ENGL 2190
Student Presentation Topics
Jane Eyre
In groups of two (you may choose your own partner), you will give a presentation on one of the topics listed
below.
Requirements
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Presentations should be between six and seven minutes long. (Do note that points will be deducted for
presentations that are significantly under or are significantly over the time allocation.)
Both individuals should share the responsibilities equally; in other words, both of you should be actively
involved in the planning of the presentation, and both of your should participate in the presentation. (You
can divide the responsibilities between yourselves, so long as each of you takes part in the planning and the
presentation.)
Presentations should be formal in the sense that you should be well-prepared to illustrate your points.
This will likely require at least one run-through or rehearsal (if not more), so plan accordingly.
You must adhere to the topic that is assigned to you; presentations that do not conform to the topic
assigned will receive a failing grade.
In addition to the source provided to you, each group will be responsible for using one additional outside
source. DO NOT USE INTERNET SOURCES unless they are printed from an online scholarly
journal.
Topic #1:
Countertraditional comment on marriage as a threat to individuality (i.e. “satisfied single” or rejection of
marriage): Why does Jane reject St. Johns Rivers’ proposal? Why/how does his particular “approach” to marriage
represent a threat to her self autonomy? What is the image he presents of what marriage to him would be like?
source: Adrienne Rich, from On Lies, Secrets, and Silence (pgs. 101-4)
Topic #2:
Insistence on a marriage of equals/revision of the marriage plot: What reservations does Jane have about marrying
Rochester (before she finds out about Bertha)? What do these reservations indicate regarding Jane’s state of
mind, her beliefs/priorities?
source: Nancy Jane Tyson, “Altars to Attics: The State of Matrimony in Bronte’s Jane Eyre” (pgs. 95-103)
Topic #3:
Miss Temple and Helen Burns as character foils for Jane: How does each of these characters serve as a foil for
Jane? What do they illuminate about Jane’s characterization? How do they function in terms of illustrating Jane’s
journey to self autonomy? What lessons do they offer her?
source: from text, Gilbert pg. 475
Topic #4:
Jane Eyre as female gothic: Examine the elements of the female gothic as they appear in the novel (i.e. images of
confinement, doppelganger motif, spatial symbolism, etc.). How does Bronte make use of these elements in
order to make her social statements regarding marriage and the role of women in the domestic sphere?
source: Tamar Heller, “Jane Eyre, Bertha, and the Female Gothic” (pgs. 49-55)
Topic #5:
Bronte’s critique of “false manners” – cultural dictates for women: In both Celine Varens and Blanche Ingram,
Bronte offers a critique of the type of woman that the conduct manual dictates produce. What particular issues
does Bronte address through these characters? What is her solution or answer to the conduct manual dictates?
(In other words, what values does Bronte endorse, and what “values” does she expose as shallow?)
source: Michael M. Clarke, “Bronte’s Jane Eyre and the Grimms’ Cinderella”
Topic #6:
Bertha and Jane as psychological doubles: Discuss the argument that Jane and Bertha are, in fact, the same
person. How might Bertha represent Jane’s dark side?
source: Gilbert, from text (pg. 475)
Topic #7:
Bronte’s treatment of the issue of sexuality: Discuss how Bronte treats the issue of sexuality – primary, Jane’s
sexuality. Does she condemn or endorse it? Examine the scenes in the novel when Jane appears to grapple with
or confront her own sexuality. How does her refusal of St. Johns and her eventual acceptance of Rochester reflect
Bronte’s views on female sexuality?
source: Adrienne Rich, “Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman” (section VII-conclusion) from On
Lies, Secrets, and Silence