Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Literature review Example

 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre is one piece of literature that is considered as having incredible merit in various different regards, and it is one which is looked upon as being one of the most relevant and pointed pieces of writing to have ever been completed; however there are still the questions that revolve around it, such as whether it may be considered as being a novel that is radical or feminist, and this question is one which is the utmost importance in regards to the story overall. In the following will be discussed the novel, and whether it should be considered as a more radical or feminist novel, as will be discussed matters in relation to this; this is what will be dissertated in the following. The basic storyline in this piece of literature is that an orphan, Jane Eyre, becomes a governess and then winds up falling in love with her employer, the dark and disturbing Mr. Rochester. After this, her life ends up becoming even more complicated when she runs away from a terrifying secret in Rochester’s house and she is then faced with yet another option of her life. One of the most characteristic parts of this literary work altogether is that you will notice that throughout Jane Eyre, as Jane herself moves from one actual physical location to another, the settings in which she then finds herself vary markedly from one point to another; Bronte makes the most of this necessity by carefully arranging each of those settings to match the different circumstances that she finds herself in each, and you will also see throughout the story that as Jane grows older and her hopes and dreams change, the settings she finds herself in are perfectly attuned to her state of mind, but her circumstances are always defined by the walls, real and figurative, around her. Jane Eyre can truly be considered as being a ‘different’ novel, in that it is a novel about a woman that was written with a man’s freedom, the freedom to be able to portray the indecorum of a heroine who has outbursts of anger as a child and then uncontrollable passion as an adult, and who openly confesses her desire when she thinks that everything is hopeless as could be and she also openly refuses the passive and dependant role in romance. Jane Eyre is truly a character to be remembered; it should be known for what it really is, which is a classic romance novel that was written by Charlotte Bronte, and which was published in 1847. Basically, the narrator and the main character, who is Jane Eyre, is a poor orphan who has a rather joyless life as a child, and who ends up getting sent to a boarding school which is run by an angry and despising man named Mr. Brocklehurst; Jane ends up becoming a teacher in her later years, and then decides to switch careers and becomes a governess, and at first everything is rather normal, but then a man named Mr. Rochester arrives, and everything changes dramatically. Though on rather rough footing at first, Jane and Mr. Rochester slowly become acquainted with each other, and they slowly begin to gain respect for one another as well; despite their differences in social status, age, and experience, Jane and Mr. Rochester end up getting engaged, and then before the wedding Jane finds out that Mr. Rochester is in fact already married, and she then becomes torn between her love for Mr. Rochester and her morals, as she certainly does not want to accept the status of being his mistress. There is truly something more that is going on than what may first appear to the eye in this novel, and it should also be known that the power of this piece of literature truly has much less to do with that of the conflict of the great forces that generally typifies great works of literature, and rather has more to do with that of the subtle irritation of a delayed resolution to its most important episode of all; the word episode meaning many things, as this novel is one which is built on episodes, and which is then loosely tied together by their common and likeable protagonist. In regards to the matter of whether Jane Eyre as a novel in general should be considered as radical or feminist, there are a few factors that need to be taken into consideration first before this is truly and fully understandably answered. For instance, the terms radical and feminist must be properly understood and recognized; radical is a term which basically refers to an extremist, or a person who has radical thoughts or ideas, or a character who conveys the lexical meaning of a logogram. Feminist, on the other hand, is a term which refers to the subject of feminism, and feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, and some versions of feminism are actually even known as critical of past and present relations; many in this regards focus on analyzing what they believe to be social constructions of gender and sexuality, and as well, for the most part, they tend to focus on the studying of gender equality and inequality and the promoting of women’s rights and interests. Thus, now that we can see what the meanings of both terms are it is easier to properly define the category that a novel such as Jane Eyre would fit into; basically it is rather difficult to put a specific one of these labels onto a novel such as this, one which has been read as both feminist and antifeminist, radical and conservative, highly original and highly derivative, Romantic and Victorian; therefore, basically it cannot truly be looked at for sure as one or the other, but rather there are certain aspects to the novel that relate to each – depending on the particular reader perhaps, we would be able to grasp a better understanding, because there are few novels out there that can be claimed as having been considered as elaborate as this one. For instance, most novels have a single, or sometimes two terms that are thought as being upon them, however not many at all are considered as being both feminist and antifeminist, radical and conservative, highly original and highly derivative, Romantic and Victorian; therefore, Jane Eyre is certainly one novel that stands out among all the rest. Furthermore, most of the readers that respond to this novel would be able to admit that they agree that the appeal of the novel as a whole lies in the intensity of its feeling, the richness of language that is used within, and the forceful representation of passion that is clearly emphasized in a decidedly dramatic plot. Each reader will find it incredibly easy to notice that Jane Eyre as a narrator as a whole is ideal, as she is objective enough to be able to provide us with a good and proper account of the events that take place, and at the same time is also outspoken enough to be able to bump the plot along whenever it needs bumping, so that the plot and storyline in general truly never have the chance to become boring or mundane. As well, Jane’s overall attempt to chide herself into the abandoning of her interest in Mr. Rochester is one which truly results in taking the form of context between two mental pictures. In other words, what this basically means is that there is charm and attraction that we can feel here, but at the same time we can see a form of contempt, and one of rather inferiority and confusion as well. In regards again to the matter of the opposites that are assumed of this novel, in regards to the contrast of Victorian and romantic, there is much speculation that it is more Victorian overall, as Victorian novels are considered as not being able to be simply boiled down into easily digestible theatrical treats. There are also many occurrences and incidents that are unforgettable in this novel, such as the orphaned Jane’s cruel treatment at the hands of her aunt and her spoiled sadistic cousin, and the same goes for the doomed romance that takes place between Jane herself and her employer Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester. Jane Eyre can easily be considered as one novel that teaches every reader several important lessons in their own right, and thus this explains why it is such a critical novel for everyone to read and make their own judgment on. This piece of literature is one which is truly unique in the fact that it is actually considered as being both radical and feminist, and because of the strong contrast that takes place between basically everything in the novel, this is what truly sets it apart from most other works of literature in general. In conclusion, we can clearly see what an important part of society a novel such as this is in general, and why it is so dire that everyone read it so that they too can understand how monumental this piece of literature actually is; it is absolutely a must read for all. Works Cited Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Orchard Park, NY: Broadview Press, 1999. Read More