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”JANE EYRE” BY CHARLOTTE BRONTE: A TALE OF RESILIENCE, INDEPENDENCE, AND PASSION

Abstract

 “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte is a pioneering work of English literature that uses the experiences of its strong-willed protagonist, Jane Eyre, to explore issues of independence, morality, and love. The work, which is set in Victorian England, combines Gothic elements with a progressive feminist viewpoint to attack moral quandaries, social class differences, and restrictions placed on women. The story traces Jane’s development from an abandoned orphan to a governess and, at the end, to a self-reliant lady who defies social expectations. The novel is a great source for feminist and postcolonial interpretations because of how it depicts a woman's struggle for equality and autonomy and how it handles complicated characters like Mr. Rochester and Bertha Mason. “Jane Eyre” has drawn criticism for its problematic portrayal of race and colonialism, especially in relation to Bertha Mason, despite its feminist leanings. This essay examines “Jane Eyre’s” dual legacy as a feminist classic and a window into Victorian imperialist beliefs, looking at the book's enduring impact on both literature and popular culture.

Keywords

“Jane Eyre”, Charlotte Bronte, feminism, independence, Gothic literature, social class, gender roles, Victorian England, postcolonial critique, Bertha Mason, proto-feminism, autonomy, morality, patriarchy, colonialism, adaptations.

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References

  1. Charlotte Bronte “Jane Eyre”. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1847.
  2. Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. “The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination”. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979.
  3. Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. “Three Women’s Texts and a Critique of Imperialism”. “Critical Inquiry”, vol. 12, no. 1, 1985, pp. 243-261.
  4. Shuttleworth, Sally. “Charlotte Bronte and Victorian Psychology”. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
  5. Hoeveler, Diane Long. “Gothic Feminism: The Professionalization of Gender from Charlotte Smith to the Brontes”. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998.
  6. Miriam Allott, “The Brontes: The Critical Heritage”. London: Routledge, 1974.
  7. Terry Eagleton “Myths of Power: A Marxist Study of the Brontes”. London: Macmillan, 1975.

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