Jane Eyre Feminist Criticism

I chose to do the Feminist Criticism for Jane Eyre because in the story, Jane is affected in her life because she is a woman. In Jane Eyre, people were separated into classes which affected what kind of jobs they were given. If you were a servant, they would do all the housekeeping jobs and taking care of the children. On the other end of the classes are the wealthy women. They did not have jobs outside or in the homes. The content of the book was not influenced by the writer's gender even though she is a women. This was what women's lives were like in the mid 1800s.

In Jane Eyre and the mid 1800s, men and women were treated very differently. The men were the masters in the house, so they controlled all the money, servants, and their wife and children. Also the men were the ones who had the jobs that made money. As I said before, the women did not have jobs, so they just lived there and obeyed their husband. If the women did misbehave, they were usually punished by getting beaten or locked in a room. Today in life, men and women are pretty much equals.

Women in the mid 1800s were expected to marry if you were in the upper class. If you were in the lower class, you would be expected to get a job and possibly get married. In Jane Eyre, Jane was in the lower class and worked as a governess. She always felt she was not loved, so she wanted to find someone to be her companion that truly loved her. Before she fell in love, she was depressed and was constantly feeling lonely. Once she met Mr. Rochester, her mood changed. Jane was happy and for once in her life she felt like she belonged. Her single status affected some changes like: where she worked and where she was going to go in her life. Jane decided to work at Thornfield for Mr. Rochester and after she fell in love, she made the decision to be with him for the rest of her life.

In Jane Eyre, the main character is Jane Eyre, who is obviously a woman. If the character was switched to a man, the whole story would change. The story line was all about trying to fit in and feel loved as a woman. For a man to do that during the 1800s was a lot easier than a woman. All the man had to do was find a job and a wife, and he would fit in perfectly. Finding jobs were also much easier to find. Some jobs men could be were attorneys, doctors, property owners, merchants, etc. The only jobs women could really do were teachers, servants, housekeepers, etc.

Jane Eyre Question 8

Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. The time period in the novel would probably be said to be in the 1800s. The United States in the 1800s was made up of pioneers and did not have social classes. Now in Europe it was totally different. People were separated into three social classes but mainly were either at the top or at the bottom. The upper class consisted of rich, intelligent people who had mansions and owned a lot of land. The middle class was just normal people, which is what most people are today in the world. Lastly, the lower class was made of poor people who were mainly servants. If you were born into an upper class, you stayed there and could not move into a lower class. In the story of Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester was in the upper class because he was a master and Jane was in the lower class. Jane was an orphan as a kid and sent to a poor school, which would explain why she was in the lowest class. When Mr. Rochester fell in love with Jane and finally proposed to her, that was frowned upon in the 1800s. People were supposed to marry someone in their class. But you cannot stop two people from falling and staying in love.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Passage

If the readers were ever uncertain if Mr. Rochester really did love Jane, then this passage will show you. I found the passage at the bottom of page 351 and continued onto page 352. In these few paragraphs, Mr. Rochester said the most romantic things I have ever heard to Jane. Mr. Rochester was talking about hating Bertha because she was mad. He then said, "If you were mad do you think I should hate you?" He means that no matter how crazy Jane could get, he could never hate her. Next he said, "Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own. In pain and sickness it would be dear to me." This section explains that he loves everything about her and cares as much about Jane as he does himself. "Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken it would be my treasure still." If Jane was crazy, he would still love her as if she were perfectly normal. "If you raved, my arms should confine you." He would hold her in a loving embrace even if she was struggling to get away from him. There were many more compassionate statements, but these were the ones I found the most romantic. Jane spent her whole life wanting to feel loved. To have someone say this to her, changed her forever. No matter what happens to her, she always will know that someone will love her.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Question 7

As an author, Charlotte Bronte got to decide the different techniques she used to engage the readers in Jane Eyre. First off, Bronte was descriptive throughout the whole entire book. We were able to feel like we were there in the story. In Chapter 2, Jane was sent to the red-room where she had to stay for awhile. While she was there, she gave a description of the room. She said, "two large windows", "the carpet was red", "a bed, supported on massive pillars of mahogany", and "the walls a soft fawn-color." (Bronte 19) Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre so there was mystery and suspense. The mystery was what Mr. Rochester was really hiding. All along, Jane thought the eerie laughter was from Grace Poole but it was from Bertha Mason. She also thought Grace Poole started the fires, but that was Bertha's fault. After the first fire, Mr. Rochester said "I must pay a visit to the third story." (Bronte 179) This was where Bertha Mason was kept. The suspense in the novel was when Jane and Mr. Rochester were going to get married. The day they were supposed to get married, a stranger tells them they cannot get married because Mr. Rochester is already married. The stranger was a solicitior from London who was sent by Richard Mason, Bertha's brother. After the truth came out, Jane was taken to see Bertha. She then proceeded to leave Thornfield.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Favorites

As I read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, I went through and found my favorite things about it. The different categories are favorite character, favorite scene, and favorite quote. My favorite character would have to be Jane. She is my favorite because even though she was weak, she stayed strong. Going through life and not feeling loved would be very hard, but to not give up and have faith was amazing. I don't know many people who could do that. If she were a real person I would look up to her. My favorite scene was when Mr. Rochester showed Jane who his wife was. I liked this scene because the mystery was built up and we could finally see what he was hiding. All along I thought Grace Poole was crazy and the one with the eerie laughter but it was Bertha Mason the whole time. I really had a hard time finding my favorite quote because there were a bunch that caught my eye. The one I loved was, "Well, to-night I excuse you; but understand that so long as my visitors stay, I expect you to appear in the drawing-room every evening; it is my wish; don't neglect it. Now go, and send Sophie for Adele. Good-night, my -- " He stopped, bit his lip, and abruptly left me." (Bronte 214) I particularly like this quote because it shows that Mr. Rochester really does love Jane and wants to see her all the time. He about shared his love with her but stopped.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Question 6

Although Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847, it is still read by many people today. I found it entertaining and interesting. What I found interesting was the messages and characters. The timeless message in Jane Eyre is that good things come to those who wait and never give up. This message explains Jane Eyre's life. As a child, Jane was sent to live at her aunt's house because her parents died. While living there, she struggled to fit in and feel loved. All she wanted was to feel like someone actually cared about her. She did meet a few people that loved her and they were: Bessie, Helen Burns, and Mrs. Temple. She waited and waited and finally she met someone that loved Jane for who she was. That person was Mr. Rochester. What was so timeless about the characters was that people go through the same stuff in life as Jane did. The two biggest issues both Jane and many people have are love and money. Jane spent her whole life waiting to feel loved by someone. Many people do the same thing. Because Jane was from the lower class, she didn't have a lot of money, so she spent sometime sleeping outside and eating very little. It's very sad to know that so many people are homeless and are starving, but it is just a way of life. From this we can learn that i we keep faith and hope, things will turn out.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Question 5

All throughout Jane Eyre, it never gives a specific time period. But through the details and actions, I would guess it to be set in the 1800s. One thing that really stuck out was the entertainment and the ways of having fun at parties. The two things the people did while visiting Thornfield, were charades and going to a fortune teller. The charades they played was taken very seriously and was detailed. For example, Mr. Rochester and Blanche Ingram were acting out "marriage." For that, they dressed as if they were actually getting married and even had someone be the "pastor" to marry them . The other form of entertainment was going to a fortune teller. When Jane went, there was a scrawny old lady, who then turned into Mr. Rochester. Not only was the form of entertainment during the 1800s different, but the behavior was also different. Back then, if someone misbehaved, they were beaten. Another "weird" thing was that when someone had a party, they stayed for like a week instead of a few hours. The social classes were separated in mainly just two groups, upper and lower classes. Mr. Rochester was upper class and Jane was lower class.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Question 4

At the beginning of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, I thought Jane was the hero but as the novel came to an end, I realized that the true hero was Mr. Rochester. His real name is Edward Rochester but is referred to as Mr. Rochester throughout the story. Edward is not very handsome, loves to converse and has a stern manner, which Jane finds attractive. After Jane finished at Lowood, she went to Thornfield to be a governess (a teacher), where Mr. Rochester lives. I consider him the hero because he truly loves Jane for who she is even though they are totally different. He doesn't care about social classes considering Rochester is Jane's social and economic superior but treats her like they are equals. Many people in that time period wouldn't even consider talking to someone of a different social class, let alone fall in love with them. As the hero, Mr. Rochester accomplishes big things by loving Jane and making her feel happy. All her life, Jane wanted to feel loved by someone and because she had faith and didn't give up, God gave her Mr. Rochester. At the end of the novel, Jane still loved him even though he was blind and only had one hand. That is what true love really looks like.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Question 3

After I finished reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, I decided on the themes she used in the novel. The ones I came up with were relationships and social classes. As Jane was growing up, she was able to have a few good relationships along with a couple of bad ones. The loving relationships were with Helen Burns, Mrs. Temple, and Mr. Rochester. Jane met Helen and Mrs. Temple at Lowood, the school Jane was sent to. Helen was a young girl that was shy but sweet and became close friends with Jane. Mrs. Temple was Jane's kind teacher who treated her with respect and love. After leaving Lowood and moving to Thornfield, Jane met Mr. Rochester. At first he was very unwelcoming but once they started talking he soon started giving her his love. When Jane was little, Mrs. Reed was her aunt that took care of her. She was rude, unloving, and very mean to Jane. Mrs. Reed's son, John, was also disrespectful towards Jane by bullying her emotionally and physically. Social classes was a big topic in the 1800s meaning that people were separated by the way they live and how much money they make. And they are also separated by men and women. Jane was considered poor and was a lower class. Mr. Rochester comes from a wealthy family and is well known, which puts him into a higher class. I think Charlotte Bronte has a commendable understanding of human nature. Through the book, she shows us that people cannot always have what they want, but in the end everything will work out.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Question 2

The conflict in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is that Jane Eyre is in love with Mr. Rochester, who is already married. Jane first met Mr. Rochester when he pulled up to Thornfield not to long after Jane arrived. "The horse followed- a tall steed, and on its back a rider." (Bronte 134) Mr. Rochester and Jane clicked after that because Jane was the only one in the house that could carry on a full conversation. At first I thought that the only reason why Mr. Rochester wanted to marry her was for the conversational purposes. But I soon found out that they both truly loved each other. The causes of the conflict were because Jane was sent to Lowood which gave her an education she was then led to being a mistress at Thornfield. Being at Thornfield brought her closer to the love of her life, Mr. Rochester. The gains of the conflict were that Jane got to experience falling in love and he also felt loved for the first time, besides Bessie and Helen. Jane had to deal with pain and separation when she went to live with St. John because she had to be away from Mr. Rochester. That was the losses of the conflict.

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Jane Eyre Question 1

Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. Along with Emily Bronte, Charlotte writes very beautifully and you never know what she is going to write next. For example, "Here the gentlemen interposed with earnest petitions to be further enlightened on these two last-named points; but they got only blushes, ejaculations, tremors, and titters, in return for their importunity." (Bronte 230) She uses different and interesting words which makes it so eloquent. As an author, Charlotte values love because she knows it doesn't come easily. Through her writing she shows us that you can't make someone love you, you just have to wait. Bronte wrote Jane Eyre in first person and the narrator was Jane Eyre. As the narrator, Jane told the story partially while the events were actually happening and the other part of the story she told what her understanding was of the events. At one part of the story, Jane talks about an event that happened fifteen years later. "Her [Helen] grave is in Brocklebridge church-yard; for fifteen years after her death it was only covered by a grassy mound; but now a gray marble tablet marks the spot, inscribed with her name, and the word "Resurgam." (Bronte 98) "Resurgam" means "I shall rise again."

Brontë, Charlotte, Susan Ostrov. Weisser, and George Stade. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003. Print.

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Reaction

Overall I really enjoyed reading "Good Readers and Good Writers" by Vladimir Nabokov. He used the right amount of questions and details to make it interactive with the readers. My favorite part of the essay that allures the readers was when he quizzed us. He listed ten different statements on what a good reader should be to be a good reader. You had to choose four of them that you thought were correct and see if you were right in the next paragraph. Along with engaging the readers, he also encourages them. Nabokov reminds us to keep an open mind when it comes to reading books, especially for the first time. He tells us it is difficult to stay focused and not dread it and in the end it will be rewarding. This essay has an emotional reaction to me because I tend to dread on reading a book for school or even when adults recommend to read a book. For example, one time my mom told me I should read a book and I thought it sounded boring, so I dreaded reading it. As I read it, I became so in to it that I finished it in two days. In the end reading a book that was recommended may be rewarding.

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Authority

As a writer, Vladimir Nabokov has a lot of authority on what he writes, including his essay called "Good Readers and Good Writers." He can choose what person to write in and he chose first, second, and third person. Choosing what questions he asks and what he writes is also a major authority the writer has. Nabokov asked the readers a lot of questions mainly dealing with different literature. In one question he is talking about Jane Austen's picture of England. "Can we rely on Jane Austen's picture of landowning England with baronets and landscaped grounds when all she knew was a clergyman's parlor?" He chose to ask that question because he felt it would add to his essay. On the second page of the essay, Nabokov states, "A good reader, a major reader, an active and creative reader is a rereader." This means that when people first read the book, they pay attention to just understanding and finishing the book, not the little details. After you read it the second time, you can focus on the creative little things the author put in the book. Being an avid reader, it allowed Nabokov to use a variety of different words to make the essay more interesting.

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Methods

Vladimir Nabokov presented "Good Readers and Good Writers" as a lecture in 1948. As his introduction and starter to his lecture, he used one sentence. "My course, among things, is a kind of detective investigation of the mystery of literary structures." It is not as straightforward as Italo Calvino's one sentence introduction but it still makes people want to read the essay. After his opening, it goes right into the second paragraph, which I would consider the second introduction. Nabokov explains what the essay is going to talk about and even tells us what the subtitles might have been if there were some. They were "How to be a Good Reader" and "Kindness to Authors." He then talks about European Masterpieces and Flaubert who wrote a letter to his mistress. Nabokov wrote it in French and then translated in into English. "Commel'on serait savant si l'on connaissaint bien seulement cinq a six livres: "What a scholar one might be if one knew well only some half a dozen books." I like that because it introduces a different language to the essay. His conclusion didn't catch my attention until the very last sentence. The last sentence was talking about a castle of cards that turns into a castle of steel and glass. It caught me off guard but wrapped up the essay beautifully!

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Organization

The setup of "Good Readers and Good Writers" is very standard and normal. The standard essay format is just a bunch of paragraphs with an introduction and a conclusion. One part of it made it different from all the the others. The section where Vladimir Nabokov quizzes the readers on what a reader should be to be a good reader. Not many essays are like this and engage the readers to do a quiz. I found that exciting and entertaining. The introduction was one creatively written sentence. "My course, among other things, is a kind of detective investigation of the mystery of literary structures." (Nabokov) He put it as though we were discovering a dead body and learning something new about it, when he is really talking about literary structures. In his essay, he allures the readers by asking a lot of questions. For example, "Can anybody be so naive as to think he or she can learn anything about the past from those buxom best-sellers that are hawked around by book clubs under the heading of historical novels?" (Nabokov) He asks these questions to make the readers think and use their imagination, as well as to make them want to continue reading his essay.

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Passages

While I was reading "Good Readers and Good Writers" by Vladimir Nabokov, several passages captured my attention. I thought it was really interesting when Nabokov included a paragraph talking about the boy who cried wolf. I used to love that story when I was a kid and made me focus more on the rest of the essay. It is comparing when literature was born to the childhood story of "The Three Little Pigs." Another passage that I found interesting was on the last page. He talks about there being "three points of view from which a writer can be considered." (Nabokov) The three points are a storyteller, a teacher, and an enchanter. The storyteller is there for the entertainment and funny parts, while the teacher is there for learning lessons and facts. But as Nabokov says, "the enchanter in him that predominates and makes him a major writer." (Nabokov) My favorite part of the essay was where Nabokov lists ten definitions on "what should a reader be to be a good reader." (Nabokov) I enjoyed this section because it really engages the readers and allows you to do a little quiz which is always fun. And then you can check and see if what you chose was right in the next paragraph.

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Rhetorical Devices

While I was reading "Good Readers and Good Writers" by Vladimir Nabokov, I noticed a few rhetorical devices. I found a total of one metaphor and three examples of personification. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object that is does not literally denote in order to imply a resemblance. (Metaphor) Personification is giving human like characteristics to an inanimate object. The first metaphor I found was in the third paragraph, second sentence. It is "The is nothing wrong about the moonshine of generalization when it comes after the sunny trifles of the book have been lovingly collected. Nabokov is comparing the book to sunny trifles which are not alike at all. The first example of personification in his essay was on the third page. It said "Nature always deceives. " Nature cannot be deceiving because it is not a person, its an inanimate object. The next two examples were found on the very last page. "In gay Paree or in sad Russia" were the examples of personification. Paree is another name for Paris which is a place that does not have feelings, therefore it cannot be gay. Russia is also a place, which also means it cannot be sad.

"Metaphor | Define Metaphor at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 01 Aug. 2011.

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Tone

As I read "Good Readers and Good Writers", I understood what tone the author, Vladimir Nabokov was. Informative and encouraging would be the two different tones he used. Unlike Italo Calvino, Nabokov is not straightforward and gets right to the point. Instead he is very easygoing and is loosely written. Nabokov informs us about a couple of different people and part of the stories including Jane Austen and Madame Bovary. Like I said before the essay does not seem to have a main point or theme to it until you have finished reading the essay. The main point is to have a balance between the author and reader. For the encouraging part of his tone, he specifies to keep our minds open to reading books. "The effort to begin a book, especially if it is praised by people whom the young reader secretly deems to be too old-fashioned or too serious, this effort is often difficult to make; but once it is made, rewards are various and abundant." (Nabokov) He is telling us that when older people recommend books to younger people, they tend to not want to read them because they think the books will be "old-fashioned" and boring. They have to keep an open mind because who knows they might really like the book in the end!

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers" Thesis

I just finished reading "Good Readers and Good Writers" by Vladimir Nabokov, who was a Russian novelist. Vladimir was born on April 22, 1899 and died at the age of 78 on June 2, 1977. (Vladimir) During that time, he wrote his famous essay that I stated above. What I learned from his essay was that he wanted there to be a balance between writers and readers. Nabokov stated, "What should be established, I think, is an artistic harmonious balance between the reader's mind and the author's mind." What I got out of that was that the author has to put enough material so that the reader can use their imagination along with the author. This is what I believe to be the thesis to be. Even though it is implicitly stated, it shined through very strong and clear. Also the thesis is linked to the title of the essay. I think that Nabokov named his essay "Good Readers and Good Writers" because using the word "good" before readers and writers made it seem like there was a balance, which goes back to the thesis. At the beginning it did not really seem that the paragraphs went together but after reading the whole essay, everything was tied together, like the title and the thesis.

Nabokov, Vladimir. "Good Readers and Good Writers." Lecture

"Vladimir Nabokov." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Aug. 2011.