Jane Eyre Research Paper

Gothic Literature and Jane Eyre Ever since gothic literature’s debut in 1764 when Horace Walpole wrote The Castle of Otranto, gothic novels have followed common patterns that Walpole set in place. Elements such as creepy locales, damsels-in-distress, and otherworldly, supernatural happenings have characterized gothic literature for the past two centuries. Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre is no different. Brontë, although sometimes unnoticeably, includes many of the key elements that gothic novels have classically been known to have. Most notably during Jane’s stay at Gateshead and then later at Thornfield, Jane experiences a large portion of the contributing elements that allow for the book’s gothic characterization. By comparing the components

As classic literature expert Patrick Kennedy explains, “In the most general terms, Gothic literature can be defined as writing that employs dark and picturesque scenery, startling and melodramatic narrative devices, and an overall atmosphere of exoticism, mystery, and dread” (Kennedy). By giving gothic literature a modern definition that goes hand in hand with the gothic element parameters that Walpole defined in 1764, it not only reinforces the fact that gothic literature’s elements have remained steady throughout multiple centuries, but it also provides significant evidence that Jane Eyre’s gothic motifs can still have relevant meaning even in the twenty-first

Near the beginning of the novel, while Jane is at Gateshead, we encounter the first gothic element of the novel-- the red room. While Jane is in the red room, several gothic features appear. First (and arguably most importantly), Jane sees herself as an otherworldly, ghost-like figure in the mirror which she describes as a supernatural phantom that’s half fairy, and half imp (Jane Eyre 10). What Jane sees can be directly connected to the common theme of Jane’s feeling of being different throughout the book. In the words of Eugenia DeLamotte, author of Perils of the Night: A Feminist Study of Nineteenth-Century Gothic, the image Jane sees is a representation of the Jane Mrs. Reed created through her cruelty to Jane (DeLamotte 195). Through the judgements given by Jane’s peers such as, “she is not worthy of notice” and “that nasty Jane Eyre,” readers can see that what Brontë reveals through the gothic nature of the red room may very well be true (Jane Eyre 26). This gives readers a further understanding as to why Jane sees what she sees in the mirror and why she believes she is different. After Jane views the image of herself in the mirror, Brontë reveals another important gothic element. Jane notices a “ghostly light” coming from outside of the room which she believes to be light of her uncle’s ghost who died in the room years ago. Jane thinks about how her uncle would