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Essay / Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë - 972
Jane Eyre (1847), by Charlotte Brontë, is a classic Victorian novel that fascinates readers in Victorian society. Written during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the novel is Brontë's second novel, "although the first to be printed" (Gaskell, 1857) with 500 publications. Society revolves around a strict class-based social system and therefore a predominant belief that social class defines social behavior. Through in-depth analysis of the Victorians' failure to retain established belief, discussing how this altered the role of the reader intended to sympathize with Jane Eyre over the course of the novel, and the prudish rights of the Queen's wives Victoria are the main reason for the eruption of individualistic values in classes other than those of the upper class. Now the established belief is false, and Brontë's Victorian readers cannot be forgiven because the truth of individualism is clear to the majority of society, except for the upper class who see the false belief. The Victorians are incapable of retaining the belief of social class. limit social behavior, in the midst of poverty, because it is money that gives people power. The inability to renounce this belief - only acceptable as it is imposed by the wealthy - also lies with the supreme ruler, Queen Victoria I, who will be examined later in the essay. Ensuring that this belief is established by the upper class and that the lower classes follow and "trust" this belief. This confidence is practically lifeless, but can only be overturned with the advent of Jane Eyre. Thus, in Jane Eyre, exploitations of social behavior are evident throughout the society in which Jane exists and, more often than not, this reflection in works of fiction is true. This can be seen during Jane Ey...... middle of paper ...... justifiable but still respected. Jane Eyre inspired Victorians with the truth that they must not abdicate responsibility for their values and beliefs to others, but above all take responsibility for their autonomy through individual decisions. Works Cited Morrison, F & Parker, M. (2006). Masters in Pieces: The English Canon for the 21st Century. Australia: Cambridge University Press. Gaskell, E. (1857). The life of Charlotte Bronte. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Rigby, E. (1848). Jane Eyre. The quarterly review, December, p. 153-185. Lewis, J. (2011). Queen Victoria. Retrieved October 1, 2011 from http://womenshistory.about.com/od/victoriaqueen/p/queen_victoria.htm Schwingen, M. (1994). Class attitudes in The Westminster Review and Jane Eyre. Accessed September 19, 2011 from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/73cbclass.html