Jane EyreXI-XIX: Jane as a Governess in Thornfield -- – Service vs. Pursuit of Freedom and Love

First encounter:19973-3 (0:27 -)19982006 23:582011 – 31:25

Outline

• Review: Chap I-X—Jane between rebellion & submissiveness

• Jane as a governess • Her desire • Attraction between Jane and Rochester • The Polite Society & Their Games• The Gothic Elements • “The Aliens”: “Grace Poole” and Mr. Mason

Review: Chaps I-IVChap I Jane alone vs. The Reed family

-- Reading and looking out of the window-- rebellion “in frantic sort”

Chap II Red room and her sense of injustice; Reduced to fear

Chap III Mr. Lloyd’s visit, gives Jane a choice between poverty or school -- Book: Gulliver’s Travels, Bessie’s song: sad

Chap IV The visit of Mr. Brocklehurst--Book: Psalms are not interesting 28--Mrs. Reed: Jane a liar 28 Jane’s 1st victory: speaking up against Mrs. Reed -- her remorse

Review: Chaps V-XChap V

Departure (Jane clung to Bessie) Lowood—poor food, sharing the same mug for drinking water. Helen Burns – reading and explanation of the school and teachers – Burns punished

Chap VI

Helen Burns’ punishment (beaten with twigs, “slattern”) continues; discussion with Jane (endure it; denies her own merit; “Love your enemy”)

Chap VII

The visit of Mr. BrocklehurstJane picked up as a liar

Chap VIII

Helen: conscience more important than the world Turning point 64 -65 – Jane inspired by Helen and Ms. Temple Helen punished again 64

Chap IX

Spring comes.Death of Helen Burns 71

Chap X

Lowood reformed; Ms. Temple married. Jane stays in Lowood for 8 years and then seeks a teaching position elsewhere. “I desire liberty…” (74) Bessie’s visit before she leaves for Thornfield. (re. Mr. Eyre & the Reeds)

Chaps XI-XVChap XI

-- Jane goes to Millcot and then Thornfield-- Meets Mrs. Fairfax, thinking that she’s the mistress of the house-- Meets Adele, starts her teaching job-- hears the laugh (93)

Chap XII

-- feels restless -- meets Rochester (98)

Chap XIII

-- meets Rochester at home, his rudeness; talks about her past & shows her pictures (110) -- R’s family history (112)

Chap XIV

-- Rochester haughty and cold at first -- starts to talk one day, asks her to speak (115--- Jane expresses her independent thinking, though young and inexperienced; Rochester, paving hell, while Jane believes in self-improvement (121) -- Rochester’s understanding of Jane 122

Chap XV

-- story of Celine, Jane treated as a confidante-- Jane’s response to Adele (128), Jane’s role as a listener (129)-- saves Rochester from the fire; hears the laugh

Chaps XVI-XIXChap XVI

-- Fears Rochester and wishes to see him. -- encounters with Grace Poole -- Rochester gone for a while to the Leas -- Ms. Ingram described (139) -- Jane’s interior monologue – self-discipline (140-)

Chap XVII

-- preparation for the guests -- The guests arrived (Ms. Ingram 145) -- meeting the guests at the drawing room (149-), guests commenting on Adele (152) and governess (155)-- Jane’s observation (153-) -- Jane in tears

Chap XVIII

-- the guests playing charade -- Jane: Ms. Ingram a mark beneath jealousy (163); view of her master (165)-- the gypsy -- the arrival of Mr. Mason

Chap XIX

-- Jane meeting the gypsy (R’s knowledge of Jane) -- “Mason—the West Indies!”

Text Reading & Discussion

Discussion Questions1. (G3 G4 )Governess: How is Jane positioned

as a governess in Thornfield? Is she treated like a servant?

2. (G1, G7) Jane and Rochester: How is Rochester related to Jane? How does she change her views of Rochester?

1. Leader2. Summarizer & Vocabulary 4. Figurative/

Good Language

5. Connector 8. Travel Tracer

9. Investigator

3. Commentator6. Recorder

7. Illustrator/ Performer

3. (G10, G2 ) Desire: What does Jane desire? What are the function of the laughers she hears? Jane’s paintings (XXIII pp. 110; XVI 141)

4. (G6 G5 )The Polite Society: How does Jane see the aristocratic friends Rochester brings home?

5. (G8, G9 )What are the functions of the charade and the gypsy woman (XVIII 161-XIX) on the one hand, and on the other?

Jane as Governess in in Thornfield

0. Jane, taught to play the piano, to draw and read; but she is not beautiful (80)1.Inexperienced—•Expected to be received coldly • thought Mrs. Fairfax to be the owner 2. Hierarchy: closer to housekeeper (84) 3. Knowledgeable (French)4. Books in the library (90) –limited to light readings

The guests’ views of governesses – (XVII: 115-16)

“half of them detestable and the rest ridiculous, and all incubi”

Jane’s Desire• “aspirations and regrets” about her appearance

(XI : 86)• Curious: “s Mr. Rochester an exacting, fastidious

sort of man?” (91) • Mrs. Fairfax’s view of Rochester (XI: 92)• Restlessness vs. tranquility (95-)• See Rochester as her intellectual equal fire

(XV) wish to see him and fear it (XVI) self-restraint stronger desire and pain in front of the guest

• The laugh (XI 93, 94, XII 96; XV 130)

Mr. Rochester

• XIII (109): giving orders -- Go into the library—I mean, if you please. (Excuse my tone of command; I am used to say "Do this," and it is done…)

• (111): between orders and curiosity: I had scarce tied the strings of the portfolio, when, …he said abruptly,”—it is nine o'clock: what are you about, Miss Eyre, to let Adèle sit up so long? Take her to bed.”

• (112)-- Rochester’s family history explained

Mr. Rochester and Jane- Intellectual Equals’ Sympathy to Love

• XIV: Exchanges of Their Equally Intelligent Minds, Sympathy Aroused–

• Jane’s independent thinking: • “do you think me handsome?” (115) -- No;

Rochester’s appearance denied, • Rochester’s authority defined (117-18) and • R’s degenerate past discussed (119-21); impossible to

be conventional with Jane • XV: Celine Varens // Bertha (the laugh) the fire

drawing them closer. (calling her “witch, sorceress 131) • XVI: Jane both fears and desires meeting him; draws

pictures of herself and Ingram to understand her own position. Jane feels for R when observing him with the guests

Mr. Rochester and Jane- Growing Sympathy to Love

Jane

• XVII – her attention on him (153); “…but he never turned his eyes” (155)

• XVIII – cannot unlove him (163)

• Jane reflects a while whether she forgives R; serves him by offering him her shoulders 179

Rochester

• XV: (122) impossible to be conventional with you.

• End of XVII: “…you are: so much depressed that a few more words would bring tears to your eyes—Good-night, my --'.”

• XVIII-XIX – the gypsy woman’s fortune-telling 173 – cold, sick, silly; contradictions on her face

XVII – governess discussed

Jane’s Psychological Struggles and Understanding of Rochester• 1) XV: No longer ugly: “No, reader: gratitude,

and many associations, all pleasurable and genial, made his face the object I best liked to see; his presence in a room was more cheering than the brightest fire. “ (129) Still aware of his mean attitude to others.

• 1) XVI: I knew the pleasure of vexing and soothing him by turns. (138)

• 2) XVI: self-restraint: (140-42; XVII- 153) two portraits;

Jane’s Psychological Struggles and Understanding of Rochester (2)• XVIII (163) • the future bridegroom, Mr. Rochester

himself, exercised over his intended a ceaseless surveillance; and it was from this sagacity—this guardedness of his—this perfect, clear consciousness of his fair one’s defects— this obvious absence of passion in his sentiments towards her, that my ever-torturing pain arose.

Rochester vs. Jane

• Still domineering? • Jane, refuses to be dominated,

sympathetic with him and serving him • Jane: self-expression through paintings

(110) and the two portraits. --- more to come…

The Polite Society and Beyond

• XVII: 145 Rich, well--adorned• Rochester in the center, dull without

him. • Lady Ingram: pompous, dogmatic• Marriage (for money and class) with

Ingram: good French, showy, shallow, her mind was poor, (XVIII: 163)

Jane’s feelings: from pain [not jealousy?], despair, to becoming lenient to her master (163-65)

Adele’s mother (XI): opera dancer -- teach her to dance and sing, -- surrounded by a lot of gentlemen and ladies-- a song about a forsaken lady

Social Games: Revealing its hypocrisy & Orientalism

• Charade: Wedding & • An Oriental couple:

• He –an Eastern emir, an agent or a victim of the bowstring.

• She—an Israelitish princess • Gypsy fortune-telling: telling the truth

under disguise

The Gothic Elements

• The house – more like a church (“chill and vaultlike” 85)

• (XI: 92) The third floor – a shrine of memory; like a Bluebeard’s castle (93)

The Odd: Grace Poole & Mr. Mason• Grace Poole

• always alone (except for one hour) • a mystery in Thornfield (145)

• Mason • “too relaxed”• …eyes revealing “a tame, vacant life” (167)• From West Indies (168)• A big blow to Rochester

Turning Points & Major Motifs• The laugh – breaking social bounds

• meeting Rochester outside Thornfield• the fire

• Disguise – a way to violate social norms?• A. Charade: a. bride and groom, b. Rebekah

and Isaac, c. Bridewell (which is actually a prison)

• B. the gypsy woman • “Reader, I could not unlove him.” –direct

address to Victorian readers

References

• http://mrsrochester.hubpages.com/hub/translation-of-french-in-jane-eyre