Introduction Timeline Pictures Author(s) -Bronte, Charlotte --Charlotte Bronte's early years --Charlotte Bronte - fact and fiction --Charlotte Bronte's adulthood and publication --Charlotte Bronte - Literary fame The context of Jane Eyre -Social / political context --Charlotte Brontė and Victorian Britain --Charlotte Brontė and politics -Educational context --Education in Victorian England --Charlotte Brontė's education --Jane's education in Jane Eyre -Religious / philosophical context --The influence of Christianity --Religion in Jane Eyre --Charlotte Brontė and childhood -Literary context --The status of prose fiction --Charlotte Brontė and the novel Jane Eyre synopses -Note on chapter numbering -Volume 1 / Chapters 1 - 15 --Volume 1: Dedication and Preface --Volume 1, Chapter 1 --Volume 1, Chapter 2 --Volume 1, Chapter 3 --Volume 1, Chapter 4 --Volume 1, Chapter 5 --Volume 1, Chapter 6 --Volume 1, Chapter 7 --Volume 1, Chapter 8 --Volume 1, Chapter 9 --Volume 1, Chapter 10 --Volume 1, Chapter 11 --Volume 1, Chapter 12 --Volume 1, Chapter 13 --Volume 1, Chapter 14 --Volume 1, Chapter 15 -Volume 2 / Chapters 16 - 26 --Volume 2, Chapter 1 / 16 --Volume 2, Chapter 2 / 17 --Volume 2, Chapter 3 / 18 --Volume 2, Chapter 4 / 19 --Volume 2, Chapter 5 / 20 --Volume 2, Chapter 6 / 21 --Volume 2, Chapter 7 / 22 --Volume 2, Chapter 8 / 23 --Volume 2, Chapter 9 / 24 --Volume 2, Chapter 10 / 25 --Volume 2, Chapter 11 / 26 -Volume 3 / Chapters 27 - 38 --Volume 3, Chapter 1 / 27 --Volume 3, Chapter 2 / 28 --Volume 3, Chapter 3 / 29 --Volume 3, Chapter 4 / 30 --Volume 3, Chapter 5 / 31 --Volume 3, Chapter 6 / 32 --Volume 3, Chapter 7 / 33 --Volume 3, Chapter 8 / 34 --Volume 3, Chapter 9 / 35 --Volume 3, Chapter 10 / 36 --Volume 3, Chapter 11 / 37 --Volume 3, Chapter 12 / 38 Characterisation -Role and significance -The creation of character -Women in Jane Eyre --Jane's female role models --Early female influences --The women of Thornfield --Women in the later stages of Jane Eyre --Bertha Rochester: 'the madwoman in the attic' -Jane's suitors --Rochester --St John Rivers -Phrenology: a note Narrative -Jane's first-person narrative -Development of the narrative -A learning novel or a pilgrimage novel? -Narrative techniques: realism and the supernatural Themes and significant ideas -Families, parents and children -Education; Class, wealth and power -Gender and the role of women Imagery, metaphor and symbolism in Jane Eyre -Nature -Fire and light -Paintings and drawings -Biblical, mythological and literary references Structure -Structure defined by volume -Structure by setting -Time structure in Jane Eyre -Family structure in Jane Eyre: Eyre, Reed and Rivers -Structure: Theme and imagery Critical approaches to Jane Eyre -Jane Eyre: The critical tradition -Critical attitudes in the last thirty years --Feminist criticism and literary history --Psychoanalytical criticism --Formalist criticism --Post-colonial criticism --New historicist criticism -Analysing a passage Approaching exams and essays -Engaging with the text -How to plan an essay -Sample questions -What makes a good English exam answer Resources and further reading -Booklist -Websites -Jane Eyre on film and television -Worksheet downloads
[Note: Remember that websites – including this one – are secondary resources like any other. It is important to check the source of the site and to find out about the author(s). Also, remember that any material you draw from the site should be clearly referenced in essays or project work.]
http://www.victorianweb.org
A good general site for Victorian literature, with specialised information on a variety of contextual topics as well as individual authors.
http://www.Brontë.org.uk
This is the site for the Brontë Parsonage Museum and the Brontë Society and contains some useful information.
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