Friday 23 September 2011

24_M.Davids_Jane's Dreams and paintings


Jane’s Paintings
At Lowood school, Jane never went out over the holidays, because she had no one to go to. Instead, she used this free time to paint- it did take her a lot of time to finish a painting though, as she thus had more than enough time. This was the beginning of Jane’s paintings, where she turned out to be a remarkable painter. According to the descriptions, her paintings were quite unique. “That is one of my paintings over the chimney-piece” (78). Jane never spoke to anyone about her feelings, and always had a sinister facial expression, but through her paintings, her hidden emotions became visible. Jane’s paintings was thus inspired by emotion, and therefore painted whatever came to mind- 
“Where did you get your copies?”                                                                                                                                                  "Out of my head, [sir]" (106).
By the descriptions of Jane’s paintings, the reader could determine her state of mind and emotion (107, 108, 110, 199, 314, 315). The “portrait of a Governess, disconnected, poor and plain” (137), contributes to Jane’s characterisation, as it tells the reader who and for what Jane is defined as in the novel.



Jane’s Dreams
-     “It was a wailing child this night, and a laughing one the next” (188).
-     “I dreamt of Miss Ingram all the night: in a vivid morning dream I saw her closing the gates of Thornfield against me” (207).
-     “I dreamt another dream, sir: that Thornfield Hall was a dreary ruin” (241; 240).
-     “The night was dark, and my mind impressed with strange fears” (273).
-     “With agitating risk and romantic chance, I still again and again met Mr. Rochester always at some exciting crisis” (312).
Jane’s dreams foreshadows on what is yet to come. These dreams are definded as visions for Jane, through the narrative, and can she, as well as the reader, foresee that which is possibly to come. However, dreams are based on one’s thoughts and the majority of Jane’s dreams are very dramatic. Jane’s dreams consists out of the fear, and as character, Jane thus fears the unknown of that yet to come.



Monday 19 September 2011

PsSsSst.....(Over here)

Helo0o0o0 Dear Followers!!!
As a token of my appreciation, I'd like to say thank you for the support!! It is highly regarded (^^,) 
 I'd like to add though, if anyone has any questions based on this novel (Jane Eyre) or about anything else for that matter... feel free to ask. :)

Friday 16 September 2011

Prettifying the blog with a photo and quote. :)

Tumblr_lq3hxmzxiw1qa5y0ro1_500_large
URL: http://data.whicdn.com/images/14117165/tumblr_lq3hxmZxiW1qa5y0ro1_500_large.png
28218g3_large
URL: http://data.whicdn.com/images/11324659/28218g3_large.jpg

Tuesday 13 September 2011

24_M.Davids_Governesses

1.      The Woman Question is based on Freud’s question: “What do women want?” at the end of the nineteenth century. In terms of the Victorian novel, Jane Eyre, however, the Woman Question refers to the centrality of women’s social conditions to the plots, forms and structures of the novel. The novel asks one to think explicitly about the fate of an intelligent woman, in Victorian England, who’s trying to make sense of her own destiny. It also asks that one should understand the voice of a feminist narrator in the context of gender roles and the organized feminist movement of the nineteenth century.

2.      Jane Eyre was a teacher at Lowood school and later advertised for governess in Thornfield. All references relating to governesses in Jane Eyre can be found on pp. 85-86, 97, 137, 150-152, 226,  324-325.


3.      I agree with Poovey’s excerpts on governesses, that a governess represents two figures: the figure who epitomized the domestic ideal, and the figure who threatened to destroy it. Jane Eyre, for example, was Adéle’s governess, where Adéle had no mother. As governess, Jane thus represented the middle-class mother, in terms of domestic virtues,  as well as a teacher, in teaching her the ‘accomplishments’ that would attract a good husband without allowing the sexual component of these accomplishments to get the upper hand. Jane Eyre was expected to give up her own personal needs for a husband to become a governess, and thus not fall in love with her master. Therefore she was not only the figure who symbolized the domestic ideal, but also the figure who threatened to destroy it, as she allowed the sexual component to get the upper hand, by falling in love with her master, Mr. Rochester.

Thursday 25 August 2011

24_M.Davids_The Red Room


1.      Bessie: Miss Eyre behaved very badly as she had strike Mrs. Reed’s son. I and Miss Abbot had to hold Miss Eyre down, but she did not want to want to hold still, so we had to tie her down on the chair, in the Red Room. When she subsided, I loosened my hold on her. I cannot understand why Miss Eyre is behaving in such a manner, “she never did so before” (Brontë, 10) I feel sorry for Miss Eyre and felt the need to tell her that she should keep in mind that she is under Mrs. Reed’s obligation, and therefore should behave. I told her this for her own good, politely as I could. I care for her and want her to have a home here, and not to be sent away. I and Miss Abbot then left her, locking the door behind us. After a while I heard a dreadful noise, a scream, coming from Miss Eyre in the Red Room. We hurried up the stairs to see what the matter was. I was so frightened for her, I thought of all the worst things that could have happened- whether she was hurt or ill or saw something, like a ghost more likely. Miss Eyre held on to me so tightly, it was clear that she was very frightened of something. I wanted to help her out of the room, but Mrs. Reed did not endure it. We were to leave the room then, as Mrs. Reed had left her in the room, frightened. Oh, how my heart reached out for her that very moment.  



2.      I do agree with Rich’s argument that it is that moment, in the Red Room, which makes Jane Eyre determined to live with dignity, integrity and pride. After such a dreadful experience in that haunted chamber, Jane realised how abrupt and vicious this family really is. She cannot bear this cruelty, and is prepared to go anywhere as long as she can leave this house, and Gateshead. As she is being sent away to school, she thus decides to live and become a woman with dignity, integrity and pride. She wants to be the person that her benefactress has never thought she could be.


3.      I agree with the argument that Jane’s pilgrimage of experiences are in variation to the red-room motif of enclosure and escape. [That day] in the argument clearly refers to the red-room, where she was being treated unfairly and was unjustly punished. At crucial moments of the novel, where Jane Eyre has been humiliated by Mr. Brocklehurst, at Lowood in front of the entire school, she was humiliated unjustly as well according to the events that occurred at her home in Gateshead. One could hereby definitely agree that all the crucial events that occur throughout the novel are defined to have become the larger drama that occupies the entire book from the little drama, in the red-room.