Review of ‘Jane Eyre’ and Wider Reading
The novel ‘Jane Eyre’ is written by Charlotte Brontë. Charlotte Brontë was an English
novelist and poet along with her three sisters, Emily and Anne, who published other
novels such as ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Agnes Grey’. Charlotte was born on April the
21st 1816 and died on March the 31st 1855. She published ‘Jane Eyre’ under the
pseudonym Currer Bell. In August 1824 Charlotte and her sisters were sent to the
Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire. The school's poor conditions
caused the deaths of Maria and Elizabeth who both died of tuberculosis in June 1825.
Charlotte used the school as a stimulus for Lowood and the death of Helen Burns in
‘Jane Eyre.’ In 1839 she became a governess to families in Yorkshire till 1841 which
was similar to Jane who became a governess at the age of 18.
The novel ‘Jane Eyre’ tells the story of an orphan who is adopted by her aunt, Mrs.
Reed. During her childhood, she is isolated from the family and is sent to a school
called Lowood where she is treated badly. Later on she becomes a teacher there and
eventually a governess to a child called Adele at a place called Thornfield. There she
falls in love with a man named Rochester where they struggle to be together
because of their class and the society around them.
For my wider reading I read the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. Jane
Austen was an English novelist who published other books such as: ‘Emma’,
‘Persuasion’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Northanger Abbey.’ She was born on
December the 16th 1775 and died on July the 18th 1817. She published ‘Sense and
Sensibility’ under the pseudonym by a lady. Jane was one of eight children of a
clergyman and began to write from a teenager. At the age of 36 her first novel ‘Sense
and Sensibility’ was published thereafter ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Mansfield Park’ and
‘Emma.’ At the age of 41 she suffered from Addison’s disease and died. The rest of
her novels were published and a novel was left unfinished.
The novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ tells the story of a family of 5 children and a mother
who wishes them all to be in matrimony. There is a man named Mr Bingley who falls
in love with the eldest Bennet sister, Jane, and his friend, Darcy, who is helplessly
attracted to Elizabeth Bennet. However, Elizabeth is a character who is prejudiced
and dislikes Mr. Darcy’s proud character.
In Victorian Literature we expect novels to be about society in a negative light. In
books such as ‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Oliver Twist’ they suggest that
society at that time was very restricted. During the Victorian era, there was a time
called The Industrial Revolution where manufacturing processes relied on factories
which ran by steam. Similarly, in ‘Oliver Twist’ Charles Dickens writes about Oliver
working in a workhouse. In addition, in Victorian Literature we expect it to be a bit
religious. As a result, people’s views towards things were biased so doing something
that is against the belief would be like breaking the law. In ‘Jane Eyre’ religion was
very important to them therefore when Mr. Rochester tries to marry Jane, although
he already had a wife, it was considered an impediment. Another expectation of
Victorian Literature revolved around marriage. The novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is an
example of this as Mrs. Bennet wishes for her daughters to be wed to wealthy men.
This also tells us that woman at that time relied on men and their wealth to live.
Furthermore, I expect Victorian Literature to be based on class and status because in
the novel ‘Wuthering Heights’ Emily Brontë wrote about Heathcliff being of lower
status compared to Catherine which resulted her to marry Edgar instead of him.
The similarities of ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’ are that the main male
characters are proud and a figure of high-class and wealth. Whereas, the main
female characters are always a figure of less status compared to the men of the
novels. However, in both novels the authors display the main female characters as
independent and strong-willed people unlike stereotypes which show that women
are weak and dependant on men (damsels-in-distress). The authors also used
pseudonyms to publish their books which tell us that society at that time was very
sexist. Moreover, the authors wrote these novels viewing society in a negative way.
However, the difference between these two novels is that the authors lived in
different time periods. In addition, ‘Jane Eyre’ is more religious whereas ‘Pride and
Prejudice’ is more about social class.
I enjoyed reading these novels. They are both really interesting as they show how
love can be difficult and dark. Furthermore, it shows that society at that time was
more religious and strict compared to now. Although they are both very good novels,
I prefer reading ‘Jane Eyre’ over ‘Pride and Prejudice’ because the author displays the
theme of love and the characters’ relationships very clearly in a chronological order
in the novel. I also like this novel because it is written in first person so we, as a
reader, can empathize and relate with the character more than in a third person
narrative such as ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ However, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is also very
interesting as a third person narrative foreshadows what is going to happen next so
it gives the reader something to prepare for and a chance to empathize with the
characters. I recommend reading these two Victorian novels.