context Flashcards
(31 cards)
Name 3 features of the Gothic genre?
- Dark abandoned, decaying settings
- Plot conventions include revenge, family secrets, prophecy, curses and the past controlling the future
- Horror inflicts feelings of fear shock, dread, disgust to the reader (reader response)
- Supernatural beings (doppelgangers - double walker in German)
- Exploration of romance and sexuality (during Victorian times gothic lit gave readers and writers a chance to explore sexuality and romance type shi)
- Heavy reliance on symbolism
What is a Anti-Hero?
The gothic protagonist usually flawed, lonesome and a outcast who has to overcome smth to re join society(feature of gothic literature).
What are the 3 genres Jane Eyre belongs to?
Gothic, Romance, Bildungsroman (coming of age story). You could also say Jane Eyre was based on Charlotte Brontës life
What is a Byronic Hero?
-Lit figure named after Lord Byron a romantic poet (he was known by his peers as “mad, bad and dangerous to know”).
-Byronic heroes are moody, dark and mysterious (characteristic of his poems).
- They are often introspective, emotionally conflicted, rebellious and self critical.
Why is the governess betwixt and between?
She’s not apart of the family because she’s not the same social standing/ their employee but she’s also not liked by the servants because they think she’s extra work and snooty.
What is/does a governess do?
A young to middle ages woman usually of the middle class with no man to provide for her so she teaches children (girls up to 18, boys up to 8 then the boys go to a school).
What does a governess teach?
She usually teaches reading, writing, arithmetic’s but can also teach ladies accomplishments, how to act and morals/ religion and how to act/treat your parents.
Why did women become governesses?
They were from a middle class family but their brother or father didn’t make enough money anymore so she had to get a job and governess was the only respectable one.
Why were governesses commonly used in Victorian bildungsroman literature?
Because they had no money and no friends and no parents so they had to find their own way and being a governess was the only non shameful job.
Who employed governesses?
Affluent middle class families usually to show others they can afford a governess.
What did Evangelical Christians believe about children?
They believed that young children were inherently evil and sinful.
What did Evangelical Christians believe would ‘cure’ the children?
They should be punished, scared and terrified to disobey. Tales were told to the children to shock them into behaving
What did Lowood take inspiration from?
It took inspiration from a school called Clergy Daughters’ School in Cowan Bridge (you can just call it Cowden bridge) the school where Bronte was sent
How is childhood presented in Jane Eyre?
Jane is a child that grows up, her childhood is filled with themes of isolation and neglect, imagination, friendship and companionship.
What did all the Bronte women do?
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte were sisters and all writers of novels that have become classics. They all were at one point governesses and teachers.
Name 3 themes often in the Bronte sisters writing?
The Brontë sisters’ novels often explore themes of individuality, love, social constraints, and the supernatural. They also delve into the complexities of human relationships and the challenges faced by women during their time.
Who are Maria and Elizabeth Bronte?
the 2 older siblings of the Bronte family that died early on in Brontës life of tuberculosis in Cowden bridge (how Helen died at Lowood)
What era was Jane Eyre written and published in?
Victorian Era
How was Jane Eyre received when first published?
Upon its release in 1847 Jane Eyre was instantly recognized as a masterpiece of literature the novel is both a critique and a celebration of Victorian society. While some critics complained that the novel was anti-Catholic, it was an immediate success and its appeal was partly due to the first-person narrative.
What did the novel portray?
The novel portrayed the inner life of a woman, highlighting her struggles with natural desires and societal conditions. It introduced a modern concept of the individual, focusing on personal will, conscience, and understanding rather than tradition and authority. This was a surprisingly radical concept for readers at the time, as it emphasized the value of the individual’s self and conscience.
Name 3 features of Romanticism?
- Deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature.
- A general exaltation of emotion over reason/senses/intellect.
- Belief of the importance of freedom.
How does Bronte explore the idea that religion (evangelism) in the Victorian period was used as a form of oppression?
Bronte critiques religious hypocrisy through characters like Mr Brocklehurst, who preaches humility and self-denial while his own family lives in luxury. Mr Brocklehurst enforces harsh conditions at Lowood under the guise of Christian virtue, but his religious severity masks cruelty. His hypocrisy reveals how religion can be used to control and oppress, rather than to uplift and guide with compassion.
How does Bronte show true religion?
Helen Burns, who embodies sincere, forgiving, and personal Christianity.
What does the doppelganger represent?
The doppelganger represents the inner self which needs to be controlled but wants to be free. Polite Victorian society repressed natural urges, creating tension, perhaps contributing to the popularity of the device in gothic lit of the time.
