Jane Eyre: An Autobiography

Book Analysis Project: Jane Eyre: An Autobiography

Introduction

​Written by Charlotte Brontë in 1847 and published under a pseudonym, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography instantly became a staple amongst British Literature for its hybrid-like combination of different themes of modern times. Brontë received critical acclaim for her sophisticated insertion of sub plots involving prejudice, suffering, romance, betrayal, and supernaturalism.

​Jane Eyre: An Autobiography follows the life and struggle of a young girl who can't quite seem to find love or happiness. When we first meet her, she is living under the dire conditions of her Aunt, Mrs. Sarah Reed. Throughout the novel, we see that as Jane matures into a young woman; her ability to express herself via the novel's narration matures as well, which allows the reader to literally grow with her. As she grows older, we see Jane make decisions that don't always reflect her innermost desires. This sophisticated portrayal of decorum versus desire (See Poem) is why Jane Eyre continues to be one the most lauded works of fiction. Although there is no one way to approach the novel, through Brontë's use of plot and setting, she argues that independence is truly the key to happiness.

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Critical Article Analysis

Kate Washington's article "Rochester's Mistresses: Marriage, Sex, and Economic Exchange in Jane Eyre: An Autobiography" explores women's position in Victorian society. Washington juxtaposes prostitution and marriage and criticizes them both by regarding them as the same thing. Fundamentally, Washington believes that most Victorian era marriages were forms of prostitution. Since women would predominantly marry for financial securitiy, it was, in essence, 'kept mistresshood'. The main difference between kept mistresshood, marriage, or plain old prostitution is the motivation for marriage. Oftentimes, kept mistresses would not marry for love, wives would marry for love but would still be seen as subordinate, and prostitutes would not marry at all. Washington argues that Jane, if not for her intense desire for independence, would have become a kept mistress in a blind bigamist union with her mate. Washington believes that the novel was not just a tale of a poor woman whose ascension to independence was as improbable as anything, but also one that attempted to defy misogynistic patriarchal Victorian society where, instead of for convenience, women married for love.

Even as a child, Washington asserts, Jane yearned for comfort and freedom, like referring to herself as a 'rebel slave' (Brontë-10). Seen as strange, insubordinate, and disrespectful by her aunt and cousins, young Jane grew into a passionate, loving young woman. Her denial to St. John Eyre Rivers reflects her innermost desire for love, something she'd been deprived of since youth. Washington smartly juxtaposes St. John's and Mr. Rochester's offers by referring to John's offer as 'a marriage without love' and Edward's as 'love without marriage'. In an effort to prevent Jane from losing what little independence she had, she refused both offers and instead became what Washington calls a 'streetwalker', a beggar, lost. She finally finds herself again when she finds her inheritance and once again joins Edward, where she is not a mistress, a companion or a "slave in a fool's paradise" (Brontë-369).

Washington rightly says;

"A happy, chatty, satisfying marriage to Rochester apologizes for gender and class inequality by suggesting that even women and poor governesses can find "fulfillment" within the status quo."

Freudians would agree that for the majority of the novel, Jane is looking for something that she was denied as a child. Whether it is love, control, freedom, or just companionship, every event in Jane's calamitous life came full circle when she met Mr. Rochester. He gave her a solution to her stagnant and pale life by becoming the fire and hunger she had always yearned for. Edward's 'grande passion' is what drove him to have mistresses, but it is also what led to the accident where he lost his eye and his hand (Brontë-147). Thus, Washington smartly concludes that the story is one of establishing independence, avoiding loveless marriages, and served as a stepping stone for women 'in the development of Victorian ideologies of marriage and the economic position of women.'

Style Passage

"What my sensations were, no language can describe; but, just as they all rose, stifling my breath and constricting my throat, a girl came up and passed me: in passing, she lifted her eyes. What a strange light inspired them! What an extraordinary sensation the ray sent through me! How the new feeling bore me up! It was as if a martyr, a hero, had passed a slave or a victim, and imparted strength in the transit. I mastered the rising hysteria, lifted up my head, and took a firm stand on the stool...returned to her place, and smiled at me as she again went by. What a smile! I remembered it now, and I know that it was the effluence of fine intellect, of true courage;" (Brontë-64)

Discussion of The Author's Style

The official title of the novel is Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, which makes it easy to believe that the novel, instead of a piece of fiction is actually an extension of Brontë's life. Here, we see Jane experience a range of emotions, from anxiety, to excitement, to confusion, to bravery. Brontë uses short, exclamatory sentences to convey Jane's childlike excitement and her erratic nature. She also uses long, compound sentences to reflect Jane's maturity, intelligence, and affinity for oversharing to mirror her eager disposition: something that, despite her difficult life, has managed to stay with her. Even though Jane is but a child here, she is still able to understand what it means to brave in the face of embarrassment or punishment.

At the beginning of the passage, Jane is unable to fully communicate her emotional feelings, which is, perhaps, indicative of Brontë's desire to make the heroine seem more realistic. Instead, she describes her physiological state: she is on the verge of having a panic attack and her breathing is shallow. When Helen passes by, she gives her an encouraging smile which helps her to be brave. Details like "strange light" and "extraordinary sensation" serve to transition Helen Burns from a supporting character in the novel to a major influence on Jane's character by indirectly giving Helen angelic