Jane Eyre - Context

How to write about context

Try to learn as much as you can about the context of any fictional work you study. Doing so will enable you to better understand the important influences which helped to shape the text. It is important not to leap to the conclusion that context dictates the meaning of a text, however. The influence of context on meaning can often be subtle and it is unwise to assume that a particular historical event is represented in an unbiased and clear way in the pages of a fictional text. Nevertheless, having some knowledge of context gives you a good grounding for approaching an analysis of a text.

Reading a novel such as Jane Eyre, which is far removed from the modern day, is always in interesting experience. It is easy to identify with the young Jane and her determination despite the many differences between Charlotte Brontë’s time and our own. One of the traps into which some readers fall is to see the novel as a form of autobiography and to look for all of the correspondences between Brontë’s life and Jane's. Jane, of course, is a fictional creation, like any other character.

Research the context of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, remembering everything you have learned in English (and maybe history) lessons, and try these questions to see how much you know about the context of the novel.