools, role of women, romance, courtship, disability
In A Nutshell: Jane Eyre is an orphan who was taken in by her distant relations as a child. Headstrong, dreamy, and intelligent, she is generally hated by her benefactors, who soon send her away to a miserable and stingy boarding school. Lowood school is a generally horrible place; Jane's best and only friend, the angelic Helen, dies of consumption. When she graduates, however, Jane stays at Lowood for a while as an instructor, but finally decides to put out an advertisement and try to get a job as a governess. She gets a reply and goes to be the governess for the sweet but spoiled Adele Varens, ward of the owner of the house, Edward Rochester. He is physically unattractive, emotionally distant, and must older than Jane, but she gradually falls in love with him anyway, and he with her. They want to be married, but their preparations are repeatedly sabotaged by a mysterious and malevolent presence in the house. On their wedding day, Mr Rochester is forced to reveal that he is already married to an insane woman that he keeps locked up in the attic. Heartbroken but determined, Jane runs away from the house to begin her life anew somewhere else.
With no money and nowhere to go, Jane almost dies on the moors until she is taken in by the two friendly sisters, Diana and Mary, and their brother, Mr. St. John. After she regains her strength, she is given a place and a house as the teacher of the local school. Jane eventually learns her true identity, an heiress of a large fortune and relative of the St. Johns, with whom she gladly shares her inheritance. The severe and orthodoxly zealous St. John eventually proposes to Jane, not out of love but because he believes he can use her for his planned ministry in India. Jane, still in love with Mr Rochester and unable to bear the idea of marrying someone that does not love her and she does not love, turns him down but agrees to go as his helper. Before they can depart, she hears Mr Rochester calling her in the night and resolves to go see him again.
When she arrives at his mansion, Thornfield, she finds it burnt to the ground. She learns that Rochester's mad wife started the fire and killed herself in her insanity, and that Rochester, who was disfigured and blinded by the fire, is alive elsewhere. Finally reunited, the two again profess their love and are married.
Thinking Makes It So: I was told I would hate Jane Eyre and I definitely didn't. It was much longer than I was expecting and very drawn out, but I enjoyed reading it much more than I thought I would, especially considering the trouble I've had with reading any of Jane Austen's books besides Pride and Prejudice. I quite liked the character of Jane, who was trying to make something of her life despite her miserable circumstances.
I guess I don't really have too much to say about Jane Eyre, because despite the length, not too much happens. I enjoyed reading it, like I said, but I didn't adore it, and I probably wouldn't feel compelled to read it again any time soon. In many places, it's difficult to connect with Jane, because the kinds of concerns she faces--whether she should marry an older man, her options as a governess, her agonizing over whether to marry St. John or not. She does get her happy ending, though.
That You Must Teach Me: Given its size, linguistic complexity, and drawn-out, not-very-complex events, I wouldn't teach Jane Eyre if I didn't have to. There were several interesting themes that can be drawn from it, though:
- Marriage for love (Mr. Rochester) vs. marriage for duty (St. John)
- Role of women in (19th century English) society
- Importance of money and relations in (19th century English) society
- Depictions of insanity and foreigners
- Effect and symbolism of physical beauty
Resources:
EDSITEment
TeacherVision: reading guide and discussion questions
LessonTutor: vocab worksheet
BookRags: lesson plans and summaries
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