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JANE EYRE, THE SKEPTIC

PENNY DREADFUL:
CHARLOTTE BRONTË’S
REALISTIC INCORPORATION
OF THE GOTHIC TRADITION,
CAROLINA DO NASCIMENTO DE
SOUSA
! 08/02/2021 ! Ensaio ! Deixe um
comentário

Ensaio de Carolina do Nascimento de Sousa.

Revisão de Lauro Reis. Imagem: pexels.com.

How can a novel be analyzed and

studied when removed from its
historical and literary context? This
essay aims to demonstrate that the key
to complete and utter understanding of
even the most concealed aspects of a
literary piece is indeed to look at it from
a contextualized perspective. As is the
case with some specific features of Jane
Eyre (1847), oftentimes authors can
stray from their era’s conventions.
However, in the instance of Charlotte
Brontë, most of the novel is aligned
with what is expected from Victorian
Literature in the nineteenth century,
from the feminist narrative to religious
plurality. Nevertheless it is a staple for
harboring genres such as Realism and
elements from Gothic Fiction.

In order to contextualize literary works

during the nineteenth century it is
crucial to understand how, in a short
period of time, Britain underwent a
series of progresses and changes in
paradigm. The themes that once
inspired the medieval word ‘gothic’
were in this period modernized and
adapted to an age of religious
questioning, advances in medicine and,
overall, the desire to know more.

This desire is well described as a new

sort of epistemology that is no longer
held back by the restraints of religion,
as explained by Michael Timko’s article.
« For although all ages are ages of
transition, never before had men
thought of their own time as an era of
change from the past to the future (…)
Second, this was the period in which
epistemological rather than
metaphysical concerns began to
predominate (…) ».(1)

Experience and knowledge freed from

metaphysical rules led to the advances
this period is known for, considering
formal education advances never before
seen that led to a reform of social
norms rarely questioned before. The
questions arise? as a result of a
collective need to an individual sense of
identity that Timko identifies as self-
(2).
consciousness A better sense of self
resulted in the search for its true
essence and, particularly in literature,
this search resulted in the need to
perfect how that is portrayed. The act of
describing and narrating objects, people
and thoughts in a realistic manner
paved way for most of Victorian literary
works of this century, especially
novels.

Despite the relevance Realism had on

the literary scene, for many authors, it
was integrated with a twist. Although
Gothic art first made its appearance
during medieval times mostly through
architecture, it later resurged as a
literary genre during the second half of
the eighteenth century. During the
Victorian Era it gained a new meaning.
There was a great amount of realistic
novels the nineteenth century saw
published and curiously enough a big
number of them are actually hybrids
(3).
between the two genres It is
interesting to observe how the desire to
narrate things exactly how they happen
sets an expectation for a realistic novel
that, as is the case with Jane Eyre (1847),
will fall short of realistic expectations
and actually happen to integrate a
series of Gothic elements.

It is interesting to explain the

Victorian’s reinterest in Gothic Fiction
when considering the changes and
advances of the century.

In an age of increasing religious

uncertainty, spiritualistic experiment
and imperial fears, Gothic provided a
safe space for both ancient demons and
modern psychological anxiety. Writers
were able to privilege mystery over
explanation (…) capturing the dark side
of the Victorian soul in all its energetic
and self-revealing doubt. (4)

The themes previously identified as

traditionally Gothic « (…)ruined castles,
helpless heroines, and evil villains (…) »
(5) shifted towards elements common to
the Victorian society. The settings were
recognizable, the moral values and
beliefs as well as the mindsets of the
characters were the same as the
average Victorian’s and that altogether
was the key to how engaging Gothic
fiction became.(6)

As discussed before, the Gothic

underwent a series of changes that
resulted in its progressive adaptation to
Victorian society. This adaptation
resulted from a series of societal
changes that included women’s fight
for equality not only for academic
opportunities but also inside their own
families. While focusing on better
developing their own particular
interests, many concepts such as
“house wife” or “nuclear family” simply
started to lose the meaning and
importance they once had.(7)

To what do we owe the alteration of a

paradigm that was centuries old?
Paradigms change according to the rate
of a society’s advance. In the nineteenth
century the key advance was scientific
discovers. Theories as important as
Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species
led people from all walks of life to
question their beliefs, especially when
it came to the Old Testament and how
Christianity explained the way humans
came to be. As it has always been, the
more people had access to education
the more they had a general capacity to
question established beliefs, this being
one of the reasons women fought to
access formal and higher education.

Although the veracity of the Bible was

oftentimes questioned, religion is
nevertheless an important staple
during the Victorian era. Many no
longer identified with common
Christian values and became atheists
(8), others turn to a different conviction,
Spiritualism. It consists on the belief
that some humans have the ability to
communicate with the dead and
therefore establish ethereal
connections. It is interesting that in a
century that saw the birth of progresses
like the Periodic Table, there was a
tendency to strain from science into
spiritualism and the partial desertion
of organized religion. In Spiritualism,
Science and Atavism, Charlotte Barret
theorizes the connection to be a
consequence of the « (…) abandonment
of conventional religion. In the search
for meaning, people were prepared to
suspend reason. »

Spiritualism played an important role

in contributing to the themes of Gothic
Fiction. The common themes changed
from the previous enumeration of
medieval elements such as castles and
battles to an emotional realm that
deeply represented the advances of
medicine, specifically in psychology
and the function of the mind.

Continuous discoveries were relevant in

the sense that they revealed how much
is still to be studied. The Gothic
proliferated with the mindset of
intellectual uncertainty and doubt.
Spiritualism was, in a way, a form of
comfort to fill in the void caused by
religion and the hard truth that
knowledge continuously improved
itself.

This newfound interest in the occult

inspired many of the literary pieces of
the nineteenth century that each
represent not only the impact of Gothic
Spiritualism but also how it mixed with
realism. Charles Dickens’s ghost in A
Christmas Carol (1843), the ever-
changing painting of The Picture of
Dorian Gray (1890), Bram Stoker’s
Dracula terrorizing England (1897), the
supernatural study of anatomy in Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), and the
many hauntings of Charlotte Brontë’s
Jane Eyre (1847) are just some examples
of the novels that illustrated the plural
religious and spiritual beliefs of the
nineteenth century.

The topics and elements that define

Jane Eyre as a Realistic novel with a
Gothic and Spiritualistic antilogy are
aligned not only with the Victorian
religious and scientific beliefs but also
Charlotte Brontë’s own.

The fact that the novel integrates

several distinct religious threads, some
hints at supernaturalism but at the
same time skepticism, is a result of the
author’s multiple influences and ideas.
As discussed before, the nineteenth
century was a decisive period in the
matter of faith and religion and the
plurality of religious discourses during
this era is the key to understanding
how Charlotte Brontë combines
Calvinism, Evangelism and
Spiritualism in the same novel without
it losing reliability. (9)

Religion is present all throughout the

novel, from being enforced on the girls
(10)
at Lowood to St John’s proposal to
Jane. The idea that the plurality of
faiths of the century was represented in
the novel is well illustrated in the
comparison between characters
explored in The Merging of
Spiritualities: Jane Eyre as Missionary of
Love. Even when only considering
Christianity, the essay exemplifies how
Mr. Brocklehurst, St John Rivers and
Helen Burns are the pinnacle of
religious representation for Jane Eyre
and how distinct this representation is.

Helen is Jane’s lifeline from the

oppressions of Mr. Brocklehurst. It is
discussed how the author grew up
surrounded by many religious
(11),
influences namely an Anglican
father, where she might have gotten
the inspiration to create Helen’s
character in the religious realm.
Writing Mr. Brocklehurst as
emotionally abusive and strict was
Charlotte’s own way of criticizing what
she considered to be the absurd
Calvinistic doctrine of predestination
and the belief that individual faith is
established regardless of one’s actions
through life: « Further evidence of
Brocklehurst’s Calvinism is his reliance
on the doctrines of innate human
corruption » (12).

The author strongly denounced the

belief in « next‐worldly over this‐
(13)
worldly rewards and punishments »
as well as even biblical conceptions of
the nuclear family and the
representation of what a woman’s roles
should be, and that led to some
critiques of Jane Eyre as opposing
Christian values.

Helen was the embodiment of

endurance, love and patience. Helen
served as one of the key characters for
Jane’s development and maturity. Her
calm demeanor puzzled Jane’s childlike
behavior and temperament, it also
helped form many of the behaviors and
tolerance Jane has as an adult. Helen’s
promise of « (…) an invisible world and
a kingdom of spirits (…) » [JE: VIII, p. 78
doesn’t make sense to Jane yet, but as
stated before, Helen’s influence on Jane
is much clearer after she reaches
adulthood and something to wonder is
whether the encryption on Helen’s
gravestone is proof that Jane might
have reached her own personal belief in
the concept of Heaven, as Helen did, as
a place where she could reach ultimate
happiness. « (…) a grey marble tablet
marks the spot, inscribed with her
name, and the work ‘Resurgam’. » [JE:
VI, p. 94] (14)

St John Rivers is another predominant

religious figure in Jane’s life, once again
demonstrating the downsides of the
Christian mentality. Suffering from
false righteousness, it is clear how,
when Jane does not do as she is told, by
turning down his marriage proposal, «
he ultimately proves to possess the
most negative qualities of Brocklehurst
(15)
» and turns to punishment as a way
to manipulate Jane into a loveless
marriage.

What stops Jane from accepting St

John’s proposal is the first and only
manifestation of the supernatural in
the novel. Charlotte Brontë hints at
various sinister happenings since Jane’s
childhood. The events Jane experiences
in the Red Room are explained by J.
Jeffrey, in The Merging of Spiritualities:
Jane Eyre as Missionary of Love, as the
manifestation of “childhood trauma”
and abuse and it can also be associated
to Jane’s need to feel the presence of a
loved one, like Mr. Reed. The matter of
the supernatural can be seen also in the
creatures that Jane is named after by
Rochester – such as “troubled spirit”,
“fairy”, “specter” and “elf”. Jane’s
hauntings materialize and accompany
her in the way that the Red Room is
parallel to the happenings of the Third
Floor of Thornfield Hall.

The most relevant manifestation of the

Gothic in Brontë’s work is the life and
portrayal of Bertha Mason. She first
appears as laugh, « (…) in its low,
syllabic tone, and terminated in an odd
murmur. » [JE: XI, p. 124].

And for some time, there aren’t any

humanlike characteristics used to
describe her. Upon discovering Bertha
as a caged human and until her death,
for a brief moment, until she is « (…)
dead as the stones on which her brains
and blood were scattered. »
[JE: XXXVI, p. 519]

Jane feels guilt after realizing Bertha’s

sanity was stripped from her after
being encaged by her husband-to-be.
Bertha represents “the stereotypes that
have plagued Gothic anti-heroines”(16) of
a woman who abandons conventions
regarding sexual liberation to a point of
being considered animalistic, to being
pitied for being mentally ill, to being
described as organic matter. The fact
that her sin is carnal and promiscuous
makes for the fact that she is
oftentimes described as “vampiric” and
“cannibalistic”, and she contrasts Jane’s
“small”, “white” and childlike”
bourgeois appropriate demeanor(17). The
mad wife’s ominous warning to Jane is
made by ripping her wedding veil in
half, but it is not the only presage of her
and Rochester’s interrupted marriage.

The Gothic elements in Jane Eyre such

as Jane’s own dreams, her
premonitions and even the natural
elements are often a warning as to
what is to come to the characters’ lives,
especially Jane’s. The night Rochester
proposes, underneath the chestnut tree,
has a strong manifestation of a gothic
omen that uses the natural elements to
sustain the novel’s extramundane
atmosphere. Jane describes how the
weather was opposing their encounter.
« (…) we were all in shadow (…). While
wind roared in the laurel walk, and
came sweeping over us. » [JE: XXIII, pg.
307]

Eventually, long before Bertha could

tore Jane’s veil in half, « (…) the great
horse chestnut at the bottom of the
orchard had been struck by lightning in
the night, and half of it split away. »
[JE: XXIII, pg. 308].

Despite Charlotte Brontë’s hinting at the

supernatural nature of Bertha, Jane’s
premonitions and the Red Room’s
occurrences, unlike some of the most
notorious novels of the nineteenth
century’s literary scene, all of these
events are scientifically explained and
debunked; all but one. The telepathic
phenomenon that is beyond scientific
explanation is responsible for impeding
Jane’s acceptance of St John’s proposal
and her eventual return to Thornfield
Hall. The question remains as to why
the author clarified every other event
rationally, but kept this one impossible
to decipher as anything other than
coincidental or paranormal. J. Jeffrey
offers a good explanation,

While she finds it necessary to use the

supernatural as a vehicle for bringing
Christian discourse in contact with the
discourse of spiritual love, revising the
former by the latter, she then feels
compelled to deny the supernatural,
leaving it (…) as the excluded term. (18)

[Notes]

1. Timko, Michael. “The Victorianism of

Victorian Literature.” New Literary
History, vol. 6, no. 3, 1975, pp. 610,
first paragraph. (Full citation of the
article in the list of references).
2. Further regarding the above article’s
question of self-consciousness “The
epistemological and Darwinian
awareness of the Victorians must be
seen, then, in terms of the changed
nature of the “imaginative
awareness” affected by “experience”;
and two key terms need to be
reexamined. (…) “Self-consciousness”
and, of course, “nature”. Self-
consciousness has always been
regarded as one of the chief
characteristics of nineteenth-century
writing (…).” Pp. 613.
3. Some examples enumerated by
Julian Thompson in Victorian Gothic;
An Introduction: “The results can be
seen in Tennyson’s fairy poems of
the early 1830s, Charlotte Brontë
hiding guilty secrets in the Gothic
towers of Thornfield in Jane
Eyre (1847), and the way Edgar Allan
Poe’s ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’
(1842) cruelly reconstructs the
torture-chambers of the Spanish
Inquisition.”
4. Victorian Gothic: An Introduction by
Julian Thompson
5. Spiritualism, Science and Atavism by
Charlotte Barrett
6. Further clarified in Barret’s essay
Spiritualism, Science and Atavism:
“(…) to situate the tropes of the
supernatural and the uncanny
within a recognizable environment.
This brings a sense of verisimilitude
to the narrative, and thereby renders
the Gothic features of the text all the
more disturbing.”
7. A Companion to the Brontës, p. 34.:
“Each novel examines various Gothic
feminist strategies— rejection of
motherhood, control of the
patriarchal estate, struggle with
tyrannous religious forces,
overthrow of the suffocating and
claustrophobic nuclear family, the
celebration of education or art for
women (…).”
8. Charlotte Brontë’s own
dissatisfaction as stated in A
Companion to the Brontës, p. 433. :
“The twentieth century saw feminist
readers like Sandra M. Gilbert and
Susan Gubar famously seizing on
Charlotte’s “rebellious feminism,”
with its apparently “‘irreligious’
dissatisfaction with the social order”.