Imperialism, reform and the making of Englishness in Jane Eyre
By: Sue Thomas.
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2008
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 170
ISBN-13: 9780230554252; 9780230554252
Subjects: Brontë, Charlotte, -- 1816-1855; Imperialism in literature; National characteristics, English, in literature
Description: "In a famous passage from Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre identifies herself with 'millions' in 'ferment', 'in silent revolt against their lot'. Elsewhere, she compares herself to a missionary preaching liberty to the enslaved, helping them secure their freedom. Her imagination is shaped by historical events, and yet Bronte is usually thought to be careless about dates and historical markers in Jane Eyre. In this groundbreaking study, Sue Thomas convincingly dates the action and setting of the novel, and analyses the worldly consciousness of Bronte's characters and of Bronte herself. She addresses the articulation of questions of imperial history and relations, reform, racialization, and the making of Englishness in the novel. Her examination of an 1848 stage adaptation of Jane Eyre for a predominantly working-class audience and of an 1859 Caribbean reworking of the novel illuminate the limits of Bronte's social imaginary."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Christianity and the state of slavery; title: The tropical extravagance of Bertha Mason; title: Monstrous martyrdom and the "overshadowing tree" of philanthropy; title: The ferment of restlessness; title: Playing Jane Eyre at the Victoria theatre in 1848; title: An 1859 Caribbean reworking of Jane Eyre.