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Introduction to Jane Eyre. Historical Context.
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Historical Context Knowing the historical context not only of the setting of a novel, but also of the time in which it was written, provides color and depth to understanding the stories presented through literature. Historical context can be comprised of historical events, pervasive ideologies, moods, attitudes, and economic circumstances during a period of history.
Biographical Context Similarly, the biographical context of an author provides greater understanding of factors which may have influenced the author’s writing. The historical context of the time in which the author lived, combined with the particular biographical context of an author’s life contributes to a full spectrum of influences on an author’s work.
Historical Context • Jane Eyre was published in October 1847, exactly 166 years ago this month! • What was the world like in 1847? What was Britain like in 1847? • Here are some of the highlights of what was going on in the world during the time that Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre:
Queen Victoria Was the monarch of the United Kingdom for 63 years, a time which is now known as the Victorian Era. The Victorian Era was a time of great industrial, economic, cultural and governmental change in the world as Industrial Capitalism and Imperialism took root. She later became the Empress of India during British Imperialism. Interesting fact: She proposed to her husband, Albert! Her marriage to Prince Albert has been revered as one of true love rather than one of social necessity. After his death, Victoria built many tributes throughout London in his honor.
Prior to the Victorian Era (and Industrial Capitalism)… • The world’s wealth was measured based on land. Aristocratic families inherited land and estates, which meant that wealth was not created through production but instead was passed down through a family’s lineage.
The beginnings of Industrial Capitalism • Profound economic change • Land was no longer the primary form of wealth, meaning that aristocracy could be created or bought instead of “born”. • Rise of the middle class. As new forms of wealth took hold of the world, middle class people could grow their wealth from products associated with manufacturing and commerce. • The middle class could, for the first time in history, become wealthy through their work.
How did the rise of Industrial Capitalism affect the role of women? • As wealth in the middle class was redefined, the roles of women and men were redefined as well… • Prior to Industrial Capitalism, the roles of women and men were divided into separate “spheres”. Men labored outside of the home for pay and women were responsible for domestic duties. Many of these duties were replaced by industrialism (spinning, weaving, dairy work). • As men of the middle class entered the industrial world and created wealth for their families, the role of middle class women in the household began to look more like that of the aristocracy; Where women used to spend their days toiling with domestic labor, women adapted to their new role: to provide a place of order and tranquility for men returning from industrial jobs.
The Ideal Victorian Woman • “She was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She sacrificed herself daily. If there was chicken, she took the leg; if there was a draught she sat in it – in short… she never had a mind or wish of her own… Above all – I need not say it – she was pure” – Virginia Woolf, describing the ideal woman, “the domestic angel” of the Victorian Era.
Imperialism • 19th Century Britain set out to colonize the world under the flag of the monarchy.
The novel was influenced by the Gothic novels of the period. Gothic novels were intended to inspire thoughts of the supernatural and mysterious realms. These novels often achieved this effect through use of psychological suspense and horror. • Charlotte Bronte, in this novel, surpassed the purposes of a Gothic romance novel; she used the novel as a means to critique society and its treatment of women, inequality between classes,
Charlotte Bronte • Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816, the third daughter of an intelligent clergyman in the north of England. • Her mother died while Charlotte was very young. • Her father encouraged intellectual pursuits and provided largely unfettered access to books and resources for all of his children.
