In her renowned novel, named Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë gives an account of the life of an orphan of said name. Jane is immediately established as a character who, despite her honest and genuine nature, must endure a series of obstacles throughout her lifetime. By conquering these obstacles, Jane matures and is allowed to find love and contentment. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, author Thomas C. Foster outlines each of his chapters in a manner that allows his audience to successfully analyze and synthesize the aspects of any novel. Foster encourages his audience to acquire an extensive understanding of a novel by employing techniques that have been used by writers for centuries. When utilizing the skills learned in How to Read …show more content…
Literature Like a Professor, Brontë’s audience is able to identify with Jane and comprehend the most significant components of the novel. The chapters of How to Read Literature Like a Professor that align the most with Jane Eyre are “Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),” “Never Stand Next to the Hero,” “...More than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence.” “It’s All Political,” and “It’s Never Just Heart Disease... And Rarely Just Illness.” By understanding these chapters, Brontë’s readers can further contextualize the story and delve further into the novel’s messages and intentions. The first chapter of Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, entitled “Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)” is perhaps the most influential section of the novel when pertaining to Brontë’s Jane Eyre. In this chapter, Foster encourages his audience to think of a novel as if the character were embarking upon a quest. He justifies this point of view by stating that each quest has a knight, dangerous road, holy grail, dragon, evil knight, and princess (5) . Also, Foster mentions that each quest consists of “five things: (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there” (5). Jane’s story easily identifies with both ideas outlined by Foster, it is already evident that she happens to be the knight who must embark upon the quest for the holy grail. As the novel opens, Brontë has included that Jane is an orphaned child who lives with her spiteful aunt, Mrs. Reed. As mentioned earlier, Jane is a child with no ill intentions; she is simply looking for the love that she has been deprived of. Often subjected to condescension from her aunt and cousins for being part of a lower class, Jane’s childhood proves to be a part of the “dangerous road” she must conquer. Another “dangerous road” Jane must endure is symbolically represented through the Lowood Institution, which is owned by a man named Mr. Brocklehurst. Elated to relieve herself of her obligation to Jane, Mrs. Reed eagerly sends Jane to the institution where the conditions are no better. Being that the institution is a charity school for orphaned girls, Mr. Brocklehurst takes advantage of the funding and relishes in wealth while the young girls are subjected to starvation and deprivation of basic needs. While Jane is a pupil at Lowood, she continues to undergo ridicule and unfair punishment due to her aunt’s false accusations about her character. Jane’s holy grail is attributed to the things she is most evidently deprived of: love and contentment. The novel details Jane’s tenacious search for the essence of love and happiness; however, she struggles to find a balance between the two. The fire-breathing dragon of the novel happens to be Bertha Mason, a woman who is secretly married to Jane’s “princess,” Edward Rochester. Bertha allows Jane to come to term with the notion that “marrying” Rochester would only make her his mistress, therefore sacrificing Jane’s dignity. Bertha Mason serves a vital role in Jane’s self-discovery because Jane knows that she must find her own sense of establishment before being yoked with Rochester. The evil knight in Jane Eyre proves to be Blanche Ingram, a young, beautiful, wealthy socialite who wants to marry Rochester solely for his money. Although Blanche’s existence in the novel is fairly temporary, she causes Jane to realize how intense her love is for Rochester. As stated earlier, Rochester is represented as a metaphorical “princess” in Jane’s quest for love. This is due to the fact that Rochester is one of the only characters in the novel who accepts Jane with warm arms and a loving atmosphere. At one point in the novel, Brontë writes: “I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected; and now, at the first renewed view of him, they spontaneously arrived, green and strong! He made me love him without looking at me” (110). In order to get to her “princess,” Jane must first find a balance between contentment and love, therefore resulting in the completion of her quest. Although Helen Burns is not quite one of the five components of Jane’s quest, she proves to be a truly influential character when it comes to Jane Eyre.
Jane befriends Helen Burns while she spends her adolescent years at the Lowood Institution. The aspects of Jane’s relationship with Helen correspond most directly with the tenth chapter of Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, which is entitled “Never Stand Next to the Hero” Helen is a character with a background very similar to Jane’s. It is evident that they are both orphans, but something that stands out is the way that they are both treated while at Lowood. Jane and Helen are both subjected to maltreatment but cope with it in different ways. While Jane is assertive openly voices her dismay with the way she is being treated, Helen stays reticent and reserved, practicing a method of Christian tolerance. Helen believes that her time on Earth is only temporary, and that she will be rewarded with the love she deserves when she reaches Heaven. Despite the fact that Jane sees Helen’s coping method as absurd, she learns to respect Helen for her beliefs and they become best friends. Foster’s chapter “Never Stand Next to the Hero” prompts his audience to take a look at the roles of the seemingly minor characters in any novel. Foster’s argument can be exemplified through the statement “Sometimes the small things become big” (46). Although Helen’s appearance was short-lived, she challenges Jane’s morals a number of …show more content…
times, therefore allowing her to assume a larger role in Jane Eyre. Throughout her quest, Jane searches for love and happiness alone while Helen believes that she will be rewarded by God in her afterlife with the same gifts. When Jane’s character is juxtaposed with Helen’s, it seems that Helen is the more noble and sophisticated of the two. In addition to Helen’s symbolic importance to Jane Eyre, recurring violence also acted as a catalyst to the novel’s plot. The eleventh chapter of Foster’s novel, deemed “...More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence” influences his audience to look at violent scenes in any novel and analyze how they affect the plot and propel it forward. Within the first few pages of the novel, a cousin of Jane’s by the name of John Reed strikes her with a book. This immediately causes Jane to retaliate and results in a brief scuffle between the two. Despite the fact that the blow lasts less than half a second, it ignites the switch for a series of events crucial to Jane Eyre’s plot. Jane is immediately sent to the “Red Room” of the Reed Manor, a room where her uncle passed away. As if being left in a dark and lonely room were not enough, Jane sees a vision of what she thinks is her uncle Reed and begins to shriek in extreme fear. The next day, it is suggested that Jane be sent away to the Lowood Institution to be educated and live a better life. Two other incidents of violence occur when Bertha Mason makes an attempt on Rochester’s life and attacks her brother, Richard Mason. These two acts prove to be influential to the plot’s progress because they allow Jane to come closer to disclosing Rochester’s mysterious nature. On both accounts she was sworn to secrecy by Rochester, which further fueled her curiosity about Grace Poole and why she seemed to preside over Rochester. Violence serves as an imperative part of Jane Eyre because without these few scenes Jane would not have been presented with many of the obstacles and mysteries that she has had to overcome. Likewise, Mrs.
Reed is another obstacle presented in Jane Eyre, her character identifies most with chapter 23 of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, entitled “It’s Never Just Heart Disease...And Rarely Just Illness.” From the beginning of the novel, Mrs. Reed’s ill intentions towards Jane have been made no secret, but the audience does not find out why Mrs. Reed holds on to such intent until Jane has reached adulthood. It is revealed that Mrs. Reed resents Jane so deeply because she was jealous of her husband’s relationship with Jane’s mother. After receiving news that John Reed has passed away, Mrs. Reed has a stroke and requests Jane’s presence. After continuing to deny Jane of compassion and refusing to forgive her, Mrs. Reed passes away. As shown in the title of Foster’s title, Mrs. Reed’s stroke was not fueled by a heart ailment, it was simply fueled by her unrelieved feelings of abhorrence and resentment for
Jane. Furthermore, Jane Eyre is teeming with different elements of social commentary, including a myriad of conflicts pertaining to social class, gender relations, and religion. Chapter 13 of Foster’s novel, entitled “It’s All Political,” best supports the claim that it is imperative to understand the social context when analyzing a novel’s plot and meaning. In terms of social standing, it is established from the beginning that Jane Eyre is a second class citizen of her time. Brontë most prominently demonstrates this in chapter 17 of Jane Eyre, when Rochester, after departing for a week, has returned with a handful of prosperous socialites. Rochester’s wealthy associates are cruel and condescending to Jane, the two who stand out are Blanche Ingram and Dowager Ingram. Wealth is an important aspect of Jane Eyre because Jane believes that she should have a financial foundation of her own before consenting to marry Rochester. She soon accumulates a fortune of 20,000 pounds from her late uncle. Charlotte Brontë also uses Jane Eyre to express her disdain with gender roles and relations. With it already being evident that Jane is looking for love and comfort, she is left ambivalent when proposed to by Edward Rochester and St. John Rivers, who also happens to be her cousin. A profound comment that Brontë includes is when Jane thinks to herself that “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel…they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation…” (69). This quote serves as a possible allusion to real-life obstacles as well as to how Jane has to overcome Mr. Brocklehurst, St. John Rivers, and Rochester to find happiness for herself. In addition to Brontë’s allusion to defects in the social hierarchy and gender relations, she also focuses on religion’s impact on the plot. Jane Eyre also refers to the Evangelical movement of the nineteenth century, where men and women regained interest in modern “Christendom.” This aspect is represented through Helen Burns and Mr. Brocklehurst. As mentioned earlier, Helen Burns is a character who strongly believes in Christian tolerance, accepting her unjust punishment at Lowood as a test of faith by God. Mr. Brocklehurst is painted as an immensely hypocritical character who feigns Christian principles and uses the Lowood Institution’s funding for his own prosperity. Mr. Brocklehurst is used most prominently as a form of satire, criticizing the wave of renewed faith. With these three modes of social commentary, Brontë allows her audience to easily identify with the principles and conditions of the nineteenth century. In final analysis, these five chapters prove to be immensely successful in allowing Emily Brontë’s audience to acquire an appreciable understanding of the elements and themes conveyed in Jane Eyre. All five chapters work harmoniously to easily illustrate the principles of Jane Eyre’s endeavour to obtain love, contentment, and self-understanding.
In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Mrs. Reed tells the owner of Lowood Institution, Mr. Brocklehurst, that Jane has, "'a bad character, a deceitful disposition; and to let everybody at Lowood know what [she] is, and what [she] has done'" (34). Jane already despises Mrs. Reed for treating her so poorly, but now she is infuriated. If Mr. Brocklehurst describes Jane as Mrs. Reed instructs him to do, Jane will never make friends at Lowood because all of the children will fear her. Jane battles back by saying to her aunt, "'I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty'" (33). Jane...
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to
In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, symbolism, archetype, and myths are three concepts he uses to compose the unique story. The symbolism in the story stands out vaguely. An archetypical reference occurs at the very beginning of the story that carries on throughout the book. The mythological aspect is sensibly the whole concept the story is about. All three of these notions are openly highlighted throughout the story. They each obtain explanations for multiple subjects. The book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster helps explain the three concepts in Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis.
Without much thought, authors use brilliant techniques in order to portray the images and stories that they wish to tell. The novel, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C Foster, helps readers discover the hidden truths among literature and the brilliant techniques that the authors use as well as learn how to add innovative concepts into their writing in order to portray exactly what they are trying to say. It is evident that in A Thousand Splendid Suns the author, Khaled Hosseini, unconsciously uses some of the brilliant concepts that Foster addresses in his book. Khaled Hosseini, the accomplished author, habitually uses the concepts by Thomas C Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, therefore making Hosseini an iconic author.
In conclusion, the brilliant novel “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas C. Foster is a fantastic novel that helps grasp the basic ideas and structure that makes up a work of literature. Foster’s laid-back attitude made a major contribution to the great tone of the novel, and made it easier to understand. Many connections were included in the novel, along with some great quotes. After reading this novel, I have a better idea of what to look for when reading a novel.
Analyse the methods Charlotte Brontë uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters. Reflect on how the novel portrays Victorian ideology and relate your analysis to the novel’s literary content.
The three events that mark Jane as an evolving dynamic character are when she is locked in the red room, self reflecting on her time at Gateshead, her friendship with Helen Burns at LoWood, her relationship with Mr. Rochester, and her last moments with a sick Mrs. Reed. Brought up as an orphan by her widowed aunt, Mrs. Reed, Jane is accustomed to her aunts vindictive comments and selfish tendencies. Left out of family gatherings, shoved and hit by her cousin, John Reed, and teased by her other cousins, Georgina and Eliza Reed, the reader almost cringes at the unfairness of it all. But even at the young age of ten, Jane knows the consequences of her actions if she were to speak out against any of them. At one point she wonders why she endures in silence for the pleasure of others. Why she is oppressed. "Always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, forever condemned" (Bronte, 12). Jane’s life at Gateshead is not far from miserable. Not only is she bullied by her cousins and nagged by her aunt, but help from even Bessie, her nurse and sort of friend, seems out of her reach. In the red room scene Jane is drug by Ms. Ab...
Helen is Jane's best friend at Lowood. Helen is a religious role (angelic, and talks about God), in shaping her character. Helen believes everyone should love their enemies. Although Jane does not take to Helens good heart and good nature, with her wie word, Jane respects her for them and listens very passionately to what Helen has to say.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
The novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, has a plot that is filled with an extraordinary amount of problems. Or so it seems as you are reading it. However, it comes to your attention after you have finished it, that there is a common thread running throughout the book. There are many little difficulties that the main character, the indomitable Jane Eyre, must deal with, but once you reach the end of the book you begin to realize that all of Jane's problems are based around one thing. Jane searches throughout the book for love and acceptance, and is forced to endure many hardships before finding them. First, she must cope with the betrayal of the people who are supposed to be her family - her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her children, Eliza, Georgiana, and John. Then there is the issue of Jane's time at Lowood School, and how Jane goes out on her own after her best friend leaves. She takes a position at Thornfield Hall as a tutor, and makes some new friendships and even a romance. Yet her newfound happiness is taken away from her and she once again must start over. Then finally, after enduring so much, during the course of the book, Jane finally finds a true family and love, in rather unexpected places.
For one to mature, one must find the ability to discover the pros and cons of life decisions. Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre, tells the life of a young orphan, Jane Eyre. Jane is a girl, who continuously faces various hardships while growing up varying from her experiences with her malevolent aunt, Ms. Reed, Mr. Rochester, and St. John. Through hardships, Jane wants to become more mature after every struggle in her life. However, with weak spirit and poor resolve, Jane suffers the fierce attacks on her confidence and drive. With nothing to do, Jane can only learn to accept that assumptions that she is only a mere peasant that is under control by the “higher-ups.” Despite the continuous barrage of mortifying words, Jane finds a way to elicit herself so she could discover her inner rebel and develop as a woman. Through the descriptions of the actions, characterizations, and words of Jane Eyre, Bronte demonstrates that for one to evolve mentally and physically into a woman, one must learn understand one’s three parts of the psychic apparatus, the Id, Ego, and Superego.
In Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte intertwines various religious ideas in her mid-nineteenth century English setting. Throughout the novel, Jane Eyre blends various religious insights which she has learned from different sources. While Jane was young, she had only a Biblical textbook outlook on life combined with the miserable emotional conditions of her surroundings. This in turn led to Jane being quite mean with Mrs. Reed. When Jane eventually goes off to Lowood and meets Helen Burns, she learns of her religious philosophy far more than the words would mean. Over the course of many years Jane then applies the basis of Helen's religious philosophy and adjusts it for herself in relation to the main characters and main events including Mrs. Reed and Mr. Rochester. Through these characters Jane expands her understanding of life and of herself.
While at Lowood, a state - run orphanage and educational facility, Jane’s first friend, Helen Burns, teaches her the importance of friendship along with other skills that will help Jane grow and emotionally mature in the future. She serves as a role model for Jane. Helen’s intelligence, commitment to her studies, and social graces all lead Jane to discover desirable attributes in Helen. Helen is treated quite poorly, however, “her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane believes to be) unwarranted punishment makes the greatest impression on the younger girl” (Dunnington). Brontë uses this character as a way to exemplify the type of love that Jane deserves. This relationship allows Jane to understand the importance of having a true friend. Given Jane’s history at Gateshead, finding someone like Helen is monumental in her development as a person. Helen gives through honest friendship, a love that is
Q: Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters. Reflect on how the novel portrays Victorian ideology and relate your analysis to the novel's literary context.
In the novel ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte, Jane shows self-confidence throughout the novel by having a sense of self-worth, and a trust in God and her morals. Jane develops her self confidence through the capacity to learn and the relationships she experiences. Although an oppressed orphan, Jane is not totally with confidence, she believes in what is right and shows passion and spirit at an early age. Helen and Miss Temple equips Jane with education and Christians values that she takes on throughout her life. Jane later also blossoms in self confidence under Mr. Rochester’s love and her family, the Rivers and newly discovered wealth. Bronte uses dialogue and 1st person narration to give an insight of the characters for the reader to see what the characters are saying and suggest what they are really thinking, and it shows Jane’s self-confidence growing in every stage of her life.