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How Is Jane Eyre A Narrative Style

Decent Essays

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, is a revolutionary romantic novel that, through a unique narrative style and craft, broke off from the Realism of societal writing, bringing a sense of novelty to the novel. This essay will discuss and describe the particular narrative style that Brontë uses, with a focus on how this style separated Brontë from other authors of her time period. Additionally, through the analysis of Jane Eyre’s; plot, characterization, and literary historical context, this essay will aim to distinguish Brontë’s approach as being something rather new in literature at the beginning of the 1800s. The characterization of the heroine of the story and the relationship that exists between her and her husband tie together to make …show more content…

Immediately we learn that the story is told in the first person from the perspective of a female, Jane Eyre. The first person female narrator was not common in the 1800s and adds significantly to the newness Brontë brought to the table. Building on that, the first person narration is direct, passionate and emotion filled. “He felt I loved him so fondly, that to yield that attendance was to indulge my sweetest wishes” There is a feel of free flowing and open emotional expression within Brontë’s narrative, which enables the reader to feel the Jane’s emotions and live the experience with her. This style differed quite significantly from the Realism present in her contemporaries’ work. Brontë’s style broke free of the cold, detached, and excessive analysis, as well as critical distance that characterized most novels time. Brontë’s style drew more comparisons with the Romantic Poets, as she, and her literature, went on to define the Romantic …show more content…

The plot of this excerpt is quite simple and is centered on the life of Jane Eyre, the female heroine, and more specifically the relationship between Jane Eyre and her husband, Edward Rochester, told from Jane’s perspective. Jane explains how she, know[s] what it is to live entirely for and with what [she] love[s] best on earth.” Here we see again the raw emotion that is evident in Brontë’s plot. The plot pays no analysis toward character or situation. Jane loves her husband, a fact that is quite evident in this excerpt, yet if we look closely at the words Jane uses the word “what” instead of “who” when speaking about love. The “what” is Jane’s equality in her relationship with her husband! Thus, we see how Brontë’s plot elevates Jane, a female, to a level of equality. This equality amongst man and women is one of the most defining aspects of Brontë’s style and is one of the, if not the most, unique aspects of her novels, speaking relative to the time of her

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