Jane+Eyre-+EP


 * Jane Eyre **
 * by Charlotte Bronte **

1. Biography 2. Summary 3. Literary Information 4. Literary Analysis 5. Critisism

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Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte Bronte was born in Yorkshire County, England, in 1816. She was born the youngest of three daughters, and also came to have two younger sisters, and a brother. Two of Charlotte's sisters, Emily and Anne, were writers as well. Though unlike her sisters, Charlotte often wrote as a way of making money to support her siblings. In 1820, the family moved from Thornton to Haworth where her father had been appointed Reverend. Charlotte's mother was defeated by cancer in September of 1821, and before long her aunt moved in to the help the family. Charlotte and 3 of her sisters were soon sent to school, which was a dramatic change from the pleasent and easy life they had lead at home. Charlotte's first career at school didn't last too long though; her two older sisters died of Tubercolsis, and as a result Charlotte and younger sister Emily were quickly sent home. In 1831, Charlotte returned to school at Miss Wooler's School at Roe Head, but again she would not stay long, for she soon returned home to help tutor her younger sisters Emily and Anne. Charlotte once more went back to the school at Roe Head in 1835, but instead of being a student there, she would be a teacher. Charlotte taught for 3 years, while paying for her sister Emily's tuition to the school. Eventually Charlotte left her teaching job at Roe Head, and in 1839 she took a job as a governess. Charlotte disliked being a governess though, and soon left with her sisters to go to Brussels, Belgium. In Belguim, Charlotte, Emily and Anne all learned French and German, and studied literature. Their dream was to someday instigate their own school. But, when Charlotte returned home to England and attempted to do so, it failed. Tragedy struck the Bronte family in 1848, with the death of Charlotte's brother Branwell as well as her sister Emily. It didn't end here, either. Only about a year later Charlotte's last sibling, youngest sister Anne, died as well. This all happend around the same time Charlotte was writing "Shirley", and the sorrow she must have been feeling is said to have come through in her writing. The publication of "Shirley" launched Charlotte in to London's literary society, and she met many top authors of the time. In 1852 Arthur Nicholls, who was currently the curate in Haworth, proposed to a very surprised Charlotte. But Charlotte's father didn't approve, and Arthur left to be curate in another town that was about 40 miles south of Haworth. Charlotte and Arthur stayed in touch over the time they were seperated, and finally married in June 1854. Their marrige was a short one; on March 31st 1855, Charlotte, who was pregnant at the time, died after fighting a long illness. [|Click here for a more in depth summary of Charlotte Bronte's life.]

A Summary of Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is the story of a girl who falls in love, but must overcome many obsticles to be with the man of her heart. When Jane is 18, she moves to Thornfield Manor to be the governess for a little girl. She soon finds herself in love with her master, Mr. Rochester. After many tortured months of living at Thornfield Manor, and seeing Mr. Rochester court another woman with far more status than her, Jane is shocked when he professes that his true love really lies with her. Plans for marrige are quickly arranged, but on the day of their wedding, a shocking mystery that had been hidden within Thornfield Manor for years is revealed. Although it is against the will of her heart, Jane listens to her head and abruptly leaves Thornfield Manor and Mr. Rochester. Where she was going, Jane didn't know, and she didn't have a possion in the world, but despite that she still passionatly loved him, Jane refuses to return to Mr. Rochester. Read this bittersweet story and find out if Jane ever follows her heart.

Literary Information
The genre of Jane Eyre is romance. The story is about the love and romance that blossoms between two people. The style of Jane Eyre is proper, becuase of the elevated language, and the formal diction.

Literary Analysis
The tone that comes across in Jane Eyre is very proper. I observe this within the diction, syntax, and the language Charlotte Bronte uses. Jane Eyre is written in formal diction. Both the narrator and all the characters speak very properly and formally; nothing like a normal conversation you would hear today. "The next day commenced as before, getting up and dressing by rushlight: but this morning we were obliged to dispense with the ceremony of washing: the water in the pitchers was frozen" (54). From the previous quote, you can see that the author is very formal in her writing, with high level vocabulary being used. The syntax in Jane Eyre is complex, with many of the sentences being made of mulitple clauses. "My attention was now called off by Miss Smith desiring me to hold a skein of thread: while she was winding it, she talked to me from time to time, asking whether I had ever been at school before, whether I could mark, stich, knit, etc.: till she dismissed me, I could not pusue my observations on Miss Scatcher's movements" (55). The previous excrept is an example of the complex syntax used in Jane Eyre. Another thing that Charlotte Bronte uses that adds to the proper tone is her choice of vocabulary. The sentence uses words like "consented" and "pledged", instead of saying 'agreed', and 'given'. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte has a proper tone.

Critisism
I enjoyed reading Jane Eyre quite a bit. Part of what influenced my opinion was the formal diction Charlotte Bronte uses. I have previously read other books that are written in this stlye, and have taken quite a liking for it. One thing I didn't like about Jane Eyre was how slow it was. The book takes a very long time to develop itself, and would be frustrating and tedious to read if you are someone who likes a more fast paced story. I myself was patient with it, because I was so curious where the plot was going to take me. Overall, I would definitly recomend this book.


 * If you enjoyed Jane Eyre, then you may also like...**
 * Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
 * Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott
 * Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte