There are quite a few parallels between Jane’s stories and
the Bronte sisters. Do a bit of research
on Charlotte’s life and discuss the connections here.
Jane's life is practically a mirror of what happened in Charlotte Bronte's life. Specifically, the fact that they had the same jobs: first a governess then a teacher. Bronte worked for a short period of time as a governess and, as we know, Jane did too. Then, after they both took breaks (or left), they became teachers who taught for a short time. While working, they both also had their passions. Jane's is painting/drawing and Bronte's was writing. It is significant that Charlotte chose to create Jane's character around the same jobs that she herself had because that way has more meaning than creating a random job. Also, it shows women who were in powerful positions (they were influential over the kids) as stronger and more independent than some governesses may have felt. Charlotte was proud to be a woman at the time and had a feminist vibe, especially when she told her publisher to announce that she and her sisters were not men, as they had been using pen names. This feminist and revolutionary spirit can be seen in Jane's character because she is not afraid to act on her own. She leaves Rochester because she feels like she should; she does not worry about being a frail woman on her own. By making Jane essentially in creation of herself, Bronte is able to put her views into the world.
Also, the dealing with mental instability aspect of the novel was present in Bronte's life, although in a different manner. In the novel, the reader is unaware of why Bertha truly is mentally unstable but in Bronte's life, her brother was "addicted to drink a drugs," which around that time could be considered a mental issue. Both Jane and Bronte were seemingly forced to act because of the mentally unstable people. Jane felt compelled to leave Rochester because of Bertha's marriage to him and the three Bronte sisters returned to their home to take care of their brother regardless of what they truly wanted to do.
Overall, I think that Bronte chose to strongly parallel her life and Jane's story in order to put out her feminist views in an engaging novel that people at the time would be willing to read. It also enriches Jane's character because there are many levels of her that can only be known by someone who was/is a governess.
I used: http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/the-bronte-sisters.html
Jane's life is practically a mirror of what happened in Charlotte Bronte's life. Specifically, the fact that they had the same jobs: first a governess then a teacher. Bronte worked for a short period of time as a governess and, as we know, Jane did too. Then, after they both took breaks (or left), they became teachers who taught for a short time. While working, they both also had their passions. Jane's is painting/drawing and Bronte's was writing. It is significant that Charlotte chose to create Jane's character around the same jobs that she herself had because that way has more meaning than creating a random job. Also, it shows women who were in powerful positions (they were influential over the kids) as stronger and more independent than some governesses may have felt. Charlotte was proud to be a woman at the time and had a feminist vibe, especially when she told her publisher to announce that she and her sisters were not men, as they had been using pen names. This feminist and revolutionary spirit can be seen in Jane's character because she is not afraid to act on her own. She leaves Rochester because she feels like she should; she does not worry about being a frail woman on her own. By making Jane essentially in creation of herself, Bronte is able to put her views into the world.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the dealing with mental instability aspect of the novel was present in Bronte's life, although in a different manner. In the novel, the reader is unaware of why Bertha truly is mentally unstable but in Bronte's life, her brother was "addicted to drink a drugs," which around that time could be considered a mental issue. Both Jane and Bronte were seemingly forced to act because of the mentally unstable people. Jane felt compelled to leave Rochester because of Bertha's marriage to him and the three Bronte sisters returned to their home to take care of their brother regardless of what they truly wanted to do.
Overall, I think that Bronte chose to strongly parallel her life and Jane's story in order to put out her feminist views in an engaging novel that people at the time would be willing to read. It also enriches Jane's character because there are many levels of her that can only be known by someone who was/is a governess.
I used: http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/the-bronte-sisters.html