Gateshead Hall

Gateshead Hall is the upper-middle class home of the Reed family. Gateshead Hall, identified only as located in “—shire,” England, is the home in which Jane spends the first ten years of her life with her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her three cousins. It is here that Jane learns to take care of herself—training that prepares her for the hardships that are to follow during her years at an orphan asylum.

Two places in particular within Gateshead Hall play prominent roles in Jane’s life there. The window seat in which the reader first encounters Jane as she reads a book on the history of British birds is surrounded by thick red curtains and shelters her from both the cold, raw weather on the outside of the window and the cold, loveless environment of the Reed household on the other side of the curtain.

Shortly after Jane leaves the womblike safety of the window seat, she is banished to the red room, her late uncle’s old bedroom, after being unjustly accused of fighting with her cousin John. It is from the unhappy atmosphere of Gateshead Hall that Jane acquires the strength of character to help her with the difficulties she must face in the future.

Lowton

Lowton is a fictional town near which the Lowood Orphan Asylum is located, some fifty miles from Gateshead Hall. This school is believed to be based in part on the Cowan Bridge School that Charlotte Brontë and her sisters attended as girls.

Lowood Orphan Asylum

After the incident in the red room, Mrs. Reed contacts Mr. Brocklehurst, treasurer of the Lowood Orphan Asylum, to arrange for Jane to live at the school permanently. Jane’s first year at Lowood, especially, is difficult because Mr. Brocklehurst forces the teachers and students to survive on inadequate nourishment and in harsh living conditions. By the spring of her first year at Lowood, typhoid fever ravages the school, resulting in an investigation of Brocklehurst’s methods and leading to vastly improved conditions for the inhabitants of Lowood.

Jane spends the next eight years at Lowood—six years as a student and two years as a teacher. Though her remaining years at Lowood are less difficult than the first, Jane still yearns for more from life. During her years at Lowood, Jane learns from her close friend, Helen Burns, and the superintendent of Lowood, Miss Temple, what it means to live life as a true Christian.

Millcote

Millcote is a fictional English village that is the location of Thornfield Hall, the home of Edward Fairfax Rochester. The village affords Jane the first glimpse of her new home after she leaves Lowood School and is also the scene of her near-marriage to Rochester.

Thornfield Hall

Thornfield Hall is the home of Rochester, his ward Adele, and the housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax. It is there that Jane begins to enjoy life for the first time. However, as the house’s name implies, the house is also a field of thorns, in which Jane learns the joys and pain of true love as well.

Thornfield is a large upper-class estate with many rooms and an equal number of secrets. One secret that is kept from Jane and visitors to the estate is that on the upper floor of the mansion, Rochester is hiding Bertha, his legal wife, who has gone mad. After Jane’s arrival, the house transforms from a place nearly abandoned by its master to a scene of family tranquillity, parties, and Jane and Rochester’s growing love for each other. Later, however, it becomes a place of pain and regret that Jane must leave in secret in order to escape the prospect of love without the sanctity of marriage.

Whitcross

Whitcross is the fictional crossroads on the moors of northern England to which Jane flees from Rochester and the memories of their lost love. Left with no food, money, or clothes, Jane must beg for scraps of food and spends several nights sleeping outside.

Moor House

Moor House is the home of St. John, Diana, and Mary Rivers. Left with no other options, Jane finds herself outside Moor House, hoping to find food, lodging, and possible employment. The cottage is warm and inviting, and the Rivers family takes in an ailing Jane and nurses her back to health.

Finding Jane to be well-bred and educated, St. John immediately employs Jane to run a school for village girls. In her small home and school, Jane finds the contentment of employment to be both fulfilling and enjoyable. However, Jane soon discovers that she is both an heiress to a considerable fortune and the cousin of the Rivers family.

She is also faced with a marriage proposal from St. John. Realizing that she loves only Rochester, she leaves Moor House to go to him. Upon arriving in Millcote, Jane learns that Thornfield Hall has burned down, Rochester’s wife has died, and Rochester has moved to his other home, Ferndean Manor.

Ferndean Manor

Ferndean Manor is one of Rochester’s homes, located two miles from Millcote. After Jane learns of the change in Rochester’s circumstances, she rushes to Ferndean Manor and finds that he is both blind and maimed as a result of the fire that destroyed Thornfield Hall and killed Bertha. Jane and Rochester decide on a quiet wedding with only the two of them present. It is at Ferndean Manor that Jane is rewarded for her years of suffering and longing for love and where the Rochesters finally begin a long and happy marriage.

Set in early nineteenth-century England, Jane Eyre traverses several locations, each imbued with autobiographical elements from Charlotte Bronte's life. As a child residing in Mrs. Reed's home, Gateshead Hall, Jane endures overt class subordination. After a confrontation with Mrs. Reed's bullying son, John, Jane is forcibly confined to an isolated room where she senses a presence, described as "a rushing of wings." This elusive visitation reappears throughout the novel, each time heralding a significant change in Jane's life.

At Lowood School, over seventy girls, ranging in age from nine to twenty, are constantly reminded of their indebtedness to the charitable donors who partially fund their education. The building is bleak, sparsely furnished, and inadequately heated, with the harsh and austere conditions severely testing Jane's determination.

Upon completing her studies, Jane remains at Lowood as a teacher. However, heeding the call of a disembodied voice, she soon advertises for a governess position. She is subsequently hired by Mrs. Fairfax of Thornfield. At Thornfield Manor, a gothic three-story mansion, Jane becomes the governess to Adele Varens, a ward of Edward Rochester, the estate's owner.

After spending a year at Thornfield, Jane is summoned back to Gateshead to attend to the dying Mrs. Reed. It is against this backdrop that the dramatic scene of Rochester's marriage proposal and Jane's acceptance unfolds.

Jane's wedding ceremony is abruptly halted by a shocking revelation. She then travels to Whitcross, located two days away from Thornfield in the northern Midlands moors. With no food or money, Jane survives by eating and sleeping in the heather until she is taken in by Moor House, the rustic home of St. John Rivers, a sincere parson. St. John offers her a job as the mistress of a new girls' school, and she moves into a simple cottage. However, a premonition of Rochester's voice calling her back to Thornfield eventually compels her to leave Whitcross.

Upon her return to Thornfield, Jane discovers only the charred remains of the estate, her former haven of happiness and security, destroyed by a fire started by Rochester's insane wife, now deceased. Jane reunites with Rochester, who is now blind and residing at Ferndean, a remote manor house thirty miles away. They marry, and the simple, virtuous life at Ferndean helps restore Rochester's sight.

Narrative

Jane Eyre is narrated in the first person, from the perspective of its protagonist, Jane Eyre. Bronte employs an age-old technique in English literature: the novel is presented as a memoir penned by a real woman named Jane Eyre and edited by Currer Bell, which is Charlotte Bronte's pseudonym. (In fact, the complete title of the book is Jane Eyre: An Autobiography.) In line with this convention, the narrator occasionally speaks directly to the reader using the term "reader."

While the first-person perspective can limit the narrative scope, the narrator in Jane Eyre often appears more omniscient (knowledgeable and perceptive) than a typical first-person narrator. Much of the story seems to unfold organically. This may be because the narrative is told in hindsight; the events have already occurred as Jane recounts them.

As with many traditional first-person narratives, the narrator in Jane Eyre skillfully describes other characters, capturing both their physical traits and inner personalities. There are passages where the narrator offers observations and opinions about life—sometimes these reflections seem to come directly from the author. However, the novel's suspense hinges on the fact that the narrator is not entirely omniscient, or at least does not disclose crucial information until Jane herself learns it in the story's timeline.

Setting

The novel is set in northern England during the early to mid-nineteenth century and spans roughly twelve years. Bronte does not provide specific dates for the events in the book, nor does she reference contemporary historical events. Scholars generally believe that Jane Eyre's "autobiography" mirrors Charlotte Bronte's life at the same age. The narrative often mentions specific months and seasons, ensuring that readers are rarely uncertain about the time of year during which an event occurs. This attention to detail enhances the novel's realism.

Bronte uses several primary settings—mainly individual houses—for the story's action. She vividly describes these locations, creating a distinct atmosphere and a sense of realism. Additionally, the settings contribute to the novel's structural unity and variety. Each setting or group of settings corresponds to a different phase in Jane Eyre's life.

The novel's primary settings include Gateshead Hall, the residence of Jane's aunt (by marriage), where the orphaned Jane lives at the story's outset. At ten years old, Jane is sent to Lowood Institution, a charity school for destitute orphans. By eighteen, she moves to Thornfield Hall to work as a governess. Upon discovering Mr. Rochester's concealed marriage to Bertha, she escapes across the moors to Moor House, where Reverend St. John Rivers takes her in. Near the novel’s conclusion, she reunites with Mr. Rochester at Ferndean Manor, as Thornfield was destroyed in a fire set by Bertha during Jane's absence.

Although Bronte does not use actual place names in her novel, scholars have identified several real locations that inspired her settings. Lowood Institution is thought to be based on the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Yorkshire, which Bronte attended as a child. Thornfield Hall may be inspired by two manor houses familiar to Bronte.

The first, Norton Conyers, is located near Ripon in North Yorkshire. North Lees Hall, a large, imposing stone manor house in Derbyshire, also matches Thornfield's description. In 1846, Bronte spent three weeks in Heathersage, Derbyshire, visiting her old school friend Ellen Nussey. Before Bronte returned to her home in Haworth, Ellen's brother, the local vicar, conducted a funeral for a man named Thomas Eyre. The Eyre family was prominent in the area, and Bronte likely saw the name on various church memorials.

North Lees Hall is nearby. Local history recounts that Agnes Ashurst, the first mistress at North Lees Hall, was insane and confined to an upstairs room. She died in a fire, mirroring Bertha's fate in the novel. A similar legend exists about Norton Conyers. Visible from the vicarage where Bronte stayed is another manor house called Moorseats, believed to be the model for Moor House.

Regardless of the real-life inspirations for her settings, Bronte's descriptions are always remarkably vivid. These portrayals help readers visualize the locations where the action unfolds and contribute to a specific mood and atmosphere. Bronte employs Gothic descriptive elements (clouds, moonlight, stormy weather, dark hallways) with a distinctiveness that elevates the Gothic genre.

Structure

At the start of Chapter 11, Jane addresses the reader, noting that "a new chapter in a novel is something like a new scene in a play." Jane Eyre is structured into thirty-eight chapters. However, more importantly, the novel can be divided into three distinct sections. Each part follows a pattern of conflict and resolution (or rather, partial resolution until the novel's conclusion). Throughout these sections, Jane's quest to find or create a true home is a recurring theme.

The first section, encompassing Chapters 1 through 10, details Jane's childhood and education. These chapters are set at Gateshead Hall and Lowood Institution. Key characters include Mrs. Reed and her children, Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and Miss Temple. Significant conflicts and events involve Jane's defiance against Mrs. Reed and her friendship with the ailing Helen.

Chapters 10 through 27 focus on Jane's life as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with Edward Rochester. Besides Jane, Mr. Rochester is the central figure in this section. Important characters also include Mrs. Fairfax, Adele, Blanche Ingram, Grace Poole, Bertha Mason, and Mr. Mason. The dramatic tension revolves around Jane's growing affection for Mr. Rochester, her fear that he will marry Blanche, and a series of mysterious occurrences at Thornfield.

The final section, from Chapter 28 to the end, follows Jane's life after she leaves Thornfield. The action shifts to the countryside, Moor House, and Moorton. The Reverend St. John Rivers and his two sisters are primary characters in this part. Although Rochester does not reappear until the end, he remains a significant presence in Jane's thoughts. Key events include Jane's struggle to find shelter, her uneasy relationship with Rivers, and her eventual return to Mr. Rochester.

Many readers and critics view this final section as the weakest and most contrived part of the novel. However, the events here serve to test Jane's loyalty to Rochester. By the time she returns to marry him, both characters and their circumstances have matured beyond their initial planned wedding in the second section.

Gothicism

Despite its powerful writing and its exploration of moral and social issues beyond the immediate plot, Jane Eyre is generally not classified as a Gothic novel. However, it incorporates many elements typical of the Gothic genre popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, leading some critics to place it within the Gothic tradition. Classic examples of this genre include Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764), Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), and M. G. Lewis's The Monk (1796). Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) also employs some Gothic elements, while Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey (1818) satirizes the genre's excesses.

Gothic literature and the Gothic tradition are recognizable by certain defining features. Often employing exaggerated language, Gothic novels include bizarre characters and melodramatic events. Settings typically feature ominous castles, crumbling manor houses, and wild, untamed landscapes. These stories often have an element of the fantastic or supernatural. There is usually an atmosphere of mystery or suspense, and an innocent heroine is almost always in danger of some unspeakable horror. Additionally, unexplained events frequently occur at night.

Another hallmark of this genre is a hero who has lived an adventurous, unconventional life, making him romantically appealing but also tainted by a flaw (usually a dark secret from his past) that alienates him from respectable society or makes him socially unacceptable.

The Gothic hero may exhibit violent tendencies but typically suffers from the awareness of his past deeds. In real life, the British poet George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824), was often seen as a model for the Gothic hero. (Indeed, the term "Byronic hero" is sometimes used to describe Mr. Rochester and other Gothic heroes.) For Bronte, her brother Branwell also displayed some of the traits associated with a Gothic hero.

In Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester can be viewed as a Gothic hero. However, Bronte has crafted him as a well-rounded character rather than a stereotype. His circumstances are Gothic, but Bronte infuses them with moral significance. Thornfield Hall might appear to be a Gothic residence, but aside from the mysterious presence of Grace Poole (who turns out to be benign if unattractive) and Bertha, it is a comfortable home. The details surrounding Bertha's presence at Thornfield are highly Gothic, as is Bertha herself.

Other Gothic elements can be observed in Bertha's attacks on Messrs. Rochester and Mason, her intrusion into Jane's bedroom, the sudden interruption of Jane and Mr. Rochester's wedding, Jane's escape across the countryside, the cold-hearted Reverend St. John Rivers, the destruction of Thornfield by fire, and the supernatural event of Jane hearing Rochester's voice calling her back to him.

Coincidence

When critics point out the flaws in Jane Eyre, they almost always mention its reliance on unbelievable coincidences. However, Bronte was not the only major writer of her time to use coincidence as a plot device. During the Victorian era, the use of coincidence to advance a story was quite common, even among the most renowned authors. It was an accepted literary convention of the period. For instance, the works of Charles Dickens are filled with coincidences that might seem implausible today, yet Dickens's novels remain celebrated masterpieces.

Among the various coincidences in Jane Eyre, at least two have garnered critical attention. The first involves how Bertha's brother, Mason, learns about Jane's upcoming marriage to Rochester. Mason, residing in Jamaica, is involved in the wine trade, as is Jane's uncle, John Eyre, who lives on the island of Madeira, several thousand miles away. Earlier, while returning to Jamaica after being attacked by Bertha, Mason stopped in Madeira and stayed with John Eyre, unaware of his connection to Jane. When John Eyre mentions that his niece, Jane, is set to marry Mr. Rochester, Mason hurries back to England to halt the wedding.

The second remarkable coincidence pertains to how Jane receives her inheritance and discovers that the Rivers are her cousins. After fleeing Thornfield, penniless and nearly starving, Jane is eventually taken in by strangers—St. John Rivers and his two sisters. The Rivers nurse her back to health, offering her shelter, friendship, and a job as a schoolmistress, though she does not reveal her true identity. One day, St. John informs Jane that he has received a letter from a London attorney stating that his uncle—John Eyre—has died, leaving a fortune to Jane Eyre. St. John realizes that the young woman he has helped is indeed Jane, and Jane discovers that the very people who aided her as a stranger are actually her cousins.

Both these coincidences stretch the reader's belief, yet they are essential for advancing key plot points.

Symbolism and Imagery

Jane Eyre is rich with imagery derived from nature and the English countryside. Bronte employs this imagery to reflect her characters' moral states and emotional conditions. There are numerous references to weather and the sky, including storms, rain, clouds, and sunshine. At the beginning of the novel, Jane sets the tone by describing "the cold winter wind" that brought "clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating."

The moon also appears frequently. There is a full moon on the night Bertha attacks her brother, as well as on the night Jane leaves Thornfield. Later, St. John Rivers is seen reading his Bible by moonlight.

Tree imagery plays a crucial role in the narrative. Critic Mark Shorer points out that "nearly every important scene in the development of the passion of Rochester and Jane Eyre takes place among trees—in an orchard, an arbor, a woods, a 'leafy enclosure.'" Soon after Jane consents to marry Rochester, he remarks that she looks "blooming." However, after their wedding is disrupted, "the woods which twelve hours since waved leafy and fragrant . . . now spread, waste, wild and white as pine-forests in wintry Norway." Ferndean, the residence where the blind and injured Rochester retreats after the destruction of Thornfield, is shrouded by the "thick and dark . . . timber . . . of the gloomy wood about it." The house is nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding trees; when Jane arrives, she observes that "there were no flowers, no garden-beds." Upon their reunion, Rochester tells Jane, "I am no better than the old lightening-struck chestnut-tree in Thornfield orchard." Jane counters, insisting that he is "green and vigorous," and assures him that "plants will grow about your roots . . . because your strength offers them so safe a prop."

Critics concur that Jane Eyre exemplifies the author-as-narrator concept, where narrative credibility stems from an intimate understanding of the storyteller. The novel masterfully blends the devout moral tone characteristic of Victorian literature with the Gothic elements of earlier romanticism. Thornfield, along with its strange third-floor resident, Jane's telepathic messages, and the awe-inspiring events in nature, creates a captivating ghostly atmosphere.

Bronte employs foreshadowing and symbolic naming of characters or places to provide readers with clues about the plot's progression. At Lowood, Miss Scatcherd is as harsh and abrasive as her name suggests, while Maria Temple serves as a sanctified refuge for Jane, as her surname implies. The plot is enriched with memorable characters who act within a predictable range of psychological and social motivations. Their actions and dialogue are thoroughly documented, and the settings are described sufficiently to offer appropriate context.