Essay-LitIng.

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Literatura Inglesa I (Novela)

2º Grado en Estudios Ingleses

Facultad de Filosofía y Letras

Universidad de Málaga

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 The Gothic element in Jane Eyre and Great Expectations

Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Dickens’ Great Expectations show many similarities as both novels tell the
story of a child who matures into an adult throughout the story, what is known as a Bildungsroman, and
at the same time they both show the influence of the Novel of manners and the Fairy tale. However, the
influence of the Gothic novel is also one of these similarities and it plays a crucial role in both works.

The Gothic is a genre very connected to the Romantic movement as it represents the dark and irrational
side of the human mind. Therefore, this explains the sort of dark and dangerous pictures and settings
we find in Romantic Gothic novels. However, it may be true that the Gothic plot is less evident in
Great Expectations, but the usage of this genre on both novels is a huge responsible for many of the
features we find in these two great works.

Firstly, the influence of the Gothic element in Jane Eyre becomes evident from the very beginning and
it remains that way until the end of the novel. One of the first events that show this Gothic influence
happens at Gateshead when Mrs.Reed, Jane Eyre’s aunt, locks the protagonist unfairly into the red-
room. This is a dark and frightening place very similar to the Gothic setting where the protagonist even
encounters the ghost of his late uncle Mr.Reed.

However, one the biggest influences of this genre in Jane Eyre would be, in my opinion, related to
Thornfield which is Rochester’s house. The two typical Gothic settings are the heroine parent’s home
as a nice and comfortable place and the dark and dangerous villain’s castle. This idea combined with
the novel of manners in which houses represent its owner’s characteristics, we find two different sides
of Thornfield representing at the same time the two different sides of Rochester himself. On the one
hand, we find Rochester as a rich and popular man with a high social status and on the other hand, we
perceive Rochester’s dark side. Thus, this same house would be presented as a mixture of the typical
house of the novel of manners and the dark villain’s castle. This Gothic part of Thornfield would be
concretely the attic where Rochester’s first and mad wife, Bertha Mason, is locked. Thus, this dark
side of the house represents Rochester’s secret.

Rochester himself is inspired by the typical gothic villain, as we perceived him as mysterious and
attractive complex character. He is then, as most gothic villains, a byronic hero as he is portrayed as a
masculin, tormented and unhappy character because he is carrying the burden of his past : the secret of
having Bertha Mason hidden in the attic. Moreover, Bertha Mason is responsible for many of the dark
and terrifying events that create that frightening atmosphere present in part of Brontë’s novel. This
female and mad character appears in Jane’s room at night or even attacks his brother at Thornfield.
Thus, it can be confirmed that some characters in this novel have many gothic features.

Besides, this Gothic element is very relevant when it comes to the analysis of Great Expectations and
this influence becomes evident at several points throughout Dickens’ work. The first example of the
Gothic influence in the novel would be the encounter between Pip and Magwitch at the cemetery which
is by itself a proper Gothic setting. Magwitch appears as a frightening character, not only in appearance

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 but in attitude, who threats Pip in a horrible way. In my opinion, at that moment in Chapter 1 the reader
can perfectly realize the terror the protagonist is feeling, what shows Dickens’ utilization of this Gothic
element from the very beginning of the novel.

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In addition, we find throughout the whole novel many echoes of the Gothic element as Great
Expectations is a novel full of violence and dark characters as well as dark settings as the marshes. One
example of a Gothic character might be Compeyson as he is perceived as a terrible character and even
as a sort of evil, trying even to murder Pip and Mrs.Joe. This character is also responsible for Miss
Havisham madness and consequently for Estella’s education to hate men. So it can be said that this
character’s malice inspired by the Gothic novel is extremely relevant to the development of the plot.

As a conclusion I would highlight the importance of the Gothic element in these two novels, as without
it they would not been as excellent and successful as they are. The Gothic element has provided these
novels with intrigue and a dark atmosphere, and it has influenced from the setting to the characters and
the plot, so it is quite undeniable that without it none of these two works would have been just as they
are.

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