Context

Context of Jane Eyre

Victorian Era

• Set in the early 19th century during the Victorian era, a time when social hierarchy and class distinctions were very important.
• Jane’s status as an orphan and a governess places her in a vulnerable position in society throughout the novel.
• The novel reflects 19th century attitudes towards gender roles, as women were expected to be submissive and modest.

Charlotte Bronte and Feminism

• Charlotte Bronte wrote under the pseudonym Currer Bell, highlighting the limited opportunities for women writers during the Victorian era.
• The novel expresses feminist views and provides a critique of the patriarchal society.
• Jane’s assertiveness and desire for independence underline the feminist perspective in the novel.

Religion

• The influence of different approaches to Christianity is evident in various characters, from Helen Burns’s devotional acceptance to St. John Rivers’s stern piety.
• Religion is presented as both a source of comfort and a means of oppression in the novel.
• The contradictory representations of religion reflect Charlotte Bronte’s complex relationship with her faith.

Mental health

• The depiction of Bertha Mason’s madness is controversial, and reflects Victorian ideas about mental health and ‘the mad woman in the attic’.
• The way Bertha is treated, confined and hidden from the world, provides a stark criticism of how mental illness was handled in the 19th century.

Gothic elements

• Jane Eyre incorporates elements from the Gothic tradition, a popular genre in the Victorian era.
• The novel includes elements of mystery, suspense and the supernatural, in particular within Thornfield Hall.
• These Gothic elements often underscore the psychological states of characters or reflect key themes in the novel.