Jane Eyre Group

Question:

spy5573
spy5573
Student
High School - 10th Grade

In Jane Eyre how is Jane treated as a governess?

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Posted by spy5573 on Tuesday May 5, 2009 at 5:00 PM and tagged with characters, governess, jane, treatment.

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  1. scarletpimpernel Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Jane is treated as most 19th century governesses are treated.  She is a servant, but she maintains a higher role in the household than other domestic servants.  This is because she is educated and she has the responsibility of teaching a young lady academic and social skills. Thus, she is allowed to attend events such as dinners and engage in conversations that the other servants would not even consider being involved in (or be allowed to).

    Of course, in Jane's situation, she becomes Rochester's trusted confidante and love interest; so she is treated better than most governesses would have been in her time period. The link below contains helpful information about governesses during the 19th century.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/jane-eyre/historical-context

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    Posted by scarletpimpernel on Wednesday August 5, 2009 at 4:42 PM