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Submitted by annoying.me on March 5, 2006
Category: English
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USE OF GOTHIC ELEMENTS IN CHARLOTTE BRONTE'S JANE EYRE'
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" was published in the middle of the nineteenth century. Bronte was greatly influenced by the Gothic novels that were in fashion before the time of Jane Eyre. The Gothic novel was popularised in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and was defined by its use of suspense, supernatural elements, and desolate locations to generate a gloomy or chilling mood. The protagonist of the novel would generally be female, and often face distressing or morbid circumstances.
Contextually, there was little freedom for middle-class women during the period of the Gothic novel, and this remained the case in the time of Charlotte. Marriage especially was often considered to be a mere bargain, whereby fortunes were secured by using the female figure exploitatively. However in "Jane Eyre," Charlotte, and the characters she depicts, do not always conform to this conventionality. In fact the novel exhibits a number of autobiographical elements and Jane is seen as a projection of Charlotte Brontë herself, hence the element of controversy. In illustrating this idea further, consider the way in which the heroine in "Jane Eyre" in fact undergoes the trials that the hero is habitually supposed to undergo in a Gothic romance. Some critics have argued that "Jane Eyre" is not a Gothic novel but more an example of the use of Gothic' by nineteenth century novelists like Charlotte.
Within the novel there are several instances of Gothic that require analysis. The first such instance is seen in the red-room which is dark like blood. The room itself is described as a 'vault', the chair becomes a 'pale throne', and the bed is referred to as a 'tabernacle'. The prison like qualities do not go unnoticed. Outside it is raining, the wind blows against the moors, faint voices are heard. The room emits strange noises and has a large mirror that distorts...
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