Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë

Introduction

Background

Discussion Starters

Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre: Introduction

What do you do when everyone who loves you is gone

and you’re all alone in the world?

Jane Eyre: Introduction

Jane Eyre is an orphan in 1800s England.

She allows Jane’s cousin to bully her

Her aunt has agreed to raise her but treats her badly:

and punishes Jane harshly,

yet she expects Jane to be thankful.

Jane Eyre: Introduction

When Jane tries to stand up for herself, her aunt is furious.

and sends her away to boarding school.

She calls Jane an ungrateful child

Jane Eyre: Introduction

At Lowood the girls

sleep two to a bed,

get up before dawn,

bathe in ice-cold water,

get burnt porridge for breakfast,

and are taught to suffer in silence.

Jane Eyre: Introduction

Jane is caught between her desire to fight back

and her fear of being punished—or labeled “bad” by the teachers and other girls.

Jane Eyre: Introduction

Luckily, Jane meets two good friends—Miss Temple, a kind teacher at the school, and Helen Burns,

an older student who teaches Jane the importance of patience and forgiveness.

Jane Eyre: Introduction

Will she learn to combine her strength of spirit with strong principles?

Will Jane survive Lowood’s harsh conditions?

Jane Eyre: Background

The author Charlotte Brontë encountered her own share of harsh conditions.

After their mother’s death, Brontë and three of her sisters were sent to the Clergy Daughters’ School.

and two of Charlotte’s sisters died of tuberculosis there.

Jane Eyre: Background

The food was bad,

discipline was harsh,

The school was similar to Jane Eyre’s Lowood:

Tuberculosis was a common killer during the Victorian era.

Jane Eyre: Background

Jane Eyre: Background

Tuberculosis often destroys its victims’ lungs, resulting in a bloody cough.

If untreated, sufferers may die of tuberculosis because their lungs are so badly damaged.

Jane Eyre: Background

Jane Eyre’s Lowood also suffers an outbreak of typhus, a disease that

• is spread by fleas, ticks, and lice

• causes headaches, chills, rashes, and fevers that last up to three weeks

Jane Eyre: Background

Both tuberculosis and typhus are diseases associated with crowded, unsanitary conditions.

The threat of catching one of these diseases is a major concern for the characters in Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre: Discussion Starters

Discuss (1)

• Name other stories, books, or movies that begin with the bad treatment of an orphan.

• Why do you think this idea appears often in fiction? What effect does this idea have on a reader? Why is it powerful?

Jane Eyre: Discussion Starters

Discuss (2)

Jane’s instincts tell her to fight against the unfair treatment she receives.

Do you think this is the right choice, or should she learn to forgive those who wronged her? Why or why not?