My presentation attempts to make an analysis of the novel Jane Eyre from the perspective of

female Bildungsroman in three parts. Part One is about five symbolic locations of Jane Eyre's
development, such as Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield Hall, Moor House and
Ferndean Manor. Part Two I will discuss about Jane Eyre's resistance and epiphany which can be
expressed in three major events - the red-room affair, Helen's death and secret of the mad
woman. Part three I want to mention the conductors of Jane Eyre's growth including positive
conductors,negative conductors and God. My presentation is expected to show the long and
painful process of Jane Eyre's development, to Analyze the relationship between Female's
Bildungsroman and orphans in Victorian Period.

1. Background
Jane Eyre’s background(时代背景)

Charlotte Bronte’s background(作者的介绍）

牧师的家庭出身、普通的相貌、做过家庭教师，最后还爱上有妇之夫但被拒绝。

2. Analyzing the journey of Jane Eyre from innocence to maturity （ focus on main characters
and significant episodes）（地点和事件？）

Part one：Symbolic Locations of Jane Eyre’s Growth

①Locations of Jane Eyre’s Development：
Gateshead ：Awareness of Rebellion
Lowood Institution: Expansion of Rebellion
Thornfield Hall: Resistance to Tradition
Moor House: Pleasure of self-maintenanc
Ferndean Manor: Fulfllment of Independence(ppt 上这一页放这个内容）

( 讲 的 内 容 )Jane Eyre, as a Bildungsroman, describes Jane Eyre's development from an

Inexperienced young girl to a mature lady with independent personality. This process goes
through five stages with distinct locations: (1) Jane's childhood at Gateshead Hall ,where she
begins to realize injustice and revolts; (2 ) her education at Lowood School,where she acquires
friends but also suffers; (3) her time as governess at Thornfield Hall,where she rebels against the
tradition and loves her wealthy employer, Edward Rochester;(4)her time with the Rivers family at
Moor House, where her cold clergyman-cousin St.John Rivers proposes to her and is confused:
and (5) her reunion with her beloved Rochester at Ferndean Manor.

Gateshead Hall:Awareness of Rebellion

The story of Jane Eyre begins from the year when the heroine was ten years old Jane Eyre's
parents passed away early. so she was kept in her wealthy uncle's house when she was just a
child. However. her uncle died soon. Her uncle's wife Mrs. Reed had no pity and was merciless.
Since then, as an orphan, Jane Eyre lived under the Reeds' oppression and was treated like a
servant or even less than a servant. All the people in the big house Gateshead looked down upon
her. Her childhood was quite miserable though she lived in a wealthy family, For example. Lloyd
who was called in for the servants while Mrs. Read always called a specialist for her and her
children examined Jane Eyre, who is“less than a servant”at Gateshead. What's more.Jane's
cousin.John Reed. four years older than her, insulted her:

“You have no business to take our book s, you are a dependant, mama says; you have no
money; your father lefi you none you ought to beg, and no live here
with gentlemen's children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear
clothes at our mama's expense.”(Bronte, 2022:7)

From the above, we can see that Jane had little human rights in front of them John did not
regard Jane as one of his family and even struck her and knocked her down for nothing. He was
young and inexperienced, however, he had been familiar with the patriarchal law about the rule
that he soon inherit property. He declared arrogantly:

“All the house belongs to me, or will do in a few years.”He excluded Jane Eyre an “outsider”
mercilessly. Jane lived in terrible fear of her "young master. Let us have a look at how terrible
situation Jane lived in.

"He bullied and punished me; not two or three times in the week, not once or twice in a day
but continually: every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh on my bones shrank
when he came near:”(Bronte,2022:6)

How terrible the situation is for a ten-year-old girl! Not until Jane was ten years old did she
rebel for the first time in her life. We can imagine that during the years before she was ten. she
had been obedient to John Reed all the time. However,little Jane Eyre was unbending and self-
conceited. So she turned to revolt against him, not to yield:

“Wicked and cruel boy!" "You are like a murderer-you are like a slaved-river- you are like the
Roman emperors!”(Bronte,2022:7)

Jane's rebellion against John was her first step to develop. She began to realize that she
couldn't live so because she was not the servant and that was unjust. However.the result was
disappointing. Mrs. Reed did not blame John at all and Instead she roughly and violently thrust
Jane back into the red-room where Mr.Reed died and locked her there, ignoring that she was
afraid and in agony. Mrs. Reed was so bad, so hard-hearted.

Later, Bessie, the servant, tried to persuade Jane to be grateful to Mrs. Reed.At least she was
her guardian who kept her, accommodated her, or Jane had to beg even to be starving to
death.In order to be accepted by her aunt, whose nature was to wound Jane rudely. Jane obeyed
carefully and strenuously attempted to please her But her efforts were still in vain and she was
treated even worse. Mrs.Reed tried her best to expel Jane out of Gateshead Hall and wanted to
send her to school.

When Mr.Brocklehurst,headmaster of the school, came to Gateshead Hall, Mrs Reed spread
rumors and told him that Jane was a liar. Jane was injured severely and she felt her aunt
was“sowing aversion and unkindness along her future path”(Bronte,2022:31).In Mr.Brocklehursts
eye, she was transformed“into an artful, noxious child”(Brontë,2022:31).Jane had a grudge
against Mrs. Reed and exposed her injustice directly:

"I am not deceitful:if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you:I dislike you
the worst of any body in the world except John Reed: and this book about the Liar; you may give
to your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies. and not I”(Bronte,2022:48)

From the above,we can see the second time of Jane's rebellion in Gateshead. She did not yield
to Mrs.Reed at all. She exposed her injustice directly. Before leaving Gateshead and coming to the
boarding School. Jane cursed her between her teeth:

I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as Long as I live I will
never come to see you when I am grown up; and if anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you
treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with
miserable cruelty ”(Bronte,2022:34)

To some degree that was the hardest battle Jane fought and she gained the first
victory,which made her become stronger to develop. She had tasted something
vengeance for the first time though she was just a little girl of ten years old. Merciless
circumstance made her go through the terror of poverty and depression of society;
Under the Reed’s imperiousness and injustice. Jane Eyre did not surrender and sell out
On the contrary , she remained true to herself and revolted against their oppression.
But the process of fighting is really hard for a girl with lowly social status.

In Victorian England, a great stratification existed between upper classes and

lower ones.The upper classes refused to admit that the lower classes could not be
connected in any regular way with industrial or family life, and that their“ultimate
Standard of life is almost savage. both in its simplicity and in its excesses.”(Reader
Victorian England 1973) (在 ppt 上放这个内容）
A lack of adequate nutrition, medicinal care, and sanitary Resources also contributed to the
stigma attached to poor people. The diseases and malnutrition that ran rampant among the poor
caused“stunted physiques and pale countenances that caused not only economic division
between the classes, but also physical division as well.That was the reason why Mrs. Reed called
Dr. Lloyd, who usually cared for the servants,instead of a specialist to see Jane when she was ill.
There is no denying that at the beginning Jane's rebellion. she felt hesitated and did not want to
rebel but to endure and restrain. Even when she was locked in the red-room she doubted if she
was not right and begged Mrs. Reed's pardon. All these behaviors were the result of the fact that
Jane Eyre was penniless. In addition, after she accused and menaced Mrs. Reed before leaving
Gateshead, she just enjoyed her conqueror's solitude.Finally,she began to sense that she needed
to be saved from her blind fear of authority and be self-reliant or self-independent. She was
always thinking that why she was often bullied, why no one stopped John Reed’s cruelty and
why she had to live so.She was penniless and regarded as a dependant. Even she tried her utmost
to please others.She still got no sympathy and warmth. As a result, she hated them and felt it
unfair. She began to sense that if she wanted to have the equal rights with others, the only way is
to revolt.
Gateshead can be regarded as the authority, indifference, complexity in society In
Gateshead,Jane made her first declaration of independence. She will no longer be seen as a
secondary member of the Reed household. We preliminarily see Jane's Independent spirit from
her childhood and that marks the first step of her development.

Gateshead ：Awareness of Rebellion

Lowood Institution: Expansion of Rebellion
Thornfield Hall: Resistance to Tradition
Moor House: Pleasure of self-maintenanc
Ferndean Manor: Fulfllment of Independence
还没补充好

②Jane Eyre's Resistance and Epiphany：

The Red-room Affair
Helen’s death
Mad Woman

Three conductors of Jane Eyre's Development

①Negative Conductors
就当时的社会对于女性的期望而言，简是个不讨人喜欢的小姑娘，脾气古怪，性格冲
动。在小说的开篇简就被舅妈惩罚独自在一旁待着，原因是仆人贝茜告了她的状，导致舅
妈批评简吹毛求疵、刨根问底，还和大人顶嘴。小说中一直未曾说明贝茜告状的缘由，但
从后来的故事中，可以得知贝茜是整个里德家唯一疼爱简的人。简究竟做了什么让这个里
德家唯一疼爱她的人到舅妈哪里告了一状，其实已经不重要了，但仍能明显地感受到简不
讨周围人的喜欢，不符合大人对小孩子的期望。即使在最疼她的贝茜的眼里，简也是个独
来独往、古怪胆小、怕难为情、狡猾又多心眼的小东西。简的经历反映出一个身在社会底
层的孤儿所要承受的诸多重负。

简最不讨人喜欢的地方是她个性上的冲动，这个缺点在她与表哥约翰以及舅妈里德太
太的冲突中表现得非常明显。表哥扔书打她，令她的“脑袋撞在门上，开了个口子，淌出
血来，疼痛难忍”.此时简开始在言语和身体上拼命地反抗，失去理智，以至于自己都意识
到“确实有点难以自制，或者如法国人所说，失常了。简的反抗木来是正当的，可过度冲
动的举动却让里德全家上下都增加了对她的厌恶，最爱她的贝茜甚至都“不相信她的神经
还是正常的"，随后简与舅妈又有两次冲突，冲动情绪无法控制，第一次是她控诉舅妈对她
不好会让天堂里的舅舅看得清清楚楚，令里德太太“徨恐不安，露出了恐惧的神色”。简
当时意识到自己说这些的时候，“舌头仿佛不由自主地吐出了这句话，完全是随意倾泻，
不受控制”:第二次冲突是里德太太在校长面前污蔑她撒谎，简委屈地进行反击，毫无顾忌
地控诉里德太太心肠狠，并威胁要让罗沃德学校的所有人都知道她的所做所为。简在说这
些话的时候，完全无法控制自己的情绪，甚至在舅妈示弱并表示想成为她朋友之后，她仍
然情绪激动，继续控诉。成年后的简在反思这段经历时写道:

First, I smiled to myself and felt elate; but this fierce pleasure subsided in me as fast
as did the accelerated throb of my pulses. A child cannot quarrel with its elders, sa I had
done; cannot give its furious feeling uncontrolled play, as I had given mine, without
experiencing afterwards the pang of remorse and the chill of reaction. A ridge of lighted
heath, alive, glancing, devouring, would have been a meet emblem of my mind when I
accused and menaced Mrs. Reed: the same ridge, black and blasted after the flames are
dead, would have represented as meetly my subsequent condition, when half-an-hour's
silence and reflection had shown me the madness of my conduct, and the dreariness of my
hated and hating position. (Bronte,2022:51)

简确实受到了不公平的待遇，在遭受虐待后进行反击可以理解，但事后她自己也意识
到反击的时候无法控制自己，气势汹汹。就当时的社会要求而言，冲动的性格并不符合未
来贤妻良母的形象，必须得到规范和约束。

父母是儿童最亲近的引路人，帮助其改正缺点并促使儿童健康成长，但是简没有父母，
监护人里德太太就自然而然地成为她成长过程中第一位引路人。里德太太注意到了简个性
冲动，并要求她加以控制和改正:“简，这些事儿你不理解，孩子们的缺点应当得到纠
正。”“你好意气用事，简，这你必须承认。”(35)里德大大一针见血地指出缺点，也相
要对简进行约束和规训，但同时对简存有偏见，无法使用正确的教育方法，只会用关禁闭，
打耳光，责骂，疏离等残酷方式进行惩罚和管教。在简的成长中里德大大作为一个引路人
对简产生了消极负面的影响，自己也遭到简激烈的反击，至死不能释怀。

但我其实认为，舅妈并没有如简说的那么坏，至少她给了简一个可以遮风避雨的房间，
可以填饱肚子的食品，最后也送她去上学。如果没有舅妈，简就真的成为一个孤儿。或许
成为一个乞丐，或许成为冬天里卖火柴的小女孩，这个我无从得知。在我看来，舅妈也只
是在当时的社会背景下被塑造成的一个符合当时社会妇女该有的形象，端庄，优雅，没有
话语权（文中可以看到她作为一个母亲还要听儿子的安排），所以其实舅妈本身是没有女
性独立与平等的意识的，她也只是在做她认为对的事。当然，我不会从对错去看待这件事，
我会认为，或许舅妈这样的教育方式，在今天的我看来，是没有积极效果的。从简离开家
也可以看到，是无法获得好的亲子关系的。一点题外话，我发现现在有些小孩，对父母的
付出熟视无睹，而对于陌生人一点小恩小惠却感动的直掉眼泪，我想这是一个需要去思考
的一个问题。但这个与这个主题无关。

②Positive Conductors
在离开里德大大之后，简终于有幸地遇到了她人生中最重要的积极引路人--同学海伦
和老师坦普尔小姐。当简满怀委屈地向海伦诉说了自己遭受里德太太的不公正待遇后，海
伦开导简要忘记伤害，那样自己也会愉快一些:“暴力不是消除仇恨的最好办法--同样，报复
也绝医治不了伤害。”“等你长大了你的想法会改变的，现在你不过是个没受过教育的小
姑娘。"海伦认为激烈的报复行为是不可取的，她在和简的交谈中输出了为世人接受的正确
的处事态度。海伦自己也接受过惩罚，但她的态度却并不委屈愤恨，而是从容大度，仿佛
英雄一般，海伦行动上的示范传递了睿智和力量。之后海伦更是多次陪伴在悲伤的简身边，
开导简不要让仇恨压垮，也不要“因为忧伤而沉沦”并目能够直接地指出简的个性上的缺
点:“你的感情太冲动，你的情绪太激烈了。”可以说，海伦所指出的点跟里德太太眼里看
到的缺点是同一个，但里德太太粗暴的惩罚只能产生消极的影响，令双方发生更剧烈的无
法调和的冲突。而海伦用耐心的语言和从容的行动来指引简，更易于被简接受和模仿，老
师坦普尔小姐也具简成长中一位重要的和极引路人 她“神态安送，风度庄重，谈叶文雅得
体，这使她不至干陷入狂热，激情和浮躁，同样也使看着她和倾听她的人，出于一种克制
的敬畏心情，不会露出过分的
喜悦”。这样平和的处世态度与简的冲动形成了鲜明对比，成了简成长路上的一盏明灯，
指引着简的个性向着平和克制方向发展。简在往后的人生中，都在实践着海伦和坦普尔小
姐的人生哲学，不再提及在里德家受到的伤害与痛苦，并且努力控制自己的情绪。她成年
后在罗切斯特先生的庄园的种种举动表现出理智已经在很大程度上战胜了冲动。在罗切斯
特看来，简的“理智稳坐不动，紧握缰绳，不让情感挣脱”此时的简已经能够稳稳克制和
掌握自己情绪的女性。后来简看望病重的里德太太时，诚恳地希望同她和好，在病床边给
予她宽恕，单方面与这个造成她童年不幸的女人和解。尽管里德太太至死也没有原谅简当
年疯狂的反击，带着对简的恨意离世，简却已经在成长中学会了克制自己冲动的情感。

③God

3. Definition of Female's Bildungsroman

女性成长小说是什么？
Bildungsroman is a novel genre that narrates a hero or heroine's process of psychological
maturation and focuses on experiences and changes that accompanies the growth of the
character from youth to adulthood. "The term "Bildungsroman" was introduced to the critical
vocabulary by the German philosopher and sociologist Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1941), who first
employed it in an 1870 biography of Friedrich Schleiermacher and then popularized it with the
success of his 1906 study Poetry and Experience" (Boes 231). To be a Bildungsroman, the hero or
heroine in a novel will experience certain forms of pain or loss that pulls him or her away from
either family or home and into the journey of desiring self-identity. At the end of the story the
hero or heroine finally succeeds in the society. The plot of Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë,
generally follows this form. The growth of the main character, Jane Eyre, is distinctively divided
into phases by places that she stayed at, starting from her tragic childhood to her final
destination as Mr. Rochester's mistress. The changes of emotions and maturation of identities as
Jane Eyre goes through her life provide evidence of a Bildungsroman.

为什么会存在女性成长小说？我对女性成长小说的看法是什么？

英国成长小说多半反映主人公“向上流动”的经历，强调金钱与社会地位所起的作用，
这是英国工业化和城市化带动的社会价值观在文学上的反映。维多利亚时代人们对妇女问
题的关注推动了女性成长小说的兴盛，以及一批杰出女作家的出现。
Analyzing the relationship between Female's Bildungsroman and orphans in Victorian Period
关系是什么？为什么有这个关系？我对这个关系的看法是什么？

这里插入孤儿的背景介绍与图片

小说里的简爱是孤女的形象，在维多利亚时代，小人物们的维多利亚时代....

当时，英国的街道上有大量的流浪儿童，他们大多是孤儿，也有一些父母健在，但酗
酒，对孩子非常残暴，动辄打骂。当时英国还没有保护儿童的概念，父母打孩子是很常见
的现象。于是，相比于家里恐怖的环境，很多孩子们选择到街上流浪乞讨....虽然生活过得
苦点，至少这样不会被爹妈虐待....在这些流浪孩子中，为了维持生存，有很多女孩沦为雏
妓。那个年代，英国合法当妓女的年龄，只有 12 岁，一直到 1885 年政府才把年龄提到到
16 岁。最近，英国媒体找到了一系列维多利亚时期英国孤儿们的悲惨照片，让人们从另一
个角度去看看，维多利亚年代，这些小小人物的历史... 

这张照片摄于 1890 年代，小流浪汉们坐在肮脏的泥土中接受摄影师的照相。他们很多

住在小巷子里，靠乞讨为生。

1876 年，乞丐小女孩和一位老爷爷合影...
 这可能是女孩人生中为数不多的照片..

1890 年代，英国乡村街道上，三个流浪女孩在聊天，其中两个女孩连鞋子都没有....

1890 年代，一个女孩裹着毛毯在大街上睡觉，忍受着飞扬的尘土和脏泥地....
1849 年 6 月，一个拾荒者的女儿的照相....为了生存，女孩每天也要花大量时间去捡破烂...

1876 年的乞丐小女孩...
1876 年，一个孤女在街头紧握双手，神情焦虑....周围的，是调戏她的大人们...

1876 年，一对乞丐小姐妹在街头乞讨....
 1871 年，一个雏妓。在照片的背面，摄影师写道：“她叫 Mary Simpson，是一个很常见的
10 岁或 11 岁的妓女。在过去的两年她一直被叫做 Berry 夫人。她的孩子已经四个月大了....”

分析：这也就能理解为什么简爱可以在当时畅销的原因，因为简爱作为一个孤女，与维多
利亚同时期的孤女，没什么不同，普遍的命运就是在街头流浪，活下去都是个问题，尚且
是有尊严，有爱且追求自由。这在当时是很难的一件事，但是简爱做到了。她的故事符合
当时人们对美好生活的设想，也预示了简爱的结果，或许是当时作为一个孤女所能达到的
最大天花板了。在今天来看，简爱是一本女性成长小说，但不是一本成功的女性成长小说
我会认为是一个童话故事。（还没分析完
简爱独立所以不用跟一个健全的人在一起
难道你会为了证明自己是新时代独立女性，就选择一个更差的对象吗？以此来展现你
的优秀吗?我认为一个真正的独立的女性，是有权利也有勇气去追求更好的选择，即使这个
选择是不稳定，是冒险的。与此同时，我不觉得依赖男性是一件不独立的事，我想真正的
独立，是不需要用婚姻，爱情来证明的。需要向他人证明的东西，往往是存疑的。也就是
说，本质上还是不独立，只是比完全不独立多了一点点独立。但在我的角度，没完全独立
也是没任何问题的，只要这个选择能够让她感受到独立，那也是一种提升。