Throughout time, different genres of books have risen and fallen and all authors strive to write something that can transcend the boundaries of time. Despite the time period in which books may have been written in, some of the best are preserved and cherished many years after they were published. Charlotte Bronte manages to seamlessly appeal to the tastes of the readers in her era as well as the ones for future generations despite the gothic fiction genre becoming less frequent in recent books. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses elements of the gothic fiction genre to help focus the reader on mysterious inheritances which are set in the storyline of having women cast in a man 's world, while presenting villainous characters who threaten Jane
…show more content…
One of the things that Charlotte Bronte does brilliantly is how she encompasses these secrets into her novel, revealing pieces of information right from the start about the mysteries of Jane 's family that draws the reader in. One of the first things she reveals about Jane is how lonely she is, despite living with the only relatives she thinks she has left, Jane describes herself as "a discord of Gateshead, I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs.Reed or her children, or her chosen vassalage."(Bronte 10). The poor relationship Jane has with her family members at Gateshead influences Mrs.Reed 's later decision to withhold the letter that Jane 's uncle sent to Mrs.Reed to inquire about the whereabouts of Jane. Her mysterious inheritance was later made more clear when she finally receives the letter that Mrs.Reed had withheld from her all those years ago due to Mrs. Reeds hatred towards Jane. Later, Mrs. Reed calls Jane to her death bed to give her the letter which was most likely to clear her own conscious before dying. Before this revelation, Jane is told by Bessie, a caretaker of hers at Gateshead, that her family "may be poor; but I believe they are as much gentry as the Reeds are; for one day …show more content…
The stereotype is often seen in many novels of the Gothic genre but it 's quite clear that on the surface, Charlotte Bronte 's novel has a victimized woman, Jane, and a dashing hero, Mr.Rochester. But on closer inspection, Charlotte Bronte will have the reader question who is really the hero in this gothic novel. On the outside, when Jane arrives at Thornfield, the stereotypical mansion seen in many gothic fiction stories, it is described as "a gentleman 's manor-house, not a nobleman 's seat: battlements round the top gave it a picturesque look."(Bronte 103) where she later describes Thornfield as lonely. From the time Jane is at Thornfield she is put in the position of vulnerability with the villain of the novel Bertha who has been known to be cunning enough to sneak out and terrorize the inhabitants of Thornfield. Bertha, came into Jane 's room right before the wedding, ripping Jane 's veil, scaring her and truly making Jane seem like the victim of the story. Based on the conventional image of a woman in Gothic fiction the woman must prove she is worthy of saving through her feminine virtues and the love of the hero. Jane defies many of these conventions. By analyzing it a little more Jane is not the victim of the story, many others would be just as suitable to the role of the victim. Although Charlotte Bronte could have casted Jane as the victim in many scenarios, she
One of the things that Charlotte Bronte does brilliantly is how she encompasses these secrets into her novel, revealing pieces of information right from the start about the mysteries of Jane 's family that draws the reader in. One of the first things she reveals about Jane is how lonely she is, despite living with the only relatives she thinks she has left, Jane describes herself as "a discord of Gateshead, I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs.Reed or her children, or her chosen vassalage."(Bronte 10). The poor relationship Jane has with her family members at Gateshead influences Mrs.Reed 's later decision to withhold the letter that Jane 's uncle sent to Mrs.Reed to inquire about the whereabouts of Jane. Her mysterious inheritance was later made more clear when she finally receives the letter that Mrs.Reed had withheld from her all those years ago due to Mrs. Reeds hatred towards Jane. Later, Mrs. Reed calls Jane to her death bed to give her the letter which was most likely to clear her own conscious before dying. Before this revelation, Jane is told by Bessie, a caretaker of hers at Gateshead, that her family "may be poor; but I believe they are as much gentry as the Reeds are; for one day …show more content…
The stereotype is often seen in many novels of the Gothic genre but it 's quite clear that on the surface, Charlotte Bronte 's novel has a victimized woman, Jane, and a dashing hero, Mr.Rochester. But on closer inspection, Charlotte Bronte will have the reader question who is really the hero in this gothic novel. On the outside, when Jane arrives at Thornfield, the stereotypical mansion seen in many gothic fiction stories, it is described as "a gentleman 's manor-house, not a nobleman 's seat: battlements round the top gave it a picturesque look."(Bronte 103) where she later describes Thornfield as lonely. From the time Jane is at Thornfield she is put in the position of vulnerability with the villain of the novel Bertha who has been known to be cunning enough to sneak out and terrorize the inhabitants of Thornfield. Bertha, came into Jane 's room right before the wedding, ripping Jane 's veil, scaring her and truly making Jane seem like the victim of the story. Based on the conventional image of a woman in Gothic fiction the woman must prove she is worthy of saving through her feminine virtues and the love of the hero. Jane defies many of these conventions. By analyzing it a little more Jane is not the victim of the story, many others would be just as suitable to the role of the victim. Although Charlotte Bronte could have casted Jane as the victim in many scenarios, she