Critical Appreciation Of Jane Eyre Sparknotes

How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a book Thomas C. Foster uses to expose his thoughts and feelings of many literary terms and devices. Such ideas can be found in James Joyce’s short story, “The Dead”.

"You think I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of kindness; but I can not live so: and you have no pity." (p.45)

How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster is a book that explains there is more to literature than just a few words on a paper or a few pages in a book. Thomas Foster’s book portrays a relatable message to a wide based audience. This book is relatable for two reasons, the way it is written and the examples it uses. The book is written in a conversational manner, as if the reader was in a group discussion about books and writing. As for the examples, they are informative, descriptive, relative, and entertaining.

Through a close reading of the selected passage of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, a reader can see that Jane attempts to separate herself from her decisions by personifying her emotions and giving them a specific voice, which strongly reflects the societal views of the time. At this point in the story, Jane has discovered, on her wedding day, that Mr. Rochester is still married to a woman named Bertha, and that woman still lives in his house. Distraught, Jane locks herself in her room and tries to decide what she should do. When she wakes up the next day, she is again confronted with what she needs to do in the wake of her discovery.

Throughout Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre is afflicted with the feud between her moral values, and the way society perceives these notions. Jane ultimately obtains her happy ending, and Brontë’s shrewd denouement of St. John’s fate juxtaposes Jane’s blissful future with St. John’s tragic course of action. When Jane ends up at the Moor House, she is able to discover a nexus of love and family, and by doing so, she no longer feels fettered to Rochester. Moreover, Rochester is no longer Jane’s only form of psychological escape, and thus Jane is in a position to return to him without an aura of discontent. At the end of the novel, Jane is finally able to be irrevocably “blest beyond what language can express” (Brontë 459) because she is “absolutely bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh” (459).

The first connection to Thomas Foster's How To Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids, from The Last Present is to the chapter “More than just rain, snow, or spring time rain”. In How To Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids, Thomas Foster explains different types of weather can give storys different moods in the chapter “More than just rain, snow, or spring time rain”. Wendy Mass describes the weather in The Last Present by saying “The apples are full and ripe, even though it is still early summer. I can’t take my eyes off them. I take his hand and we join the couples swirling on the dance floor” (Mass 194). In How To Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids, Thomas Foster explains that summer creates romance and summer is when Amanda and Leo start dancing and fall in love.

How can a girl, who started out with nothing, blossom into a well educated, generous, blissful woman? Well, in Jane Eyre, the main character overcomes all obstacles thrown at her and makes a great life for herself. From a miserable, orphaned young girl to a happily married, well educated woman, Jane Eyre transforms immensely throughout the novel. Through her many experiences in essential locations, she grows significantly at Gateshead, Lowood School, Thornfield, Marsh End, and Ferndean.

Readers whom employs one of Foster’s most repeated lessons: “there is no always, no correct answer, and no absolute” will take the most out of the novel because highly unlikely and seemingly impractical connections or symbols won’t be disregarded by them. The context that is unrelated to one reader might resonate with another one and therefore have a different interpretation.

Throughout the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, the author, Thomas C. Foster, discusses many different techniques and concepts to comprehend any literature piece beyond what the literary work provides to its reader. The book helps readers understand literature on a deeper level and evaluates different topics within the realm of literature. From the significance of blind people to the interpretation of symbols, Foster explains variety of points revealed in most literary works. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of irony and reveals hidden meanings behind words on a page. Foster also establishes two essential concepts dealing with weather symbolism and biblical references which can be found in James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis” and George Orwell’s book 1984. “The Scarlet Ibis” manipulates Foster’s concept of weather symbolism to create a sense of depressing mood, to reveal that snow brings inhospitality, and to generate irony out of the situation; likewise, 1984 mimics Foster’s concept of the Bible to use religion to show dysfunction, to symbolize Winston and Julia, and to develop the plot.

Thomas Foster encourages readers to look at authors’ works with inquisitive lenses, observing and analyzing small details. In Jane Eyre, readers note Charlotte Brontë’s dramatic descriptions of the weather, each scene’s climate tailored to the intended mood, which help readers predict and connect to the novel. Many scenes open with vivid descriptions of the weather before introducing characters or dialogue. These passages do more than set the scene; they are heavily symbolic. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë deliberately uses weather to set the mood, mirror Jane Eyre's emotions, and as a means of foreshadowing.

In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, the title character’s journey is full of challenges that shape her development. These are constructed of times spent as four main places; Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, and Ferndean. At Gateshead Jane is too quick-tempered but only to lose her lively spirit at Lowood. At Thornfield she become overly passionate and guided by her emotions but balance is achieved at Ferndean. Jane Eyre becomes as complete character as she learns to find the balance between the intellect and the passions. In doing so, she touches the life of Edward Rochester and in fulling herself helps Rochester humble himself and achieve a perfect balance by example.

Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” has captivated readers for generations. As with all coming of age novels, young adults can relate to the struggles and triumphs of Jane. Jane’s setting influences and parallel her emotions. A reader can see the novel through her eyes and perspective. In Bronte’s “Jane Eyre,” the location often parallels Jane’s emotional growth through the tone presented by the environment, resulting in the different places she lives revealing her journey through depression. Jane’s behavioral patterns and thoughts suggest clinical depression that affected her choices throughout the novel and her life at Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Marsh End, and Ferdean.

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is presented in the Victorian Period of England. It is a novel which tells the story of a child's maturation into adulthood. Jane's developing personality has been shaped by her rough childhood. She has been influenced by many people and experiences. As a woman of her time, Jane has had to deal with the strain of physical appearance. This has a great effect on her mental thinking and decision making. Jane Eyre's cognitive and physical attributes have been affected by her environment throughout her life.

The major criticisms of the novel in question to be the melodrama used by the author and the wickedness of character shown in Jane and Mr. Rochester. While most critics admired the style of writing and truth of character portrayal, they did not admire the improbability of circumstances or the characters portrayed.

One could look through the enticing piece of literature that is Jane Eyre through a variety of lenses, two significant lenses being mythological and autobiographical. Charlotte Bronte creates an imaginative plot line that encaptures her readers and contributes to the essence of her work as a whole. Bronte combines the lenses of mythology and autobiography not only to appeal to her readers but to balance out the fairy-tale like events with realistic and real-life issues.