The Meaning of Mystery and Suspense in 'Jane Eyre'

Gothic Elements in the Victorian Novel

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book The Meaning of Mystery and Suspense in 'Jane Eyre' by Thomas Schachtebeck, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Thomas Schachtebeck ISBN: 9783640806430
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: January 20, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Thomas Schachtebeck
ISBN: 9783640806430
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: January 20, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 2,0, Free University of Berlin (Fachbereich Englisch), course: Surveying English Literatures II , language: English, abstract: Gothic Elements in the Victorian Novel - The Meaning of Mystery and Suspense in Jane Eyre 1Introduction Undoubtedly, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre was one of the most successful and influential novels published during the era of Victorian England, which lasted from 1837 until 1901 , and even today, Jane Eyre is regarded as one of the most important masterpieces in the history of world literature. Although Brontë's novel primarily fulfills features of the romance novel - certainly a very popular and widespread genre among Victorian writers - Jane Eyre can be accounted a hybrid of three literary genres, which not only shares romantic elements, but also characteristics of the Bildungsroman and the Gothic novel. However, Brontë's novel basically follows 'two traditional plot lines' (Heller 1993: 49) of Victorian women writing. On the one hand, Jane Eyre comprises a love story between a man and a women, represented by the relationship between Jane and Rochester, which clearly corresponds to romance elements, whereas, on the other hand, the story of Jane's personal and psychological development, which is expressed by her different encounters with the external world over a large range of time, corresponds to the female Bildungsroman. Nevertheless, in Jane Eyre, both plots are strongly interrelated with each other, what makes each plot rather complex and difficult to analyse (cf. Heller 1993: 49). Moreover, Charlotte Brontë repeatedly utilised several mysterious and horrific incidents - which are clear indicators for a Gothic influence - throughout the whole novel. The question may be raised, how and for what purpose did Brontë implant Gothic elements in her novel, although the period of 'classic' Gothic writing had already come to an end in the early 19th century. Was it just for the cause of catching the reader's attention and making the story more interesting to read, or was there even more behind it? In order to find a suitable answer to that question, this essay will first point out a couple of striking and important scenes which represent typical Gothic features in Jane Eyre, and then, it will try to analyse the causes for the application of these Gothic elements and their effect on the novel's message which is aimed to be delivered.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 2,0, Free University of Berlin (Fachbereich Englisch), course: Surveying English Literatures II , language: English, abstract: Gothic Elements in the Victorian Novel - The Meaning of Mystery and Suspense in Jane Eyre 1Introduction Undoubtedly, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre was one of the most successful and influential novels published during the era of Victorian England, which lasted from 1837 until 1901 , and even today, Jane Eyre is regarded as one of the most important masterpieces in the history of world literature. Although Brontë's novel primarily fulfills features of the romance novel - certainly a very popular and widespread genre among Victorian writers - Jane Eyre can be accounted a hybrid of three literary genres, which not only shares romantic elements, but also characteristics of the Bildungsroman and the Gothic novel. However, Brontë's novel basically follows 'two traditional plot lines' (Heller 1993: 49) of Victorian women writing. On the one hand, Jane Eyre comprises a love story between a man and a women, represented by the relationship between Jane and Rochester, which clearly corresponds to romance elements, whereas, on the other hand, the story of Jane's personal and psychological development, which is expressed by her different encounters with the external world over a large range of time, corresponds to the female Bildungsroman. Nevertheless, in Jane Eyre, both plots are strongly interrelated with each other, what makes each plot rather complex and difficult to analyse (cf. Heller 1993: 49). Moreover, Charlotte Brontë repeatedly utilised several mysterious and horrific incidents - which are clear indicators for a Gothic influence - throughout the whole novel. The question may be raised, how and for what purpose did Brontë implant Gothic elements in her novel, although the period of 'classic' Gothic writing had already come to an end in the early 19th century. Was it just for the cause of catching the reader's attention and making the story more interesting to read, or was there even more behind it? In order to find a suitable answer to that question, this essay will first point out a couple of striking and important scenes which represent typical Gothic features in Jane Eyre, and then, it will try to analyse the causes for the application of these Gothic elements and their effect on the novel's message which is aimed to be delivered.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Passing and the Problem of Identity in Afro-American Literature by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Differences of Founder Characteristics in High-Tech Spin-Offs. Which factors influence the decision to become a startup-founder? by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Canadian foreign policy after the Westminster Statute of 1931 -The shift from British hegemon to an American one by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Why is the U.S. so religious? by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Basics of major strategic (and analytic) tools by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Australian Aborigines: Their arduous path to modern Australian society by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book The Relationship Between Preferred Websites and Reading Motivation in College Students by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930): 'The Revolt of 'Mother' ' (1891) & Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941): 'Winesburg, Ohio' (1919) by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Cultural Diversity Management in Tourism by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book The interior versus the exterior in Orson Welles's 'Macbeth' and Laurence Olivier's 'Hamlet' in comparison by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book A Short Critical, Non-Technical, Non-Mathematical Paper about Regression Analysis by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Does a Grounded Theory dissociated from its epistemological bases make sense? by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book Entstehung und Entwicklung von Abhängigkeit by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book The Historical Development of 'Food Regimes' and Their Influence on the World's Economy by Thomas Schachtebeck
Cover of the book The Concept of a Female Genius by Thomas Schachtebeck
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy