Jane Eyre

General

The early sequences, in which the orphaned Jane is sent to Lowood, a harsh boarding school, and witnesses the death of a close friend, Helen Burns, are based on the author's own experiences: two of her sisters died in childhood as a result of the conditions at their school, the Clergy Daughters School at Cowan Bridge. These chapters contain what is considered by many to be some of the most devastating prose in the English language.

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As an aside, some speculate that Rochester's wife, Bertha, the daughter of a Jamaican planter, is emphatically characterised as being in an advanced stage of syphilitic infection: e.g. "her vices sprang up fast and rank," "her excesses had prematurely developed the germs of insanity," etc. This would necessarily entail that Rochester was also syphilitic, a train of logical consequences which Brontë fails to follow to the conclusion. However, others think that the "mad wife" is merely a plot contrivance, in place to force Jane to make a very difficult decision and to teach her a valuable lesson about herself ("I have no family or friends, who cares what happens to me? Who cares if I breach moral and ethics? — I care. I matter."). Bertha Mason is more a powerful symbol than an actual medical case. Also, it is clearly stated that Bertha was not faithful in her marriage.

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Despite this, and other incoherences within the novel, it is nevertheless a compelling novel which has risen to a position proximate to the pinnacle of English literature. The narrative voice is very strong, passionate, and convincing, and Jane is an unconventional protagonist, in thought, appearance, and action.

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As already mentioned above, this novel has many thematic and stylistic similarities with Villette. One is the protagonist's prejudice against French schoolgirls, who are contrasted with English girls (described as morally and intellectually superior).

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The chilling scenes featuring Rochester's first wife have inspired many mystery writers, one of the most obvious spin-offs being Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. A thematic "prequel" about Bertha Mason, Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), was the most successful novel by Jean Rhys. Another, more recent, use of Jane Eyre has been in The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. In 2002, Sharon Shinn published a science fiction novel adapted from the plot of Jane Eyre, Jenna Starborn.

Related Topics:
Daphne Du Maurier - Rebecca - Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys - The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde - Sharon Shinn - Jenna Starborn

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The novel's plot also served as the basis for the 1943 horror movie I Walked with a Zombie.

Related Topics:
1943 - I Walked with a Zombie

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