Jane Eyre and the Religion

1) Before reading

Charlotte was born 1816 in in Thornton, Yorkshire, the third of the six children of Patrick Bronte, an Anglican clergyman, and his wife Maria Branwell Brontë. After their mother's death in 1821, Charlotte and her sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, were sent to Cowan Bridge Clergy Daughters' School, which inspired Charlotte for the Lowood School in "Jane Eyre". Maria and Elizabeth became ill with tuberculosis which killed them in 1825. Charlotte was very close to her surviving siblings, Anne Brontë, Branwell, and Emily Brontë. The children spent much of their childhood writing poetry about the imaginary kingdom they invented and published in 1846 "Poems", a collected work of their poetry. In 1847 Charlotte published her most famous book, "Jane Eyre", under a male pseudonym, Currer Bell. Charlotte lost her remaining siblings in 1848 and 1849, because of alcoholism and tuberculosis. Charlotte was devastated, and became a lifelong hypochondriac. She resided in London. In 1854, she married Reverend A. B. Nicholls, curate of Haworth, against her father's wishes. She died of pneumonia, during her first pregnancy on 31 March 1855. The word “gothic” primarily refers to the Goths, their culture and their civilization. The Goths were a Germanic tribe during the Roman Empire. The Gothic novel took shape mostly in England from 1790 to 1830 and falls within the category of Romantic literature. It acts, however, as a reaction against the rigidity and formality of other forms of Romantic literature. The pattern of the Gothic hero and the Gothic plot are very specific of the Gothic novel, as well as the atmosphere, usually morbid and supernatural. For example, the Gothic hero is usually isolated, and confronted to an evil character that is a clear representation of the devil. The Gothic novel received much literary criticism, because the public thought that this type of novels was not showing the real feeling of individuals. Later, the critics understood that the Gothic novel was a “presentation of the unpresentable” (Mishra, Vijay. "The Gothic Sublime. » 1994) The British colonies in the West Indies, also referred as the British West Indies, were the islands in the Caribbean that were or are territories or former colonies of Great Britain. It included: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands. A lot of political unions failed between those regions throughout the years. Three http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0111576/bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bront%C3%AB http://cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_British_West_Indies#Colonial_period_1627.E2.80.931816

2) During the reading
• List of theme in the novel:
- Love, and freedom
- Marriage
- Christianity and the relationship between God and the characters
- The Victorian Age, which is being criticized

• Words
Benefactress A woman who confers a benefit; especially: one that makes a gift
“Benefactress! Benefactress!” p. 35
Prayers An act of communion with God, a god, or another object of worship, such as in devotion, confession, praise, or thanksgiving
“do you say your prayers night and morning” p.35
Bible The sacred book of Christianity, a collection of ancient writings including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament
“do you read your bible” p.35
Wicked Evil by nature and in practice
“that proves you have a wicked heart” p.35
Clergyman A man who is a member of the clergy
“he is a clergyman, and is said to do a great deal of good” p.53
New testament The Gospels, Acts, Pauline and other Epistles, and the Book of Revelation, together viewed by Christians as forming the record of the new dispensation belonging to the Church.
“read the New Testament and observe what Christ says, and how He acts” p.60
Sacred Worthy of religious veneration
“do not forget you are in a sacred place” p.289
Sternest Hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character
“and, as my pastor there would tell me, deserve no doubt the sternest judgments of God” p.289
Quenchless To put out (a fire, for example); extinguish
“even to the quenchless fire and deathless worms” p.289
Bigamy The criminal offense of marrying one person while still legally married to another
“bigamy is an ugly word!” p.289
Throbbed Beaten rapidly or violently, as the heart; pound
“One idea only still throbbed lifelike within me – a remembrance of God” p.294
Unuttered Unstated, universalized
“it begot unuttered prayer” p.294
Omnipotence The state of having unlimited power or authority
“that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence” p.321
Tear-dimmed Lacking in brightness because of crying
“Looking up, I, with tear-dimmed eyes, saw the mighty Milky Way” p.321
Nestled To settle snugly and comfortably
“I again nestled to the breast of the hill” p.321
Sorrow Mental suffering or pain caused by injury, loss, or despair
“and ere long in sleep forgot sorrow” p.321
Samson In the Bible, the Israelite judge and powerful warrior who was betrayed to the Philistines by Delilah, known to have a great physical strength
“I long to exert a fraction of Samson’s strength” p.300
Entanglement To complicate; confuse
“and break the entanglement like tow” p. 300
Christian Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus
“and if you are a Christian, you ought not to consider poverty a crime” p.339
Redeemer Jesus Christ as having brought redemption to mankind
“and the first pioneers of the Gospel were the Apostles – their Captain was Jesus, The Redeemer – Himself” p.350
Apostles
Apostles One of a group made up especially of the 12 disciples chosen by Jesus to preach the gospel
“and the first pioneers of the Gospel were the Apostles – their Captain was Jesus, The Redeemer – Himself” p.350
Bestowed To present as a gift or an honor; confer
“my faculties, Heaven-bestowed, paralyzed – made useless” p.352
Ordained To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on
“I, His ordained minister, almost rave in my restless” p.352
Guidance The act or process of guiding
“I thank His Providence for the guidance” p.356
Fate The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events
“God has given us, in a measure, the power to make our own fate” p.357
Bounty Liberality in giving
“the generosity of my friends, the bounty of my lot” p.357
Strains The collective descendants of a common ancestor; a race, stock, line, or breed
“when our strains after a path we may not follow” p.357
Heaven The abode of God, the angels, and the souls of those who are granted salvation
“My powers heard a call from Heaven to rise” p.357
Errand A short trip taken to perform a specified task, usually for another
“God had an errand for me” p.358
Afar From, at, or to a great distance
“God had an errand for me; to bear which afar” p.358
Missionary One who is sent on a mission, especially one sent to do religious or charitable work in a territory or foreign country
“A missionary I resolved to be” p.358
Relinquish To retire from; give up or abandon
“but he would not give one chance of heaven, nor relinquish, for the Elysium of their love” p.364
Elysium The Elysian Fields, a place or condition of ideal happiness
“but he would not give one chance of heaven, nor relinquish, for the Elysium of their love” p.364
Sect A group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice
“I follow of the sect of Jesus” p.371
Benignant Favorable; beneficial
“As His disciple I adopt His pure, His merciful, His benignant doctrines.” P.371
Cross Symbol of Christianity
“to achieve victories for the standard of the Cross” p.371
Oblation The act of offering the bread and wine of the Eucharist
“Do you think God will be satisfied with half an oblation” p.401
Allegiance Loyalty or the obligation of loyalty, as to a nation, sovereign, or cause
“I cannot accept on his behalf a divided allegiance” p.401
Advocate One that pleads in another's behalf; an intercessor
“It is the cause of God I advocate” p.401
Sacrifice The act of offering something to a deity in propitiation or homage, especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or a person
“Will He accept a mutilated sacrifice” p.401
Perversity The quality or state of being perverse, profoundly evil
“it was only as a sincere Christian he bore so patiently with my perversity” p.404
Snatched Grasped or seized hastily, eagerly, or suddenly
“the Omnipotent snatched it for me” p.441
Divine Of, relating to, emanating from, or being the expression of a deity
“Divine justice pursued its course” p.441
Chastisements Punitions, as by beating
“His chastisements are mighty” p.441
Doom Inevitable destruction or ruin
“I began to see the acknowledge the hand of God in my doom” p.441
Anguish To cause or feel physical or mental pain; torment
“I asked at God, at once in anguish and humility” p.441
Henceforth From this time forth; from now on
“I humbly retreat my Redeemer to give me strength to lead henceforth” p.443
Hitherto Until this time
“I humbly retreat my Redeemer to give me strength to lead henceforth than I have done hitherto” p.443
Undaunted Undismayed; not discouraged; not forced to abandon purpose or effort
“his heart will be undaunted” p.447