Jane Eyre Discussion And Essay Collecti
Jane Eyre
By Charlotte Bronte
Published 1847
Note: These are discussion and essay questions that I have collected over the years. Reading them now is simply to help support idea-making for the Harkness Discussion. You may use them at any time as needed (of course, I reserve the right to actually use them as essay question (-: ).
1. Central to Jane Eyre's struggle for fulfillment is her ambition to transcend the limits placed upon women in Victorian society. How does Jane navigate the gap between society's expectations and her innermost desires? In what ways do traditional gender roles both hinder her progress and help her achieve a measure of contentment? Do the obstacles Jane confronts have parallels to the barriers faced by women today? Discuss sexual politics in the novel. How do other women in Charlotte Bronte’s novel respond to Jane's freethinking ways? Does the film's portrayal of male/female relationships stay true to the author's vision?
2. The protagonists in Jane Eyre are products of a class-conscious society in which financial security shapes personal freedom. In what ways are Jane and Mr. Rochester constrained by their social positions? Does Jane Eyre's England allow for genuine social mobility? How does Bronte’s message of empowerment threaten the existing class structure? How are the class distinctions of Bronte’s day different than the way we understand them today? Does the fact that Jane ends up with the wealthy Rochester, not to mention an inheritance of her own, undermine the novel's argument for the irrelevance of riches?
3. Bound by honor and a sense of duty, Mr. Rochester brings young Adele to Thornfield. Is she universally embraced? How does her character contrast with -- and complement -- Jane Eyre's? As portrayed in the novel, what role do children play in Victorian society? In what ways does Jane's own troubled childhood influence her adult philosophies? What does Jane's technique as governess say about the author's vision of childrearing?
By Charlotte Bronte
Published 1847
Note: These are discussion and essay questions that I have collected over the years. Reading them now is simply to help support idea-making for the Harkness Discussion. You may use them at any time as needed (of course, I reserve the right to actually use them as essay question (-: ).
1. Central to Jane Eyre's struggle for fulfillment is her ambition to transcend the limits placed upon women in Victorian society. How does Jane navigate the gap between society's expectations and her innermost desires? In what ways do traditional gender roles both hinder her progress and help her achieve a measure of contentment? Do the obstacles Jane confronts have parallels to the barriers faced by women today? Discuss sexual politics in the novel. How do other women in Charlotte Bronte’s novel respond to Jane's freethinking ways? Does the film's portrayal of male/female relationships stay true to the author's vision?
2. The protagonists in Jane Eyre are products of a class-conscious society in which financial security shapes personal freedom. In what ways are Jane and Mr. Rochester constrained by their social positions? Does Jane Eyre's England allow for genuine social mobility? How does Bronte’s message of empowerment threaten the existing class structure? How are the class distinctions of Bronte’s day different than the way we understand them today? Does the fact that Jane ends up with the wealthy Rochester, not to mention an inheritance of her own, undermine the novel's argument for the irrelevance of riches?
3. Bound by honor and a sense of duty, Mr. Rochester brings young Adele to Thornfield. Is she universally embraced? How does her character contrast with -- and complement -- Jane Eyre's? As portrayed in the novel, what role do children play in Victorian society? In what ways does Jane's own troubled childhood influence her adult philosophies? What does Jane's technique as governess say about the author's vision of childrearing?