Charlotte Brontë and Jane Eyre
English 12
Charlotte Brontë
• 1816 - Born at
Thornton, Yorkshire,
the third daughter of
Patrick Brontë and
Maria Branwell
Brontë.
Bronte siblings
• Charlotte had 4 sisters, Maria,
Elizabeth, Emily, Anne, and a
Brother Patrick Branwell.
• Their father believed in education,
and all the children could read and
write very early.
• Despite limited means, they had
music and drawing tutors.
• Patrick also believed in exercise
and forced the kids onto the moors
as soon as they could walk.
• (Anne, Emily & Charlotte)
Brontë Family
• In 1820 the Brontë
family moved to
Haworth, where their
father, Patrick Brontë
became the rector.
Shortly after this
move, their mother,
Maria, fell ill and died.
• Their Aunt Elizabeth
stayed to look after the
Brontë children.
Childhood
• The atmosphere at
Haworth became more
gloomy and melancholy.
• Patrick withdrew from
the children and isolated
himself in the church or
his study.
School
• 1824 - Patrick Brontë sent
his two oldest daughters,
Elizabeth and Maria, to
school at Wakefield. They
then transferred to the
Clergy Daughters' School
at Cowan Bridge,
Lancashire. Charlotte and
Emily joined them there; it
would be the model for
the school in Jane Eyre.
Elizabeth and Maria both
returned home to die of
consumption (a name for
the disease Tuberculosis).
Charlotte’s Early Years
• 1831 - Charlotte attends
Miss Wooler's school at
Roe Head.
1832 - Returns home to
teach her sisters.
1835 - Returns to Roe
Head as a teacher, earning
money for her family.
1838 - Resigns her
position and returns to
Haworth.
Governess
• 1839 - Charlotte took
her first job as
governess (a woman
employed to educate
and train the children
of a private
household) with the
Sidgwick family.
• She hated being a
governess and felt
isolated within the
household.
Travels
• 1839 - Rejects 2 marriage
proposals, including one
from a young clergyman.
1842 - Charlotte and
Emily go to Brussels to
study French and German
at the Pensionnat Heger.
The sisters returned home
after the death of their
aunt.
Disappointments
• 1844 - The sisters
decided to open a
school at Haworth, but
no pupils attended.
• Branwell was fired as
a tutor. He returned
home and spent the
next 3 years drinking
and taking drugs .
Creativity
• The Brontes had always been a creative family. Growing
up with only their siblings for company, they invented
stories and fantasy worlds to keep each other entertained.
(the Haworth Dining Room where Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre)
Writing
• 1846 - Charlotte, Emily
and Anne publish at their
own expense a joint
volume of poems, under
the pseudonyms of:
• Currer Bell
• Ellis Bell
• Acton Bell
• Charlotte begins writing
Jane Eyre
1847 Jane Eyre Published
Critical Success
• Jane Eyre received an
immediate enthusiastic
response from the critics
and the public: it sold
well.
• Critics and the public
thought the author was a
man, although there were
soon rumors that the
author was a woman. A
few years later Charlotte
was revealed as the true
author of Jane Eyre
More Dates
• 1847 - Later that year, Emily
publishes Wuthering Heights
and Anne publishes Agnes
Grey. They do not receive the
same accolades as their sister.
• 1848 - Branwell dies of
tuberculosis, Emily is also
taken by the disease.
• 1849 - Anne dies of TB.
• 1854 – Charlotte marries Rev.
A. B. Nicholls, curate of
Haworth. She admired him
and did not love him.
• 1855 - Charlotte dies of
dehydration after contracting
pneumonia while pregnant
with her first child.
Qui ckTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompr essor ar e needed to see this picture.
Homework
• Write 1-2 paragraphs on the following questions:
– Many people jokingly say that when you fall in love and get married you
tend to lose your freedom and lose yourself as well. Is that true? Do we
lose our freedom and the sense of our self when we fall in love and get
married? Have you ever seen that happen to anyone before?
Characters in Jane Eyre
• Jane Eyre - The protagonist and narrator of the novel,
Jane is an intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl
forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and
hardship.
• Edward Rochester - Jane's employer and the master of
Thornfield, Rochester is a wealthy, passionate man with a
dark secret that provides much of the novel's suspense.
• Mrs. Reed - Mrs. Reed is Jane's cruel aunt, who raises
her at Gateshead Hall until Jane is sent away to school at
age ten.
Characters in Jane Eyre
• Bessie Lee - The maid at Gateshead, Bessie is the only
figure in Jane's childhood who regularly treats her kindly,
telling her stories and singing her songs.
• Mr. Lloyd - Mr. Lloyd is the Reeds' apothecary, who
suggests that Jane be sent away to school.
• Georgiana Reed - Georgiana Reed is Jane's cousin and
one of Mrs. Reed's two daughters.
• Eliza Reed - Eliza Reed is Jane's cousin and one of Mrs.
Reed's two daughters (along with her sister, Georgiana).
• John Reed - John Reed is Jane's cousin, Mrs. Reed's son,
and brother to Eliza and Georgiana.
• Helen Burns - Helen Burns is Jane's close friend at the
Lowood School.
Characters in Jane Eyre
• Mr. Brocklehurst - The cruel, hypocritical master of the
Lowood School, Mr. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of
privation, while stealing from the school to support his
luxurious lifestyle.
• Maria Temple - Maria Temple is a kind teacher at
Lowood, who treats Jane and Helen with respect and
compassion.
• Miss Scatcherd - Jane's sour and vicious teacher at
Lowood, Miss Scatcherd behaves with particular cruelty
toward Helen.
• Alice Fairfax - Alice Fairfax is the housekeeper at
Thornfield Hall.
Characters in Jane Eyre
• Adèle Varens - Jane's pupil at Thornfield, Adèle Varens
is a lively though somewhat spoiled child from France.
• Celine Varens - Celine Varens is a French opera dancer
with whom Rochester once had an affair.
• Sophie - Sophie is Adèle's French nurse at Thornfield.
• Blanche Ingram - Blanche Ingram is a beautiful socialite
who despises Jane and hopes to marry Rochester for his
money.
• Rosamond Oliver - Rosamond is the beautiful daughter
of Mr. Oliver, Morton's wealthiest inhabitant.
• Uncle Reed - Uncle Reed is Mrs. Reed's late husband.
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
• Themes:
–
–
–
–
Love versus Autonomy
Religion
Social Class
Gender Relations
• Motifs:
– Fire and Ice
– Substitute mothers
• Symbols:
– The Red Room
Reading Time!
Open the Jane Eyre book to page 6—the
beginning of chapter 1.