Friday, October 26, 2007
WIDE SARGASSO SEA: Part 1
I found Wide Sargasso Sea easier and more enjoyable to read compared to Jane Eyre. WSS is much easier to ‘get into’ and to establish an understanding of. I would say that there are many similarities between this and Jane Eyre. However, I do prefer the writing style of WSS; that’s because it is written by Jean Rhys in a more modern form and it gets straight to the point whereas in Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte took too much time through the amount of description and writing excessively about Jane’s feelings and emotions. I think perhaps it is that what made reading Jane Eyre a little boring. I enjoyed it at times but I couldn’t really be bothered with all the descriptive text and stuff that’s not really important. Maybe that’s because I prefer things that go straight to the point. The structure of the text is good too; the way the book is split into three sections instead of a load of paragraphs somehow makes the book more enjoyable for me. Also the sentences are more readable. With Jane Eyre they were too long, in contrast, WSS is nicer because you can follow/imagine the book in your mind instead of getting confused with descriptive sentences that are not really necessary. I am a quite open minded person, but I have the opinion that WSS is a much better read than Jane Eyre for young people of today. I think that is because the language throughout is more what we are used to…easier to understand…as compared to the complex 1800s language of Jane Eyre. I like the way in which WSS, progresses quickly and has a fast speed to it, I like this because as a reader you don’t feel lost when reading, it makes the book easy to follow and understand, also it stops reader bias…as you are not really trapped into listening to somebody else’s thoughts and feelings on such a huge descriptive level like you are with Jane Eyre. Even though there isn’t immense amounts of description there is a lot of imagery – where you can picture the scenes well for example the fire. Just enough imagery for you too imagine the scenes but not too much that bores you. I liked the section about the fire, in this section of the book Antoinette tells of the fire that occurred at Coulibri Estate and was the beginning of her mothers ‘issues’.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
READING JOURNAL - Jane Eyre - Chapters 29 to the end
Summary:
Jane stays in bed to recover for a few days and the rivers siblings look after her. Jane gets better and Hannah tells her about Mr Rivers who lost the family fortune in a bad business deal. Mary and Diana were forced to work as governesses. She tells them that her real name isn’t really Jane Elliot and St John tries to find her a job. Jane becomes friendly with the two sisters, on the other hand, St John seems distant and quiet towards Jane. St John finds a job for Jane – running her own school – secretly hoping she will turn the offer down. Mary and Diana believe that he will go on a missionary posit to India soon. St John tells them that their Uncle John has died and they have nothing because all his money went an unknown relative. Jane finds out that Uncle John was the man who led Mr Rivers into his bad business deal. Rosamond Oliver is introduced into the novel. Jane starts at her school but doesn’t really like the work. St John visits Jane and tells her he made the wrong career decision himself once – leading Jane to think about her options. Rosamond comes along and starts talking to John, Jane thinks that they like each other. Jane starts to settle in at the school and her pupils begin warming to her. She starts having nightmares about Rochester. Jane tells St John that he should marry Rosamond. He says that he loves her but doesn’t want to ruin his duty to god by becoming a missionary. He believes that she would make a terrible missioners wife. St John sees something on the edge of Jane’s paper and tears it off. Jane is confused by this as St John rushes off. St John later comes back. He mainly tells Jane the story of herself… an orphan, which went to Thornfield and disappeared after almost marrying Rochester. St John knows it is Jane but is waiting for her to reveal it herself. He tells Jane that he has a letter from Mr Briggs, demanding that Jane Eyre be found as her Uncle John Eyre is dead and has left her a huge fortune. Jane tells the truth and lets it known that she is really Jan Eyre. St John then tells Jane he found out from the paper he ripped off her drawing – it was her signature. They find out they’re in fact cousins. Jane is happy that she does have a real family. Christmas comes and John tells Jane that he is upset because Rosamond is engaged. He later tells Jane to learn Hindustani. He starts to begin a hold over Jane and becomes more possessive and powerful over her. He then asks her to go with him to India and to become his wife. Jane explains that she would like to go to India with him as a missionary but not as his wife -because she doesn’t love him. He insists that she marries him and continues to put pressure on her. Eventually, St John has overpowered Jane too much this time and she is considering marrying him most likely because she feels forced to, but at that moment she hears what she thinks is Rochester’s voice. Jane can hear Rochester calling her and she thinks something bad has happened. Jane thinks about her ‘hearing Rochester’ and decides to leave and return to Thornfield. When Jane arrives at Thornfield it is just burnt remains of a fire. She finds out that Bertha set the house on fire and Rochester tried to save everyone including Bertha…bertha jumped from the roof and Rochester lost his sight and hand. Jane goes to Ferndean, Rochester’s new home. Jane walks in and goes to give Rochester a glass of water; he senses that Jane is in the room, even though he cannot see her. Rochester reaches out for her and Jane promises never to leave him. Rochester proposes to Jane again. Rochester tells Jane he called he name a few nights earlier…although…Jane doesn’t tell him she heard it. They get married, Jane writes to her cousins, still staying in contact with her new found family. Jane tells the reader that she is retelling her story after being married to Rochester for ten years now. She explains that they live as equals and a happily married. Rochester starts to regain his sight, Jane gives birth to a child, and Rochester can see his child clearly. The novel finishes with an update of what has happened to everyone else – Mary and Diana are both married now, St John went to India.
Jane stays in bed to recover for a few days and the rivers siblings look after her. Jane gets better and Hannah tells her about Mr Rivers who lost the family fortune in a bad business deal. Mary and Diana were forced to work as governesses. She tells them that her real name isn’t really Jane Elliot and St John tries to find her a job. Jane becomes friendly with the two sisters, on the other hand, St John seems distant and quiet towards Jane. St John finds a job for Jane – running her own school – secretly hoping she will turn the offer down. Mary and Diana believe that he will go on a missionary posit to India soon. St John tells them that their Uncle John has died and they have nothing because all his money went an unknown relative. Jane finds out that Uncle John was the man who led Mr Rivers into his bad business deal. Rosamond Oliver is introduced into the novel. Jane starts at her school but doesn’t really like the work. St John visits Jane and tells her he made the wrong career decision himself once – leading Jane to think about her options. Rosamond comes along and starts talking to John, Jane thinks that they like each other. Jane starts to settle in at the school and her pupils begin warming to her. She starts having nightmares about Rochester. Jane tells St John that he should marry Rosamond. He says that he loves her but doesn’t want to ruin his duty to god by becoming a missionary. He believes that she would make a terrible missioners wife. St John sees something on the edge of Jane’s paper and tears it off. Jane is confused by this as St John rushes off. St John later comes back. He mainly tells Jane the story of herself… an orphan, which went to Thornfield and disappeared after almost marrying Rochester. St John knows it is Jane but is waiting for her to reveal it herself. He tells Jane that he has a letter from Mr Briggs, demanding that Jane Eyre be found as her Uncle John Eyre is dead and has left her a huge fortune. Jane tells the truth and lets it known that she is really Jan Eyre. St John then tells Jane he found out from the paper he ripped off her drawing – it was her signature. They find out they’re in fact cousins. Jane is happy that she does have a real family. Christmas comes and John tells Jane that he is upset because Rosamond is engaged. He later tells Jane to learn Hindustani. He starts to begin a hold over Jane and becomes more possessive and powerful over her. He then asks her to go with him to India and to become his wife. Jane explains that she would like to go to India with him as a missionary but not as his wife -because she doesn’t love him. He insists that she marries him and continues to put pressure on her. Eventually, St John has overpowered Jane too much this time and she is considering marrying him most likely because she feels forced to, but at that moment she hears what she thinks is Rochester’s voice. Jane can hear Rochester calling her and she thinks something bad has happened. Jane thinks about her ‘hearing Rochester’ and decides to leave and return to Thornfield. When Jane arrives at Thornfield it is just burnt remains of a fire. She finds out that Bertha set the house on fire and Rochester tried to save everyone including Bertha…bertha jumped from the roof and Rochester lost his sight and hand. Jane goes to Ferndean, Rochester’s new home. Jane walks in and goes to give Rochester a glass of water; he senses that Jane is in the room, even though he cannot see her. Rochester reaches out for her and Jane promises never to leave him. Rochester proposes to Jane again. Rochester tells Jane he called he name a few nights earlier…although…Jane doesn’t tell him she heard it. They get married, Jane writes to her cousins, still staying in contact with her new found family. Jane tells the reader that she is retelling her story after being married to Rochester for ten years now. She explains that they live as equals and a happily married. Rochester starts to regain his sight, Jane gives birth to a child, and Rochester can see his child clearly. The novel finishes with an update of what has happened to everyone else – Mary and Diana are both married now, St John went to India.
READING JOURNAL - Jane Eyre - Chapters 22...28
Summary:
Jane stays a Gateshead for a while longer, but soon travels back to Thornfield after Georgiana and Eliza leave to start their separate lives. Jane is certain that Rochester plans to marry Blanche; and she worries what will happen to their friendship, her job etc.
When Jane sees Rochester, she tells him that he is ultimately her ‘home’ - “I am strangely glad to get back again to you; and wherever you are is my home—my only home.” This is a clear indication of Jane’s feelings towards Rochester; she feels at home with him, comfortable and secure. There is a ‘weird’ scene in the garden at Thornfield. Rochester asks Jane to ‘walk and talk’ with him, she is caught off guard so kindly accepts. He tells jane that he is going to marry blanche Ingram. He explains to Jane that there is a job for governess going in Ireland and that she should take it. Jane is mortified and tells Rochester that she fears she may not be able to cope as Ireland is too far away from Thornfield. Jane confesses her feelings to Rochester, expressing her love for Thornfield and her desire to be near him because she loves him. Then Rochester, despite having told Jane he is going to marry Blanche, proposes to Jane. She thinks he is making a mockery of her and her emotions. He then admits he lied about marrying Blanche, so Jane would confess her feelings towards Rochester. Jane accepts and is probably dreaming of living happily ever after. A huge storm happens, so they return to Thornfield, Mrs Fairfax sees them kiss when inside. Perhaps the storm could be a concealed indication of the outbreak of troubles that are to come. Also, during the storm that night, some lightning splits the tree that they were sitting under earlier. This could be a possible warning of problems arising under the surface. Mrs Fairfax becomes distant towards Jane; this is probably as she already knows about Rochester’s past. Jane feels uncomfortable about the marriage and seems to be getting cold feet, she writes to her uncle John Eyre possibly out of security, so she’ll then feel she’ll not be reliant on Rochester’s wealth. Strange events occur in the lead up to the wedding, Jane has these unusual dreams – one where a child is crying in her arms and Jane is trying to get to Rochester. In the second dream the child falls. When Jane awaked she saw a ‘creature’ in her wardrobe – it was a strange looking woman who took Jane’s wedding veil and ripped it in half. Jane tells Rochester, he says that it probably was Grace Poole. He tells her that he will explain all to her in time. Their wedding day comes, when the ‘audience’ is asked whether anyone knows of a reason why they cant be married, Mr Briggs - a solicitor says that Rochester is already married. Mr Mason then speaks and says that Rochester is married to Bertha his sister. Rochester admits that he is already married, but his ‘wife’ is crazy and she is kept locked away in the 3rd floor of the house. He invites everyone to Thornfield to show them Bertha, so they can all see how mad she is. Jane leaves the third floor and decides she must leave Thornfield. Rochester is waiting outside her room for her and explains that he didn’t mean to have caused her any hurt. Jane is ignorant towards him but she tells us that she forgives him. Rochester tells Jane of the true events of the past, his brother sent him to marry Bertha, who was an heiress, but he was told her mother was dead but actually she was in a mental place. Bertha eventually became like her mother. Jane knows that Rochester cares for her more than anyone else does, her thoughts on her self respect get the better of her and she leaves. After a while of wandering, Jane eventually comes to a house in the moors. Jane collapses, the servant Hannah refuses to let her in but St John takes her in. She tells them her name is Jane Elliot.
Characters:
St. John Rivers - Is introduced, he takes Jane in after running away from Rochester and Thornfield.
Bertha Mason - Rochester’s estranged wife, Bertha was a wealthy Creole heiress. She turned mad, and violent. She resides at Thornfield on the third floor, locked in a secret room.
Mr Mason - Bertha’s brother. Mason is at Rochester and Jane’s wedding with Mr Briggs. He stops the wedding and explains to everyone about Bertha.
Mr. Briggs - helps Mr Mason prevent the wedding. He is a solicitor sent by Jane’s uncle, John Eyre.
Diana Rivers - Diana is Jane’s cousin. She has just been introduced along with her siblings.
Mary Rivers - Mary is also Jane’s cousin, and Diana and St. Johns sister.
Themes/symbols/motifs:
Marriage – For obvious reasons – the twists. Rochester’s marriage to Bertha comes up a lot and is revealed. Also, Jane and Rochester’s own wedding plans do not run as they should; strange things are going on around Thornfield. When the wedding day does finally arrive, it doesn’t actually end with Rochester and Jane married
Money/Culture/inheritance – In this section of the novel, Jane writes to her uncle John Eyre in the hope he has money for her, so she is not just dependent and reliant on Rochester. Maybe Jane feels that if she had her own money and wealth, she wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable about the idea of becoming Rochester’s wife. Also, this theme comes up when Rochester explains about Bertha. His father and brother sent him to marry her as she was a wealthy heiress, however, he thought he loved Bertha after becoming enchanted by her beauty although he was not told her mother were mental and she would become the same eventually.
Self worth – Despite her life and her tribulations, Jane still knows the value of self worth. For example, she loves Rochester and tells the reader that she forgives him instantly when he apologises about the wedding being stopped and her finding out about Bertha. However, to protect herself and what is left of her self respect she leaves Thornfield, despite still wanting to be there deep down.
Dishonesty – This phase of the book is full of lies and deception. There is no need to explain them as they are clearly evident from the text i.e. Rochester hiding his marriage to Bertha, lying that he was going to marry Blanche etc
Dreams – There is a number of significant dreams and day-dreams. Dreams forewarn Jane of trouble or good fortune, and they reveal Jane's passionate inner self to the reader along with her inner hidden thoughts. They can serve as reflections of Jane's emotions. Despite their commonness, Jane tries to separate her dreams from her waking life.
Developments:
Jane has come along way since the beginning of the novel. At first she was an orphaned young girl with no money, wealth, beauty or love. She has now found love with Rochester and plans to marry him. Though, Jane is still strong minded as she still holds a sense of her self-worth and dignity. She is frequently tested throughout the novel. Brontë probably created Jane Eyre as a means of coming to terms with parts of her own life. Jane has been proven stronger than Rochester throughout this part of the novel…yes he may have more wealth and social status than her but as intellectuals they’re equal. Jane meets with a series of forces that threaten her liberty, integrity, and happiness – yet she still manages to come out on top – this I feel is most likely what keeps me as the reader interested…wandering what life is going to throw at her next or give or take away from her.
Jane stays a Gateshead for a while longer, but soon travels back to Thornfield after Georgiana and Eliza leave to start their separate lives. Jane is certain that Rochester plans to marry Blanche; and she worries what will happen to their friendship, her job etc.
When Jane sees Rochester, she tells him that he is ultimately her ‘home’ - “I am strangely glad to get back again to you; and wherever you are is my home—my only home.” This is a clear indication of Jane’s feelings towards Rochester; she feels at home with him, comfortable and secure. There is a ‘weird’ scene in the garden at Thornfield. Rochester asks Jane to ‘walk and talk’ with him, she is caught off guard so kindly accepts. He tells jane that he is going to marry blanche Ingram. He explains to Jane that there is a job for governess going in Ireland and that she should take it. Jane is mortified and tells Rochester that she fears she may not be able to cope as Ireland is too far away from Thornfield. Jane confesses her feelings to Rochester, expressing her love for Thornfield and her desire to be near him because she loves him. Then Rochester, despite having told Jane he is going to marry Blanche, proposes to Jane. She thinks he is making a mockery of her and her emotions. He then admits he lied about marrying Blanche, so Jane would confess her feelings towards Rochester. Jane accepts and is probably dreaming of living happily ever after. A huge storm happens, so they return to Thornfield, Mrs Fairfax sees them kiss when inside. Perhaps the storm could be a concealed indication of the outbreak of troubles that are to come. Also, during the storm that night, some lightning splits the tree that they were sitting under earlier. This could be a possible warning of problems arising under the surface. Mrs Fairfax becomes distant towards Jane; this is probably as she already knows about Rochester’s past. Jane feels uncomfortable about the marriage and seems to be getting cold feet, she writes to her uncle John Eyre possibly out of security, so she’ll then feel she’ll not be reliant on Rochester’s wealth. Strange events occur in the lead up to the wedding, Jane has these unusual dreams – one where a child is crying in her arms and Jane is trying to get to Rochester. In the second dream the child falls. When Jane awaked she saw a ‘creature’ in her wardrobe – it was a strange looking woman who took Jane’s wedding veil and ripped it in half. Jane tells Rochester, he says that it probably was Grace Poole. He tells her that he will explain all to her in time. Their wedding day comes, when the ‘audience’ is asked whether anyone knows of a reason why they cant be married, Mr Briggs - a solicitor says that Rochester is already married. Mr Mason then speaks and says that Rochester is married to Bertha his sister. Rochester admits that he is already married, but his ‘wife’ is crazy and she is kept locked away in the 3rd floor of the house. He invites everyone to Thornfield to show them Bertha, so they can all see how mad she is. Jane leaves the third floor and decides she must leave Thornfield. Rochester is waiting outside her room for her and explains that he didn’t mean to have caused her any hurt. Jane is ignorant towards him but she tells us that she forgives him. Rochester tells Jane of the true events of the past, his brother sent him to marry Bertha, who was an heiress, but he was told her mother was dead but actually she was in a mental place. Bertha eventually became like her mother. Jane knows that Rochester cares for her more than anyone else does, her thoughts on her self respect get the better of her and she leaves. After a while of wandering, Jane eventually comes to a house in the moors. Jane collapses, the servant Hannah refuses to let her in but St John takes her in. She tells them her name is Jane Elliot.
Characters:
St. John Rivers - Is introduced, he takes Jane in after running away from Rochester and Thornfield.
Bertha Mason - Rochester’s estranged wife, Bertha was a wealthy Creole heiress. She turned mad, and violent. She resides at Thornfield on the third floor, locked in a secret room.
Mr Mason - Bertha’s brother. Mason is at Rochester and Jane’s wedding with Mr Briggs. He stops the wedding and explains to everyone about Bertha.
Mr. Briggs - helps Mr Mason prevent the wedding. He is a solicitor sent by Jane’s uncle, John Eyre.
Diana Rivers - Diana is Jane’s cousin. She has just been introduced along with her siblings.
Mary Rivers - Mary is also Jane’s cousin, and Diana and St. Johns sister.
Themes/symbols/motifs:
Marriage – For obvious reasons – the twists. Rochester’s marriage to Bertha comes up a lot and is revealed. Also, Jane and Rochester’s own wedding plans do not run as they should; strange things are going on around Thornfield. When the wedding day does finally arrive, it doesn’t actually end with Rochester and Jane married
Money/Culture/inheritance – In this section of the novel, Jane writes to her uncle John Eyre in the hope he has money for her, so she is not just dependent and reliant on Rochester. Maybe Jane feels that if she had her own money and wealth, she wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable about the idea of becoming Rochester’s wife. Also, this theme comes up when Rochester explains about Bertha. His father and brother sent him to marry her as she was a wealthy heiress, however, he thought he loved Bertha after becoming enchanted by her beauty although he was not told her mother were mental and she would become the same eventually.
Self worth – Despite her life and her tribulations, Jane still knows the value of self worth. For example, she loves Rochester and tells the reader that she forgives him instantly when he apologises about the wedding being stopped and her finding out about Bertha. However, to protect herself and what is left of her self respect she leaves Thornfield, despite still wanting to be there deep down.
Dishonesty – This phase of the book is full of lies and deception. There is no need to explain them as they are clearly evident from the text i.e. Rochester hiding his marriage to Bertha, lying that he was going to marry Blanche etc
Dreams – There is a number of significant dreams and day-dreams. Dreams forewarn Jane of trouble or good fortune, and they reveal Jane's passionate inner self to the reader along with her inner hidden thoughts. They can serve as reflections of Jane's emotions. Despite their commonness, Jane tries to separate her dreams from her waking life.
Developments:
Jane has come along way since the beginning of the novel. At first she was an orphaned young girl with no money, wealth, beauty or love. She has now found love with Rochester and plans to marry him. Though, Jane is still strong minded as she still holds a sense of her self-worth and dignity. She is frequently tested throughout the novel. Brontë probably created Jane Eyre as a means of coming to terms with parts of her own life. Jane has been proven stronger than Rochester throughout this part of the novel…yes he may have more wealth and social status than her but as intellectuals they’re equal. Jane meets with a series of forces that threaten her liberty, integrity, and happiness – yet she still manages to come out on top – this I feel is most likely what keeps me as the reader interested…wandering what life is going to throw at her next or give or take away from her.
Friday, October 5, 2007
READING JOURNAL - Jane Eyre - Chapters 17...22
Summary:
Mr Rochester still hasn’t come back; Jane is worried that he could go elsewhere without returning. Jane seems confused about Grace Poole – she doesn’t understand why she gets paid more, why she is blamed for the unusual going on etc. Rochester comes home with a lot of guests in tow. Blanche is with the party and looks down to her making Jane feel more inadequate than she already feels. Jane sees Rochester and Blanches ‘friendliness’ whilst the guests are staying at Thornfield, she thinks that Rochester will marry Blanche, however, she believes Blanche only wants him for his money. Mr.Mason turns up at Thornfield, but Jane doesn’t know who he is. A gypsy comes to a party to tell the guests fortunes, Blanche goes first; Jane later goes to the fortune teller. The lady knows much about Jane and lets slip that she told Blanche that Rochester is not actually that rich. Whilst reading her fortune Jane realised that the gypsy ‘woman’ is actually Rochester. She goes mad at him. Someone cries for help during the night, Jane goes to the sound however Rochester explains that someone has just had a nightmare and not to worry. Rochester takes Jane to the 3rd floor in his house, Jane see Mr Mason who has been stabbed. Jane cleans him up and Rochester tells them not to talk. Mr Mason leaves, Rochester starts reciting a story about a man who made some mistakes – meaning himself. Jane finds out that Mrs Reed is nearly dead and John reed commits suicide. She decides to go back to Gateshead to make peace with her estranged leftover family members…despite her effots mrs reed declines and she later dies.
Characters:
Mr Mason - He is Bertha’s brother. He gets stabbed by his sister whiles at Thornfield.
Reed Family – are briefly reintroduced as Jane goes back to Gateshead to see her dying aunt after one of her cousins committed suicide.
Symbols/themes/motifs:
Tension - The presence of Blanche creates a lot of suspense, as she is the main obstacle standing in the way of Jane’s feelings towards Rochester. She is the only thing that really threatens Jane’s ‘perfect’ wanting. Blanche is Jane’s main competitor.
Affection – Both Jane and Rochester realize they want to be together but they do not share their ideas with each other. They are too worried to tell one another how they feel, most probably because they reaction it is likely to evoke in others.
Social class – Is another key theme again. Blanche thinks she is more likely to marry Rochester because of her status and beauty as compared to Jane who has neither. She believes she would be a better match for Rochester and does her utmost to make Jane jealous. Its not just about Rochester though, as Blanche even resorts to making nasty, spiteful comments to her mother about Jane.
Narrative voice:
The narrator is still Jane as throughout the rest of the book but, Jane narrates more about herself and Rochester and a possible developing relationship.
Developments:
Blanches character – When I last wrote my blog there wasn’t much to say about Blanche Ingram, during these chapters, we have met the character instead of just hearing about her. She seems very devious as she does all she can to make Jane feel uncomfortable, when she already feels ‘not good enough’.
Rochester’s feelings – His feelings are becoming more apparent, particularly when Jane leaves the party and he almost says my…love. I think he does genuinely like Jane however; his past marriage and Blanche seem to be standing in the way of his immediate thoughts. He also shows his true feelings in a rather subtle way when disguising as the gypsy woman, he makes Jane think that Blanche isn’t going to marry him and what Jane wants will happen. I don’t see why he would do this if there wasn’t a reason behind it i.e. he liked her. But maybe the fact that he was disguised is showing Jane and the readers he does actually have something to hide.
Mr Rochester still hasn’t come back; Jane is worried that he could go elsewhere without returning. Jane seems confused about Grace Poole – she doesn’t understand why she gets paid more, why she is blamed for the unusual going on etc. Rochester comes home with a lot of guests in tow. Blanche is with the party and looks down to her making Jane feel more inadequate than she already feels. Jane sees Rochester and Blanches ‘friendliness’ whilst the guests are staying at Thornfield, she thinks that Rochester will marry Blanche, however, she believes Blanche only wants him for his money. Mr.Mason turns up at Thornfield, but Jane doesn’t know who he is. A gypsy comes to a party to tell the guests fortunes, Blanche goes first; Jane later goes to the fortune teller. The lady knows much about Jane and lets slip that she told Blanche that Rochester is not actually that rich. Whilst reading her fortune Jane realised that the gypsy ‘woman’ is actually Rochester. She goes mad at him. Someone cries for help during the night, Jane goes to the sound however Rochester explains that someone has just had a nightmare and not to worry. Rochester takes Jane to the 3rd floor in his house, Jane see Mr Mason who has been stabbed. Jane cleans him up and Rochester tells them not to talk. Mr Mason leaves, Rochester starts reciting a story about a man who made some mistakes – meaning himself. Jane finds out that Mrs Reed is nearly dead and John reed commits suicide. She decides to go back to Gateshead to make peace with her estranged leftover family members…despite her effots mrs reed declines and she later dies.
Characters:
Mr Mason - He is Bertha’s brother. He gets stabbed by his sister whiles at Thornfield.
Reed Family – are briefly reintroduced as Jane goes back to Gateshead to see her dying aunt after one of her cousins committed suicide.
Symbols/themes/motifs:
Tension - The presence of Blanche creates a lot of suspense, as she is the main obstacle standing in the way of Jane’s feelings towards Rochester. She is the only thing that really threatens Jane’s ‘perfect’ wanting. Blanche is Jane’s main competitor.
Affection – Both Jane and Rochester realize they want to be together but they do not share their ideas with each other. They are too worried to tell one another how they feel, most probably because they reaction it is likely to evoke in others.
Social class – Is another key theme again. Blanche thinks she is more likely to marry Rochester because of her status and beauty as compared to Jane who has neither. She believes she would be a better match for Rochester and does her utmost to make Jane jealous. Its not just about Rochester though, as Blanche even resorts to making nasty, spiteful comments to her mother about Jane.
Narrative voice:
The narrator is still Jane as throughout the rest of the book but, Jane narrates more about herself and Rochester and a possible developing relationship.
Developments:
Blanches character – When I last wrote my blog there wasn’t much to say about Blanche Ingram, during these chapters, we have met the character instead of just hearing about her. She seems very devious as she does all she can to make Jane feel uncomfortable, when she already feels ‘not good enough’.
Rochester’s feelings – His feelings are becoming more apparent, particularly when Jane leaves the party and he almost says my…love. I think he does genuinely like Jane however; his past marriage and Blanche seem to be standing in the way of his immediate thoughts. He also shows his true feelings in a rather subtle way when disguising as the gypsy woman, he makes Jane think that Blanche isn’t going to marry him and what Jane wants will happen. I don’t see why he would do this if there wasn’t a reason behind it i.e. he liked her. But maybe the fact that he was disguised is showing Jane and the readers he does actually have something to hide.
Monday, October 1, 2007
READING JOURNAL - Jane Eyre - Chapters 11...16
Summary:
Third phase of Jane’s life, Jane arrives at Thornfield, Mrs Fairfax, Thornfields housekeeper is waiting for Jane. Mr Rochester the owner of Thornfield manor is away, Jane will be looking after Adele. She is eight and a French girl. Jane hears ‘haunted’ kinds of laughter and Mrs Fairfax has a go at Grace for it, she tells Jane that Grace is to blame for the strange goings on. Jane settles in at Thornfield and seems to like it. Jane meets Mr Rochester unknowingly, a man falls off his horse, Jane goes to help him - she doesn’t know that it is Mr Rochester, then she finds out it is Mr Rochester has just returned home and has just fallen off his horse. The next day he invites Jane and Adele to dinner, Jane thinks he is a bit brusque and offhand, Mrs Fairfax explains he has had a difficult past. Rochester starts to become chattier with Jane, possibly indicating his likeness towards her. Rochester comes clean to Jane about Adele and explains he had a relationship with Adele’s mum Celine, this broke off after he learnt that Celine was with someone else and only wanted him for his money. Celine claims that Adele is Rochester daughter, however, he denies this. Rochester brought Adele to England so she would have a better life because Celine abandoned her. ‘Strange’ things continue to occur around Thornfield; Jane hears a lot of noises and sinister laughing. On one particular occasion she hears a door open and sees that Rochester’s room is on fire – she saves his life. He rushes up to the 3rd floor -a very unuaual reaction considering your room has just been on fire! When he comes back basically he says not to worry, “I have found it all out, it is just as I thought.” He tells Jane to keep quiet about what has happened. So the rest of the staff, think it was an accident and Rochester is too blame, still, nobody really cares and everyone just forgets about it.
After saving his life, Jane realises she has feelings for Rochester, it disheartens her to think he is going away to a party for a few days and Blanche Ingram is going to be there. Blanche is sort of the equivalent of a socialite and Jane knows she is no match for Blanche.
Characters:
Mr Rochester –Has just be introduced, he is the owner of Thornfield, Jane’s employer. He is very wealthy, but he seems a bit of a dark horse, there is something about him that you cannot quite put your finger on which provides a lot of suspense and wander. He is a bit unusual in the way that he talks to Jane without a care – not caring about the differences in their roles, lives, social class.
Mrs Fairfax - Not much has been said about her, but she is the housekeeper at Thornfield – she also seems to know a lot about Rochester’s past. She lies to Jane that the noises she hears are Grace Poole laughing and stuff.
Adele - Jane takes care of Adele she is sort of like her teacher. Adele seems like a spoilt French girl, there is speculation that Rochester is Adele’s dad as he and Celine (Adele’s mum) had a relationship, in which Celine didn't really care for him. However Celine abandoned Adele so Rochester brought her to England. But why would he do this, if he believes Adele isn't his daughter?
Grace Poole - We briefly hear of her…we don’t really know much about her yet, only that she works at Thornfield and apparently it is her who makes the evilly laughter and noises.
Blanche Ingram - Blanche is a socialite, we haven’t heard much about her character in detail yet but we know that Jane doesn’t like the idea of Blanche being near Rochester; probably because Jane knows there is no way she could ever compete with Blanch for Rochesters affections.
Symbols/themes/motifs:
Fire - obviously goes nicely with the fire in Rochester's room, it could however represent the anger inside Jane and a troubled spirit as a reult of events from her past. In my opinion, i think Bronte may use these elements to reveal 'traits' and 'characteristics' of her characters ie Fire may be used to show the strength of character in Jane or the mysterious 'not quite right/not quite sure' character of Rochester.
Developments:
There have clearly been developments in the novel as far as scene/setting is concerned. At the beginning of chapters 5…10 Jane was travelling to lowood, now at the beginning of 11…16 Jane is travelling to Thornfield. It is Jane’s ‘third chapter’ – she has already been through a lot but has adapted to change well. I didn’t like the description or changes of scenery at first, but to be honest, it probably makes the book better. I think this because it makes it seem more interesting and Bronte tries to engage the reader by making these changes, the reader may feel they want to read on then to see how Jane is going to ‘cope’ if you like, next or what is going to happen I n the next stage of her life. Where Bronte has added her own experiences into the book, for example, Jane’s time at Lowood, Jane as a governess. I feel that this is an effective way to make the reader relate more, after finding out certain information about the author and seeing how she has put it into her work, makes the reader obtain more interest. I for one have found the book more interesting as I have found out about Charlotte Bronte along the way. The book is developing nicely probably because things seem to make more sense when the reader can see where the author is coming from - a different point of view.
Third phase of Jane’s life, Jane arrives at Thornfield, Mrs Fairfax, Thornfields housekeeper is waiting for Jane. Mr Rochester the owner of Thornfield manor is away, Jane will be looking after Adele. She is eight and a French girl. Jane hears ‘haunted’ kinds of laughter and Mrs Fairfax has a go at Grace for it, she tells Jane that Grace is to blame for the strange goings on. Jane settles in at Thornfield and seems to like it. Jane meets Mr Rochester unknowingly, a man falls off his horse, Jane goes to help him - she doesn’t know that it is Mr Rochester, then she finds out it is Mr Rochester has just returned home and has just fallen off his horse. The next day he invites Jane and Adele to dinner, Jane thinks he is a bit brusque and offhand, Mrs Fairfax explains he has had a difficult past. Rochester starts to become chattier with Jane, possibly indicating his likeness towards her. Rochester comes clean to Jane about Adele and explains he had a relationship with Adele’s mum Celine, this broke off after he learnt that Celine was with someone else and only wanted him for his money. Celine claims that Adele is Rochester daughter, however, he denies this. Rochester brought Adele to England so she would have a better life because Celine abandoned her. ‘Strange’ things continue to occur around Thornfield; Jane hears a lot of noises and sinister laughing. On one particular occasion she hears a door open and sees that Rochester’s room is on fire – she saves his life. He rushes up to the 3rd floor -a very unuaual reaction considering your room has just been on fire! When he comes back basically he says not to worry, “I have found it all out, it is just as I thought.” He tells Jane to keep quiet about what has happened. So the rest of the staff, think it was an accident and Rochester is too blame, still, nobody really cares and everyone just forgets about it.
After saving his life, Jane realises she has feelings for Rochester, it disheartens her to think he is going away to a party for a few days and Blanche Ingram is going to be there. Blanche is sort of the equivalent of a socialite and Jane knows she is no match for Blanche.
Characters:
Mr Rochester –Has just be introduced, he is the owner of Thornfield, Jane’s employer. He is very wealthy, but he seems a bit of a dark horse, there is something about him that you cannot quite put your finger on which provides a lot of suspense and wander. He is a bit unusual in the way that he talks to Jane without a care – not caring about the differences in their roles, lives, social class.
Mrs Fairfax - Not much has been said about her, but she is the housekeeper at Thornfield – she also seems to know a lot about Rochester’s past. She lies to Jane that the noises she hears are Grace Poole laughing and stuff.
Adele - Jane takes care of Adele she is sort of like her teacher. Adele seems like a spoilt French girl, there is speculation that Rochester is Adele’s dad as he and Celine (Adele’s mum) had a relationship, in which Celine didn't really care for him. However Celine abandoned Adele so Rochester brought her to England. But why would he do this, if he believes Adele isn't his daughter?
Grace Poole - We briefly hear of her…we don’t really know much about her yet, only that she works at Thornfield and apparently it is her who makes the evilly laughter and noises.
Blanche Ingram - Blanche is a socialite, we haven’t heard much about her character in detail yet but we know that Jane doesn’t like the idea of Blanche being near Rochester; probably because Jane knows there is no way she could ever compete with Blanch for Rochesters affections.
Symbols/themes/motifs:
Fire - obviously goes nicely with the fire in Rochester's room, it could however represent the anger inside Jane and a troubled spirit as a reult of events from her past. In my opinion, i think Bronte may use these elements to reveal 'traits' and 'characteristics' of her characters ie Fire may be used to show the strength of character in Jane or the mysterious 'not quite right/not quite sure' character of Rochester.
Developments:
There have clearly been developments in the novel as far as scene/setting is concerned. At the beginning of chapters 5…10 Jane was travelling to lowood, now at the beginning of 11…16 Jane is travelling to Thornfield. It is Jane’s ‘third chapter’ – she has already been through a lot but has adapted to change well. I didn’t like the description or changes of scenery at first, but to be honest, it probably makes the book better. I think this because it makes it seem more interesting and Bronte tries to engage the reader by making these changes, the reader may feel they want to read on then to see how Jane is going to ‘cope’ if you like, next or what is going to happen I n the next stage of her life. Where Bronte has added her own experiences into the book, for example, Jane’s time at Lowood, Jane as a governess. I feel that this is an effective way to make the reader relate more, after finding out certain information about the author and seeing how she has put it into her work, makes the reader obtain more interest. I for one have found the book more interesting as I have found out about Charlotte Bronte along the way. The book is developing nicely probably because things seem to make more sense when the reader can see where the author is coming from - a different point of view.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
READING JOURNAL - Jane Eyre - Chapters 5 ...10
Summary:
Jane travels alone to Lowood. The following day, Jane is introduced to her classmates and learns the daily routine, which keeps the girls occupied from before dawn until dinner. The manager of the school, Miss Temple, is very kind, while Miss Scatcherd, is unpleasant, she is very nasty to Helen. Helen becomes ‘best friends’ with Jane. Jane quickly learns that life at the school is harsh. The girls are underfed, overworked, and forced to sit still. Helen explains that she is a fully fledged Christian , so she accepts being treated bad, forgives and loves her enemies. Jane disagrees with injustice, but Helen believes that she deserves to be punished for her faults. Mr Brocklehurst humiliates Jane by telling the whole school that she is a liar. Jane explains to Miss Temple that she doesn’t lie and she tells her about life at Gateshead. Miss Temple believes her and so publicly declares Jane innocent. In spring, a lot of the girls get ill with typhus, Helen becomes ill with tuberculosis, and later dieing in her sleep in Jane’s arms. New people come to run the school, conditions improve for the girls. Jane later becomes a teacher at Lowood, she then advertises to become a governess, she accepts a job at Thornfield Manor. Before she leaves Lowood, Bessie comes to see her and she tells her what has happened at Gateshead since Jane left – John Eyre, Jane’s uncle came to look for her.
Symbols/Motifs/Themes:
Love -
Jane searches, for love, but also for value. “to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest” (Chapter 8, Jane to Helen ).
Religion -
Helen is very religious, however, Jane has her own ideas about religion and faith. Helen believes that she derserves to be punished and hit by her teacher - as a punishment for her faults. Jane thinks this is wrong but she admires helen for her strength of character.
Substitute Mothers -
Miss Temple, is very close to Jane. She seems to look out for Jane, and encourages her intellectual development. In chapter 10, Jane writes “she had stood by me in the stead of mother, governess, and latterly, companion” about Miss Temple.
Characters:
Helen Burns - Helen = Jane’s best friend at Lowood. She has a belief that she deserves to be treated bad at Lowood because of her ‘faults’ – Jane cannot understand this. Helen dies in Jane’s arms.
Miss Scatcherd - Is the nasty, cruel, bullying teacher at Lowood, she particularly picks on Helen.
Miss Temple - She is the kind, friendly teacher at Lowood, who treats Helen and Jane with respect. She seems to be one of Jane’s first positive female role models and a mother like companion. Miss Temple publicly declares that Jane is not a liar and clears Jane of Mr Brocklehursts hurtful public accusation.
Response/developments:
I feel the novel has progressed greatly, and is starting to go somewhere. At first i didn't particularly enjoy, the book, but as i am progressing with the reading it is becoming more interesting and i feel i am getting into the book more. The character of Jane Eyre has also progressed well, from an unhappy child to a hardworking student to leaving Lowood for a job as a governess at Thornfield. Jane has already been through a lot, i would say Bronte evokes a reaction in me through the way in which the book is written ie Jane narrating, i believe that this helps the readers to relate to her and the events and the accounts in her life.
Jane travels alone to Lowood. The following day, Jane is introduced to her classmates and learns the daily routine, which keeps the girls occupied from before dawn until dinner. The manager of the school, Miss Temple, is very kind, while Miss Scatcherd, is unpleasant, she is very nasty to Helen. Helen becomes ‘best friends’ with Jane. Jane quickly learns that life at the school is harsh. The girls are underfed, overworked, and forced to sit still. Helen explains that she is a fully fledged Christian , so she accepts being treated bad, forgives and loves her enemies. Jane disagrees with injustice, but Helen believes that she deserves to be punished for her faults. Mr Brocklehurst humiliates Jane by telling the whole school that she is a liar. Jane explains to Miss Temple that she doesn’t lie and she tells her about life at Gateshead. Miss Temple believes her and so publicly declares Jane innocent. In spring, a lot of the girls get ill with typhus, Helen becomes ill with tuberculosis, and later dieing in her sleep in Jane’s arms. New people come to run the school, conditions improve for the girls. Jane later becomes a teacher at Lowood, she then advertises to become a governess, she accepts a job at Thornfield Manor. Before she leaves Lowood, Bessie comes to see her and she tells her what has happened at Gateshead since Jane left – John Eyre, Jane’s uncle came to look for her.
Symbols/Motifs/Themes:
Love -
Jane searches, for love, but also for value. “to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest” (Chapter 8, Jane to Helen ).
Religion -
Helen is very religious, however, Jane has her own ideas about religion and faith. Helen believes that she derserves to be punished and hit by her teacher - as a punishment for her faults. Jane thinks this is wrong but she admires helen for her strength of character.
Substitute Mothers -
Miss Temple, is very close to Jane. She seems to look out for Jane, and encourages her intellectual development. In chapter 10, Jane writes “she had stood by me in the stead of mother, governess, and latterly, companion” about Miss Temple.
Characters:
Helen Burns - Helen = Jane’s best friend at Lowood. She has a belief that she deserves to be treated bad at Lowood because of her ‘faults’ – Jane cannot understand this. Helen dies in Jane’s arms.
Miss Scatcherd - Is the nasty, cruel, bullying teacher at Lowood, she particularly picks on Helen.
Miss Temple - She is the kind, friendly teacher at Lowood, who treats Helen and Jane with respect. She seems to be one of Jane’s first positive female role models and a mother like companion. Miss Temple publicly declares that Jane is not a liar and clears Jane of Mr Brocklehursts hurtful public accusation.
Response/developments:
I feel the novel has progressed greatly, and is starting to go somewhere. At first i didn't particularly enjoy, the book, but as i am progressing with the reading it is becoming more interesting and i feel i am getting into the book more. The character of Jane Eyre has also progressed well, from an unhappy child to a hardworking student to leaving Lowood for a job as a governess at Thornfield. Jane has already been through a lot, i would say Bronte evokes a reaction in me through the way in which the book is written ie Jane narrating, i believe that this helps the readers to relate to her and the events and the accounts in her life.
Monday, September 17, 2007
READING JOURNAL - Jane Eyre - Chapter 4
Summary:
Jane is told she could be going to Lowood girls’ school, she meets Mr Brocklehurst. He is the man who runs and owns the school. Mrs Reed tells Mr. Brocklehurst that Jane lies and she is trouble. Later, Jane is seething at her Aunt for lying about her...she tells her aunt what she really thinks.
Themes:
Religion - religion come sinto this chapter...Mr Brocklehurst seems upset at Jane because she doesn't want to read psalms and doesn't seem particularly interested in them.
Characters:
Mr. Brocklehurst - He is the owner and 'manager' of Lowood School. He is nasty and cold to Jane as a result of Mrs Reed's lies.
Response:
I have only read up to chapter 4, but as i read i think the book seems to get a little more interesting along the way. The more i read it, the more i get into it. i kind of feel pleased for Jane in a way because by the end of this chapter she has told her Aunt how she feels and she has also left Gateshead to attend a school. Even though the school isn't wonderful it is better than staying with the Reed family.
Jane is told she could be going to Lowood girls’ school, she meets Mr Brocklehurst. He is the man who runs and owns the school. Mrs Reed tells Mr. Brocklehurst that Jane lies and she is trouble. Later, Jane is seething at her Aunt for lying about her...she tells her aunt what she really thinks.
Themes:
Religion - religion come sinto this chapter...Mr Brocklehurst seems upset at Jane because she doesn't want to read psalms and doesn't seem particularly interested in them.
Characters:
Mr. Brocklehurst - He is the owner and 'manager' of Lowood School. He is nasty and cold to Jane as a result of Mrs Reed's lies.
Response:
I have only read up to chapter 4, but as i read i think the book seems to get a little more interesting along the way. The more i read it, the more i get into it. i kind of feel pleased for Jane in a way because by the end of this chapter she has told her Aunt how she feels and she has also left Gateshead to attend a school. Even though the school isn't wonderful it is better than staying with the Reed family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)