JANE EYREThornfield Discussion Guide (part one)

Ch. 11-17

ANOTHER DEPARTURE

Just like Jane’s departure from Gateshead, this one

is full of realistic details. Bronte is reminding us that

this novel is a blend of realism and romanticism.

What is the difference?

Gothic elements are blended with the more

mundane practicalities of Jane’s new life.

Examples?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THORNFIELD

Typical combination of welcome

and foreboding.

Evidence?

Why would Bronte introduce

Thornfield in this way? What

does it do for readers?

Much of the gothic description of

Thornfield is saved for the third

floor. Interesting…

What do we learn about Adele

Varens in chapter 11?

IS JANE A HYPOCRITE?

“My pupil was a lively child, who had been spoilt and indulged, and

therefore was sometimes wayward; but as she was committed entirely to my

care, and no injudicious interference from any quarter ever thwarted my

plans for her improvement, she soon forgot her little freaks, and became

obedient and teachable” (92).

Jane polices another young woman and watches her to see that she stays

on the path approved for Victorian women. Seriously?!

Can you explain this? Is Jane in a similar position to that of Miss Temple

at Lowood? Is there anything else she can do for Adele?

I thought we said that women support one another because they are not

supported by men. Is Jane really supporting Adele?

JANE THE FEMINIST

What makes Jane’s inability to see her part in limiting Adele

particularly surprising is that it comes right before the most

openly feminist speech of the novel.

“It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied…it is

thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to

do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary

for their sex” (93).

Keep in mind that Jane’s thoughts here were revolutionary for

Victorian England. Men and women were ideologically

positioned as opposites.

THAT CREEPY LAUGH

Whose laugh bothers Jane?

Why? What do we know

about this woman?

Keep track of her. She is

mysterious and a little

scary. In a gothic novel,

characters like her are

always important.

MORE FIRE AND ICE

Jane’s craving for adventure

drives her out on a January

afternoon.

Note how the setting is

described here. The fiery

sun represents Jane’s

inner turmoil. The icy

landscape symbolizes the

cold world around her.

FATEFUL MEETING

Jane sees a horse coming toward her and thinks of a

Gytrash. What is a Gytrash?

From the beginning, Rochester is associated with the

irrational and uncivilized. Remember this!

Rochester rides in like a knight, but his horse slips and falls.

It is Jane who does the saving.

Does Jane find Rochester handsome? What does she say

about his appearance?

JANE’S RESTLESSNESS

“I did not like re-entering

Thornfield. To pass its Threshold

was to return to stagnation; to

cross the silent hall, to ascend the

darksome staircase, to seek my

own lonely little room, and then to

meet tranquil Mrs. Fairfax, and

spend the long winter evening

with her, and her only, was to quell

wholly the faint excitement

wakened by my walk” (99).

This reminds me a lot of Ethan

Frome. Why?

THORNFIELD WITH ROCHESTER

“A rill from the outer world was flowing through

it; it had a master: for my part I liked it

better” (101).

How does the home change now that its master

is present?

How does Adele react to these changes?

JANE AND ROCHESTER: CONVO #1

Jane and Rochester’s relationship develops over three long

conversations in the next several chapters. The first begins in chapter

13 when Jane is greeted rather rudely by Rochester.

How does she react to his greeting?

“When you came on me at Hay Lane last night, I thought

unaccountably of fairy tales” (104).

Rochester echoes Jane’s thoughts about the Gytrash

What does Mrs. Fairfax think of the way Jane and Rochester are

conversing?

JANE’S GOTHIC WATERCOLORS

What did Jane paint during her

vacations at Lowood?

These images symbolize the peril

Jane feels regarding her situation

in life.

As a working woman without

family or connections, her

prospects are dark and more than

a little scary.

Rochester is amazed by the evidence

that Jane possesses a sharp mind and

complex internal emotions.

CHAPTER 14 - THE SECOND CONVERSATION

Note that Jane prefers to hide herself in darkness. Just like Ethan Frome and

The Scarlet Letter, darkness is a symbol for concealment or lack of

knowledge. Either Jane has a secret, or Rochester does…

“I did as I was bid, though I would much rather have remained

somewhat in the shade” (111).

“Do you think me handsome?” (112).

What does Jane say?!

Phrenology - 19th century belief that different sections of the brain dealt

with different qualities and that these could be read in a person’s

appearance

SECOND CONVERSATION CONTINUED

Comparing Character

“I claim only such superiority as must result from twenty years’

difference in age and a century’s advance in experience…I am old enough

to be your father” (114).

“Most things free-born will submit to anything for a salary” (115).

Does Jane agree? Explain.

“I was your equal at eighteen - quite your equal…fate wronged me…dread

remorse…remorse is the poison of life” (116).

What advice does Jane offer? How does Rochester react?

CHAPTER 15 - THE THIRD CONVERSATION

Where does this

conversation take place?

Romantics prefer nature to

society. The less formal

setting erodes the barriers

between master and servant.

Remember Hester and

Dimmesdale, Ethan and

Mattie…

THIRD CONVERSATION CONTINUED

Bronte’s contemporaries were surprised that Rochester

confided these things to a girl half his age, a virgin, and his

employee in class-bound Victorian England.

What does he tell her?

Why does Rochester say he shares these things with

Jane?

Jane fulfills the conventionally passive female role of

listener here. She will soon be the active hero again…

FIRE!

and ice.

What on earth happened in Rochester’s

room?

Jane as active hero

Rochester swoons from smoke

inhalation - a response largely associated

with 19th century women

“People talk of natural sympathies; I have

heard of good genii - there are grains of

truth in the wildest fable” (129).

Jane doesn’t fit the stereotype of

femininity, so Rochester casts her as out

of this world - watch for repetition

CLIFFHANGER

Rochester holds Jane’s hand as he tells her to go.

He both traps and comforts her. She runs and escapes his desire, but

not her own.

Victorian novels were typically published in three volumes. This is the

end of volume one. Why?

Wonder about Rochester’s intentions

Wonder about Grace Poole

Wonder about Thornfield Hall. Is Jane safe here?