『ジェイン・エア』にみられるヴィクトリア朝イギリス社会(1)

概要

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This paper deals with the historical background to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the Victorian era. The first chapter looks at Jane Eyre and the Victorian age. Great Britain achieved remarkable development during this period. Meanwhile, stresses in society, such as squalid working conditions and the rise of feminism were becoming visible. The fact that this novel was a literary sensation at the time was related to public feeling. The subject of this chapter is the relationship between the feeling of the author and the heroine, Jane. Next, the second chapter deals with Christianity in the novel. Through the description of the doctrines of Universal Salvation and Calvinism in Jane Eyre, the sympathy and antipathy of Brontë toward each doctrine become clear. Finally in the third chapter, insanity and mysteriousness are investigated. The 'mad wife', Bertha, emerges from the shadows into the light. Together with the clear manifestation of insanity, Bertha casts light on the history of the time. The social conditions of Imperialism made this Creole appear as a foil to the English heroine. The mysteriousness of the novel was also brought about by breaking down of the boundaries between the natural and supernatural by the author.
2011-03-10