Pros: -knowledgeable
-Presents background of Charlotte Bronte
-relates Bronte's life to her character Jane Eyre’s life
Cons: -sometimes summarizes Jane Eyre
-doesn’t always go in depth on topics
While listening to the podcast, the first thing that really sparked my attention was the talk of Bronte writing a strong female protagonist. In the podcast, one of the women spoke of Jane containing a sort of self belief. She is one who is not afraid to stand up for herself and what she believes in. In the book, there are multiple examples of Bronte presenting to the readers Jane's self worth. For example, Jane stands up to Mrs. Reeds harsh treatment as she declares, “You think I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of love or kindness; but I can not live so and you have no pity” (Bronte 34). In this dialogue, Jane is a small ten year old girl, yet, she holds the confidence most of us lack. She stands up for what she feels is wrong, Aunt Reed’s treatment. However, the first passage that comes to mind of Jane’s self worth is her decline to Mr. Rochester’s hand in marriage. She loves this man with all her heart, yet, she is aware that she owes herself better than to be the mistress of a married man. Here, Jane reassures herself she has made the right choice, “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Bronte 349). In this passage, Bronte presents to readers Jane's feelings of self worth. Jane is aware of what she deserves from another person, therefore she announces she will not degrade herself into being a mistress of a married man.
Overall, Bronte’s writing of Jane causes one to infer Bronte’s opinion of women during this time period. Bronte had grown up in a time when women did not express their wants and feelings due to men hierarchy over woman. However, Bronte believed that women should be independent and express their own thoughts such as her character Jane does. In the podcast, it states Bronte had read multiple books of Richardson novels as a young girl. These novels portrayed powerful men, luring young women into rape or marriage. Therefore, Bronte was fully aware of the power men had during this time period versus woman. With this stated, one could conclude, Bronte writes of Jane containing a very strong sense of self empowerment in order to promote to other woman they need to stand up for themselves and their beliefs. In conclusion, I ask what other authors during this time period promoted woman to stand up for themselves and their beliefs?
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| In 1848, Woman's Suffrage Movement began. This was a year after Charlotte Bronte presented the world with her famous work, Jane Eyre. Is it a coincidence? |
I definitely agree that Bronte was a firm believer in the power of women. All of the stories she wrote with male characters being the main character were not published. She was a forerunner for feminism, and the impact she had on the Victorian society is still looked at today.
ReplyDeleteOther authors that also believed in the women of power were Elizabeth Browning, George Eliot, and Harriet Martineau.
Charlotte Bronte was a women who went her own way. She didn't want to be compared, she wanted to be unique. That's why she sent that sarcastic letter to the man who compared her to Jane. She wanted people to remember her for her style not how that didn't write like someone else.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that Charlotte Bronte showed strong feminism through her writing. She portrays Jane as a woman who would stand up for herself, even if there were times when she wanted to give in. I think the struggles of their early lives shaped the personalities of both Jane and Bronte, and it taught Bronte to be independent. She indirectly shared her views on a male dominated society and helped change society to what it is today.
ReplyDeleteI agree that through the main character, Jane Eyre, Bronte showed her strong belief in women empowerment. During the victorian era, a book with a strong female protagonist was not very common. Bronte stepped outside of the box by writing this type of novel. Also, it is not hard to see this. Jane stands up for herself many times throughout the book. She does not let Mr. Rochester control her, and leaves him for her own good. She is very independent, and when she is living with the Rivers she displays her independence and confidence. Overall, Bronte showed her opinion on women in the victorian era, and it was pretty spot on considering this book is still relevant today.
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