Wednesday, July 3, 2019

In what ways might Jane Eyre be considered a feminist novel critiquing the time period? What points does the novel make about the treatment and position of women in Victorian society? Pay particular attention to the book's treatment of marriage; is there any way in which it might be considered anti-feminist?

I am not sure if it is fair to say that Jane's marriage to Rochester is anti-feminist because she becomes a caretaker for her husband. Of course, to discuss this, one would have to clearly define the term "feminism," and not everyone understands the concept the same way. I would argue, however, that since Jane married Rochester completely by choice, fully aware of his disability, the marriage is not an antithesis to feminism. As a contemporary example, consider a woman who makes a choice to become a homemaker and take care of her children and household. If she makes this choice independently and free of societal or any other pressure, would it be considered anti-feminist?
Consider as an example of anti-feminism in the novel the episode where Jane is chastising herself for being jealous of Blanche Ingram. She tells herself to draw a beautiful, flattering picture of Blanche and an honest picture of herself that exaggerates all the imperfect features. She is trying to convince herself that she is inferior to Blanche based almost purely on looks, which is certainly not a feminist approach.


In many ways, Jane Eyre could be considered a feminist novel, as it critiques the marriage conventions of the day in which the wealthy Rochester is expected to marry a lady such as Blanche Ingram. Bronte suggests that the typical Victorian marriage based on class offers unhappiness, and this is certainly true of Rochester's first marriage to Bertha. In her youth, Bertha was renowned for her beauty, and she was also wealthy. Rochester marries her without realizing that she is insane, and Bronte criticizes the way in which Victorian marriages were carried out without brides and grooms getting to know each other. Instead, they were matches in which superficial impressions, wealth, and class were prized.
Jane's marriage to Rochester is one based on choice, compatibility, and love, and they love each other even though they are not from the same class. In this sense, their marriage is feminist. However, their marriage could also be considered anti-feminist, as Jane must be involved in caring for Rochester after he has been debilitated by the fire that Bertha set. Jane's marriage to Rochester will be one of servitude and sacrifice, so in this sense, it is anti-feminist.

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