Gothic Romanticism and Its Role in Jane Eyre

The Origins of Gothic Romanticism

According to E.F. Bleiler, "Before Horace Walpole, the word 'gothic' was almost always a synonym for rudeness, barbarousness, crudity, coarseness, and lack of taste. After Walpole, the word assumed two new major meanings — first, vigorous, bold, heroic, and ancient; and second, quaint, charming, romantic, but perhaps a little decadent in its association with Romanticism, but sentimental and interesting" (12). Bleiler is referring to Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, first published in 1764, which introduced English readers to what is now called Gothic Romanticism — a style of fiction characterized by the use of desolate or remote settings and macabre, mysterious, or violent incidents.

Following Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, the Gothic novel took on new dimensions, and the terms Gothicism and Romanticism became linked forever in many other works of fiction between 1750 and 1850. This link is connected chronologically by numerous themes, such as the hero-villain (the anti-hero) with a terrible secret, usually revealed through the use of human psychology. Many of the Gothic writers, such as Walpole, Ann Radcliffe, Mary W. Shelley, and the Brontë sisters, "valued sensibility, exalted the sublime, and appealed to the reader's imagination" ("The First Wave," Internet). Gothic Romanticism, besides appearing in works of fiction, was also utilized in short stories and poetry by such writers as Samuel Taylor Coleridge ("Rime of the Ancient Mariner"), George Gordon, Lord Byron ("Don Juan"), John Polidori ("The Vampyre"), and Edgar Allan Poe ("The Fall of the House of Usher"), who brought the genre to fruition in America during the 1830s and 1840s.

The Brontës and the Gothic Tradition

Toward the end of the so-called Gothic Romanticism movement, Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) emerged as a prominent English novelist, along with her two sisters: Emily Brontë (1818–1848), best known for Wuthering Heights (1847), and Anne Brontë (1820–1849), author of Agnes Grey (1847). As the creator of the 1847 novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë diverged from the nineteenth-century literary tradition of the fictional stereotype of women as submissive, dependent, highly attractive, yet ignorant of everything outside their personal orbit. In Jane Eyre, Brontë introduced a completely different female protagonist — a heroine who possesses intelligence, self-confidence, self-reliance, and moral correctness. Charlotte Brontë is also considered one of the first feminist novelists whose literary talents were superior to many of her English contemporaries.

Charlotte Brontë's Feminist Reimagining in Jane Eyre

According to M.H. Scargill, Jane Eyre "is remarkable for its intensity, which counteracts what some critics regard as a sensational and poorly constructed plot" (156). In Jane Eyre, there are obvious reflections of Charlotte Brontë's own life, which in essence makes the novel autobiographical in nature. Some scholars have pointed out, however, that Brontë relied too much on her personal life for the plot of the novel, which affects its dramatic impact and structure. Biographically, the character of Jane Eyre may indeed be Charlotte Brontë herself, for Jane "is a young woman wholly unprotected by social position, family, or independent wealth… is without material or social power; she is, as Brontë judged herself, 'small and plain and Quaker-like (and) lacking the most… necessary qualities of femininity'" (Oates, Introduction v).

Robert B. Heilman considers Jane Eyre as replete with Gothic undertones expressed through human emotion and feeling, ranging from "nervous excitement to emotional absorption" and at times filled with much "tension, sexuality, hate, and irrational impulses," which, when combined, symbolize Brontë's version of the Gothic (78). Heilman further declares that this symbolism "modifies true Gothic, for it demands of the reader a more mature and complicated response than the relatively simple thrill… sought by primitive Gothicism" (98).

As in all prominent novels based on Gothic Romanticism motifs, the use of symbolism is highly important, for it brings out the basic premise of the novel by providing the reader with specific images that function as allegories for reality. In Jane Eyre, many literary critics have assumed that the paintings Jane brings to Thornfield symbolize the personalities of both Jane and Charlotte Brontë. In Scargill's view, this symbolism is put to good use in Jane Eyre, which "contains the elements of fiction used as a poet employs language and imagery… to impose belief, even though it may be by irrational means" (122).

Gothic Motifs in Key Passages of Jane Eyre

In order to fully understand and appreciate the application of Gothic Romanticism in Jane Eyre, it is helpful to explore pertinent passages from the novel that most decisively illustrate Gothic motifs — specifically those described by Bleiler as vigorous, bold, heroic, ancient, charming, and romantic, with a touch of decadence.

In Chapter 4, during a conversation with Mrs. Reed, the narrator — being Jane Eyre/Brontë — exclaims, "my soul began to expand, to exult, with the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph, I ever felt. It seemed as if an invisible bond had burst…" (30). With this, it is clear that Brontë is expressing Jane's desire for a vigorous life, one not reliant on the needs of anyone else and free of self-doubt and dependence. This is also somewhat decadent, for Jane equates freedom with triumph, which runs counter to the traditional English convention that women should be subservient and obey their parents and elders.

In Chapter 5, upon leaving Gateshead, Jane observes that "the moon was set, and it was very dark; Bessie carried a lantern whose light glanced on wet steps and gravel road sodden by a recent thaw. Raw and chill was the winter morning (and) my teeth chattered as I hastened down the drive" (34). This example expresses many of the usual symbols of the Gothic, such as light contrasted with darkness, chilly temperatures, and a landscape filled with desolation. One can also sense the presence of ancient atmospheres, much like being in the shadow of an ancient castle perched high above the land, with vacant windows looking down upon a chill and damp scene. This is supported by a brief description in Chapter 6: "A change had taken place in the weather… and a keen northeast wind, whistling through the crevices of our bedroom windows all night long, had made us shiver in our beds…" (45). In both passages, Brontë writes much like a poet — an obvious influence from one of her favorite English writers, Lord Byron.

In Chapter 8, Jane mentions the infamous "red room," a place where "nothing could soften… the spasm of agony which clutched my heart," especially when Mrs. Reed locked Jane "a second time in the dark and haunted chamber" (64). As in other English Gothic novels, the application of dark and foreboding symbols like this "dark and haunted chamber" is a recurring motif that draws the reader into the psychological trauma within the narrator's mind, similar to Poe's use of the haunted narrator in tales such as "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat."

The romantic aspect of the Gothic is best illustrated in a passage from Chapter 16, in which Mrs. Fairfax describes the physical attributes of Miss Ingram: "Tall, fine bust, sloping shoulders; long, graceful neck; olive complexion, dark and clear; noble features; eyes rather like Mr. Rochester's, large and black… a fine head of hair, raven black… dressed in pure white…" (148). Miss Ingram fits the romantic mold perfectly, appearing as a noblewoman of good birth from a fine English family. Notice also the contrast between "raven black" and "pure white," with white serving as the true color of mystery and apprehension.

The use of decadence in the Gothic varies considerably, but it is most often applied to art and architecture. In Chapter 17, a description of part of the interior of Thornfield reads: "furniture rubbed, flowers piled in vases; both chambers and saloons looked fresh and bright as hands could make them. The hall… was scoured, and the great carved clock, as well as the steps and banisters of the staircase, were polished to the brightness of glass… vases of exotics bloomed on all sides" (154). The key word here is "exotics," a reference to flowers not native to Great Britain. Thus, the exotic flowers and the "great carved clock" are symbols of Mr. Rochester's decadence — in this instance, his wealth and fortune as compared to the lower classes of England.

In speaking of Mr. Rochester, the guardian and owner of Thornfield manor, Jane provides a detailed description of his face that embodies the traits of a romantic hero: "My master's colourless, olive face, square, massive brow, broad and jetty eyebrows, deep eyes, strong features, firm, grim mouth — all energy, decision, will… full of an interest, an influence that quite mastered me…" (163). As the antagonist of Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester resembles a number of Romantic and Gothic archetypes, especially the Byronic hero found in "Don Juan," who symbolizes the master of the house at Thornfield. His heroic stature is further confirmed by Jane's observation that his influence "mastered me" — meaning, in Jane's words, that Mr. Rochester "took my feelings from my own power and fettered them in his."

Conclusion: Gothic Fiction as Poetry

M.H. Scargill offers the suggestion that Jane Eyre can only be appreciated with a clear understanding of the Gothic. The reader of this novel instinctively recognizes its greatness through Brontë's application of Gothic expressionism, and must admit that in Jane Eyre "Gothic fiction has become poetry," which should "enlarge our idea of fiction accordingly" (125).

Bibliography

Bleiler, E.F. Three Gothic Novels. New York: Dover Publications, 1966.

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Oxford University Press, 1975.

Heilman, Robert B. From Jane Austen to Joseph Conrad: Essays Collected in Memory of James T. Steinmann, Jr. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1967.

Oates, Joyce Carol. "Introduction" to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.

Scargill, M.H. "'All Passion Spent': A Revaluation of Jane Eyre." University of Toronto Quarterly. Vol. XIX, no. 2 (January 1950): 120–25.

"The First Wave of Gothic Novels: 1765–1820." The Gothic Experience. Internet. February 7, 2003. Accessed May 21, 2005. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/gothic/history.htm.