Welcome to this short introductory course on English Literature.This will help to prepare you for when you start studying Jane Eyre with Gower College Swansea!
Video
Have a look at You Tube film:
Summary
Here’s a quick summary of the things covered in the film:
The novel draws on the tradition of fairy tales such as Cinderella and Bluebeard but blends these ideas with very realistic details, many coming from Bronte’s own experiences.
Jane Eyre is often viewed as a ‘Gothic’ novel but Bronte explores the ‘Psychological Gothic’ where the scary things are within the characters rather than outside. She enjoys exploring strange states of mind.
Bronte is particularly interested in the insecurity of identity. The episode in the red room moves from very realistic and naturalist description to the deepest fears of the unconscious mind that come to haunt Jane.
The insecurity of identity is especially evident in the character of Bertha Mason. She appears as Jane’s opposite yet is uncannily linked to her. Bronte explores how identity isn’t unique and so you might find doubles or projections, hauntings or ghosts of a person.
Learning Object
Here’s some more great materials to get you prepared for when you join us:
The controversy of Jane Eyre when it was published
Bronte’s use of the pseudonym ‘Currer Bell’
How Jane Eyre shocked many original readers
The sexist nature of writing and publishing in Victorian England
Thank you for completing this short course, we hope you enjoyed it! We look forward to seeing you when you join us for your English Literature course with Gower College Swansea.
Just for fun and to see how much you’ve learnt, you can complete the short quiz below!