Imperialism, reform, and the making of Englishness in Jane Eyre / Sue Thomas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thomas, Sue, 1955-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Brontë, Charlotte, 1816-1855. Jane Eyre.

Brontë, Charlotte.

Imperialism in literature.

National characteristics, English, in literature.

Physical Description:

xi, 170 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Christianity and the state of slavery

The tropical extravagance of Bertha Mason

Monstrous martyrdom and the 'overshadowing tree' of philanthropy

The ferment of restlessness

Playing Jane Eyre at the Victoria Theatre in 1848

An 1859 Caribbean perspective on Jane Eyre.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 130-164) and index.

ISBN:

9780230554252

0230554253

OCLC:

189699745

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description