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JANE EYRE
By Charlotte Brontë
CAST OF CHARACTERSJ
ane Eyre: orphaned as a child she’s sent to live with her abusive aunt and cousins (the
Reeds). Later in life, becomes a governess to Mr. Rochester’s ward, Adèle. Falls in love
with Mr. Rochester. Opinionated, independent, and very moral.
E
dward Rochester: Dark and broody master of Thornfield Manor. Has one previous wife he
keeps locked in the attic. Falls in love with Jane and attempts to marry her. Is disfigured
and blinded by Bertha Mason. Byronic hero.
B
ertha Mason: Rochester’s first wife via arranged marriage. She is insane and Rochester
locks her in the attic of his house. She repeatedly breaks out and tries to kill Jane and
Rochester. Eventually kills herself by setting fire to Thornfield Manor.
M
rs. Alice Fairfax: Housekeeper of Thornfield Manor. Elderly widow. She keeps an eye on both
Jane and Mr. Rochester.
CAST OF CHARACTERSA
dèle Varens: Daughter of Rochester’s French mistress. Rochester takes her in as his ward
when her mother dies. Jane becomes her governess. Very excitable.
B
lanche Ingram: Rich socialite who tries to marry Mr. Rochester. Rochester flirts with her
to make Jane jealous.
S
t. John Rivers: He and his sisters take Jane in after she leaves Rochester. An extremely
moral, duty-bound Christian man. In love with Rosamond Oliver, but decides to marry
Jane instead because she’d make a better wife for him as a missionary in India. Turns
out to be Jane’s cousin.
J
ohn Eyre: Rich uncle of Jane and the Rivers siblings. Tries to adopt Jane after her
parents’ deaths, but is stopped by the Reeds. Leaves Jane his entire fortune when he
dies.
H
elen Burns: Jane’s school friend. A devout Christian. Dies of consumption at a young age.
PLOT OF JANE EYRE
6
0secondrecap.com presents: Jane Eyre: A Plot
Summary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wavPu4r5TI
MAJOR THEMES &CONFLICTS
U
pholding Moral Convictions
S
earching for home and family
T
rying to be an independent woman in a male-driven world
N
avigating between social/moral obligation and passion
CONTEXT
O
riginally published as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography in 1847 under the male
pen name “Currer Bell”.
B
est seller in 1847.
T
he novel contains elements of social criticism and explores classism,
sexuality, religion and feminism.
C
ritics consider the text to be ahead of its time because of the
characterization of the female protagonist, Jane.
SYNTHESIS OF CRITICISM
K
irkus Review, “Jane: A Modern Romantic Retelling of Jane
Eyre.” Review published Sept. 15, 2010. Viewed Feb. 12.
2013. Web. www.kirkusreviews.com
“
Flashes of originality, wit and vivid imagery bring the story
to life intermittently, but the distracting improbabilities pull
readers out of the story again and again.”
SYNTHESIS OF CRITICISM
K
apurch, Katie. ""'Why Can't You Love Me the Way I Am?': Fairy Tales,
Girlhood, and Agency in Neo-Victorian Visions of Jane Eyre” N.p.,
n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013.
T
his article references Sandra Gilbert’s critique of Jane Eyre, who
says the reason the story of Jane Eyre is so incredibly popular during
the Victorian era is because of its inclusion of familiar fairy-tale
structures and imagery. Kapurch suggests that Jane by April Linder
continues the trend of fairy-tale inclusion by modernizing the
character using current representations of girlhood, femininity, and
what it means to be a heroine.
SYNTHESIS OF CRITICISMG
ilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the
Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-century Literary
Imagination. New Haven: Yale UP, 1979. Print.
G
ilbert and Gubar use the character Bertha Mason from
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre to argue that female characters of
the nineteenth century were notoriously portrayed as either the
monster or the angel. They use Bertha to prove that even
women authors of the Victorian period struggled with
characterizing female characters in a manner other than the
monster or the angel.
OTHER ADAPTATIONSY
A Novels
-Naxos Young Adult Classics Jane Eyre• Abridged audio version of Jane Eyre
-A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont (2010)
-Dark Companion by Marta Acosta (2012)• YALSA Nominee in 2012 for Best Fiction for Young Adults Award
O
ther Literary Adaptations
- Mrs. Rochester: A Sequel to Jane Eyre by Hilary Bailey (1997)
-Jane Rochester by Kimberly Bennett (2000)
-Jane Eyre’s Daughter by Elizabeth Newark (2008)
-Jane Slayre by Sherri Browning Erwin
OTHER ADAPTATIONS
F
ilm & Television
-Jane Eyre. 2006 TV version produced by the
BBC. Starred Ruth Wilson as Jane, and Toby
Stephens as Mr. Rochester.
-Jane Eyre. 2011 film version directed by Cary
Fukunaga. Starred Mia Wasikowska as Jane, and
Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester.2011 film version
JANE BY APRIL LINDNER
P
ublished in 2010
S
et in Thornfield Park
T
he novel tells the tale of Jane who is forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast
college after her parents suddenly die. She takes a job as a nanny to rockstar Nico
Rathburn who she falls in love with. A mystery involving the dark past of her lover Nico
forces Jane to question which is more important true love or staying true to oneself.
S
imilar to Jane Eyre Jane is portrayed as a strong independent character.
A
tale of a forbidden romance and a dark mystery
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
B
orn in North Merrick, New York
B
egan college as an art major
T
eaches Creative Writing, Literature and Freshman
Composition at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
C
urrently working on Catherine a young adult retelling of
Wuthering Heights due out in the Spring
April Lindner
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