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Jane Eyre - Context

Explore the historical and social world of Jane Eyre, from Victorian gender expectations to harsh schools, Yorkshire landscapes, and Gothic houses that mirror danger and desire.

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Fascinating Fact:

Yorkshire landscapes and isolated houses draw on Gothic conventions, using weather and architecture to heighten mood and moral testing.

In GCSE English Literature, the context of Jane Eyre includes Victorian views on class, religion, and gender. The wild Yorkshire settings and Gothic details deepen themes of isolation, temptation, and moral choice.

Key Terms

Gothic convention: A familiar feature of Gothic writing, such as storms, secrets, or eerie buildings, used to create suspense and tension.
Setting: The time and place where a story happens, including location, weather, and the atmosphere created.
Victorian era: The period when Queen Victoria ruled Britain, marked by strict social rules, industry, and limited rights for women.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is the historical context of Jane Eyre for GCSE?

Jane Eyre is set in Victorian England, a time of strict class divisions, intense Christian belief, and narrow roles for women. The novel questions these ideas through Jane’s choices.

How do the Yorkshire settings influence Jane Eyre?

The moors and isolated houses underline loneliness, inner conflict, and danger. Weather and landscape often match Jane’s emotional state and signal key moral turning points.

What Gothic features appear in Jane Eyre?

The novel uses storms, mysterious sounds, locked rooms, and a hidden past at Thornfield. These Gothic features build suspense and highlight themes of secrecy and judgement.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Where was Charlotte sent with her sisters after her mother died?

To a workhouse

To be cared for by her unkind aunt in the north of England

The Clergy Daughters' School

To a convent

Jane's time at Lowood School was inspired by this early educational experience. Two of Charlotte Brontë's sisters died after becoming seriously ill at the school

2 .

What was the profession of Charlotte Brontë's father?

Doctor

Teacher

Solicitor

Clergyman

Her father shares this profession with St John Rivers, who is also responsible for parish life on the Yorkshire moors. St John admits to the ambitions and difficulties underlying his choice of profession

3 .

What does Spanish-town, Jamaica, have in common with India, where St John Rivers carries out his missionary work?

Charlotte Brontë travelled widely, including to both of these places

Charlotte Brontë had uncles living in both places

Both places were part of the British Empire

The two places have nothing in common

The men of Jane Eyre travel to the outposts of the British Empire: Rochester marries in Jamaica and St John aims to produce new Christians through conversion in India

4 .

Inheritance plays an important role in Jane Eyre. Which of the following events relies on the rules of inheritance?

The Rivers family do not inherit money which they had expected

Rochester has not long owned Thornfield Hall

Jane becomes an "independent" woman

All of the above

As a younger son, Rochester had not expected to inherit Thornfield. When Jane's uncle learns of her existence, he leaves her his fortune, thereby disappointing the Rivers family who might have inherited some of his money. Jane, of course, rectifies the situation by sharing her inheritance with her new-found cousins

5 .

When was Jane Eyre first published?

1797

1847

1897

1947

Jane Eyre was first published in October 1847

6 .

Jane Eyre was first published under which name?

George Eliot

"A Lady"

Currer Bell

Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë, like some other female authors of her era, published under a male pseudonym. Her sister Emily published Wuthering Heights under the name Ellis Bell; their sister Anne used the name Acton Bell

7 .

Charlotte Brontë spent some time working as which of the following?

Journalist

Headmistress

Painter

Teacher

Charlotte Brontë taught English at a school in Brussels for a short while

8 .

In which era was Jane Eyre written?

The Elizabethan

The Georgian

The Regency

The Victorian

Queen Victoria ruled Britain through most of the nineteenth century

9 .

How are the Yorkshire Moors depicted in the novel?

As a gentle, nurturing environment

As a harsh environment, both in physical and social terms

As a civilised, cultivated environment

As a gentle environment inhabited by harsh people

Jane is repeatedly turned away when driven to ask for help and nearly dies from exposure, yet the Moors are also where she finds unexpected hope by stumbling across the home of the Rivers siblings

10 .

Where did Charlotte Brontë live during the time when she wrote Jane Eyre?

Yorkshire

Belgium

Paris

London

The Brontë home was in Haworth, Yorkshire

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Jane Eyre

Author: Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)