The Power of Great Expectations and Jane Eyre Essay example

The Power of Great Expectations and Jane Eyre Many novels have been written in many different eras. Each era has its `reform novel or piece of literature, or pieces of work that broke the mold. For the Greeks, it was Homers Odyssey; for the Renaissance, it was The Essays: Of Cannibals by Michel de Montaigne; for the Medieval era, it was Dante Alighieris Inferno. It was the same in the Victorian era, which ran from 1850 to about 1900. The reform authors were Charlotte Brontà « and Charles Dickens. These two authors wrote Jane Eyre and Great Expectations, respectively. Through these novels, the authors have epitomized the Victorian era with gothic elements, Byronic heroes, importance of society, and round and flat†¦show more content†¦Jane acquired a job as a governess at an, apparently, single mans home, tutoring is young ward. Needless to say, Mr. Rochester and Jane fell in love. However, Jane did not want to marry. Except that her love grows too strong, Jane puts aside her stubbornness for love. My future husband was becoming to me my whole world; and more than the world: almost my hope of heaven. He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun. I could not, in those days, see God for his creature: of whom I had made an idol. (Brontà «: ch 25) Jane then relents and marries Rochester. Jane made the journey from explosive, to independent, to in love; a true journey for a woman in the Victorian era. Pip, the main character of Great Expectations, is an orphaned boy who is one the quintessential round characters. When Pip is first introduced, he is an easily influenced young boy living with his sister, Mrs. Joe, and her husband, Joe Gargery. When Pip was asked to steal from Mrs. Joe and Joe by a convict, he could hardly live with himself: If I slept at all that night, it was only to imagine myself drifting down the river on a strong spring-tide, to the Hulks; a ghostly pirate calling out to me through a speaking trumpet, as I passed the gibbet-station, that I had better come ashore and be hanged there at once, and not put it off. I was afraid to sleep, even if I had been inclines, for I knew that at theShow MoreRelatedGreat Expectations By Charlotte Bronte And A Raisin Of The Sun1837 Words   |  8 Pages Historically, governments, the medical establishment, and religion have challenged and impeded women from attaining a sense of power or a position of authority in society. From witch hunts to the system of coverture to the current sexualisation of women in media, certain conventional gender roles and stereotypes have been imposed upon women. Women have been depicted as â€Å"natural desires†, â€Å"the lower sex†, â€Å"bossy†, â€Å"innocent†, â€Å"passive†, â€Å"s exual objects†, but never or not too often as â€Å"strong†Read MoreOppression, Suffering, and Poverty of Men in Jane Eyre Essay1427 Words   |  6 PagesThe novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontà «, depicts the coming of age of a woman who encounters great hardships, obstacles, and heartbreak. During the Victorian era women were subordinate to men and often times lacked the same opportunities and privileges that society and the family structure gave to men. Although society and the family structure of the Victorian era treated men and women differently, men were also oppressed, experienced suffering, and had to overcome poverty, but due to the masculinityRead More Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens Great Expectations1873 Words   |  8 PagesCharlotte Brontes Jane Eyre and Charles DickensGreat Expectations Both Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontà «, and Great Expectations, written by Charles Dickens, have many Victorian similarities. Both novels are influenced by the same three elements. The first is the gothic novel, which instilled mystery, suspense, and horror into the work. The second is the romantic poets, which gave the literature liberty, individualism, and nature. The third is the Byronic hero, which consists of the outcast orRead MoreThe Colonial Implications in Jane Eyre and Great Expectations3008 Words   |  13 PagesSpivak be applied to Charles Dickens Great Expectations and Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre and to what extent do these novelists draw from the colonial discourse in their representation of the `non- Western world? The Victorian novel has performed an important service in Eurocentric epistemologies and colonial ideologies in formulating the colonial discourse and establishing the alterity of `self and the `Other. Both Great Expectations and Jane Eyre, like most novels produced in the VictorianRead MoreJane Eyre And A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man1473 Words   |  6 Pages The novels Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontà «, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce, both exemplify the bildungsroman style, showing the growth of the characters over the course of each book. As bildungsroman novels, both texts share elements common to the genre, such as focusing primarily on character thoughts and reactions. They also share traits like periods of character development being tied to a particular place. However, they differ in other areas like narration styleRead MoreJane Eyre vs. Great Expectatio1869 Words   |  8 PagesBoth Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontà «, and Great Expect ations, written by Charles Dickens, have many Victorian similarities. Both novels are influenced by the same three elements. The first is the gothic novel, which instilled mystery, suspense, and horror into the work. The second is the romantic poets, which gave the literature liberty, individualism, and nature. The third is the Byronic hero, which consists of the outcast or rebel who is proud and melancholy and seeks a purer life. The resultsRead MoreChildhood in Great Expectations and Jane Eyre Essay2675 Words   |  11 PagesCompare the presentation of childhood in Great Expectations and Jane Eyre Both Jane Eyre and Great Expectation adopt a typically Victorian outlook on childhood, which can seem quite alien set against modern values. However in both books, and particularly in Jane Eyre, there is an effort to create a convincing expression of childhood through strong emphasis of the childs point of view above all others. In both books there is a interesting use of hindsight within the first personRead More Discuss Charlotte Bronte’s portrayal of childhood in Jane Eyre.1074 Words   |  5 PagesDiscuss Charlotte Bronte’s portrayal of childhood in Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s ‘Jane Eyre’ was a controversial novel for its time. It traces the heroine from an orphan child to a contented adult woman. Through the trials Jane experiences Brontà « highlights many hypocritical aspects of Victorian society, mainly focusing on the religious hypocrisy of the era. Subtitled ‘An Autobiography’, the novel in parts closely resembles Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s own childhood and her evocation of Jane’s experiencesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Romeo And Juliet And Great Expectations 1662 Words   |  7 PagesWhy Diversify? Everyone knows the classics. Romeo and Juliet, Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, the novels of white characters in Western settings commonly read in high school English classes. Lost in the backrooms of school libraries, The House on Mango Street and Uncle Tom’s Cabin are hidden away, stories of minorities boxed in by cardboard and majority rule. While America’s student body becomes increasingly diverse (and schools rush to adapt), some say curriculum has stayed monochromatic by regularlyRead MoreThe Clash Between Physical And Inner Beauty In Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre1352 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween physical and inner beauty. Jane calls herself as plain and little in parts the story. However, dissimilar from the stunning but shallow Blanche Ingram or Rosamund Oliver, Jane is a bold and thoughtful person whose simplicity lets her intermix to perceive those around her (by painting) and whose internal nature is far more captivating than anything else. Bronte incorporated her personal ideas about beauty and perception into this story with her declaring the power of inner beauty. Bronte herself