Before I even started writing my first murder mystery novel, I knew I wanted a strong woman as my heroine. I was sick of female victims suffering and femmes fatales seducing. I wanted a modern woman solving crimes.
When Charlotte Bront set out to write the novel Jane Eyre, she was determined to create a main character who challenged the notion of the ideal Victorian woman, or as Bront was once quoted: "a heroine as plain and as small as myself" (Gaskell, Chapter XV). Bront's determination to portray a plain yet passionate young woman who defied the stereotype of the docile and domestic Victorian feminine ideal most likely developed from her own dissatisfaction with domestic duties and a Victorian culture that discouraged women from having literary aspirations. Through the following activities, students can learn the expectations and limitations placed on Victorian women. Contemplating Bront's position and desire for literary achievement in that context, students will compare Jane Eyre to other literary heroines and discuss her social class in relation to other characters.
During an era when etiquette guides circulated freely, empire waists gave way to tiny-waisted corsets, and tea parties grew in popularity, it might seem incongruous that realistic novels would set the Victorian literary trend. Perhaps the socially conscious novel may have been a result of the belief of the rising middle class of Victorian England in the possibility for change, since they had witnessed such economic changes in their lifetimes. With works such as Charles Dickens' Hard Times, George Eliot's Middlemarch and Charlotte's Bront's own sister Emily's Wuthering Heights featuring female characters that represented trapped and repressed Victorian women marrying for the wrong reasons, disillusioned with family life, and relying on their physical beauty, Jane Eyre serves as a breath of fresh air for women. Jane is a heroine battling the same societal limitations as her literary counterparts, but her raw narrative voice never fails to expose her Romantic sensibilities, psychological depth, and her adamant desire to stay true to herself.
Chapter VIII of Elizabeth Gaskell's 1857 biography The Life of Charlotte Bront provides insight into Bront's life as a whole and her letters with Robert Southey that reveal what Bront was going through on her way to becoming a published author.
Victorian Web also has a wealth of resources related to Victorian social history, including the brief The Position of Middle-class Women, which provides some context for Jane Austen's status as a governess.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
Have students free write for a few minutes in response to the prompt, "How do publications reflect and mirror a time and culture?" Have student volunteers share their responses and examples before beginning a brief discussion of how media outlets target different populations and therefore have different content. Use the following questions to generate discussion:
Direct students to the March 1850 issue of Godey's Lady's Book, which is available via the EDSITEment-reviewed Internet Public Library. Using the ideas generated in the previous discussion, have students consider the intended audience, likely advertising, and content of the Godey's Lady's Book from the title. Now have students consider that this was a popular periodical to which women could turn for fashion, literature, and even moral guidance. While this is an American publication, the themes in the articles do have similar concerns as those in British society. It should be read, however, within the context of the material presented in the remainder of the lesson plan.
Have students form small groups to explore the March 1850 issue of Godey's by clicking on different pages of the text and skimming some of the text and images. Have them discuss the following questions:
Ask students, "Based on your interpretations of this issue of Godey's Lady's Book, how would you describe the ideal Victorian woman?" After briefly discussing how students envision the ideal Victorian woman, have them read the section "The ideal Victorian women" from Dr. Lynn Abrams article "Ideals of womanhood in Victorian Britain," via EDSITEment-reviewed Internet Public Library.
In partners or a small group, students will create a script for a morning news program called "Wake up!" that draws upon the research they have done thus far for Activity One. The premise of the morning news show is to illustrate the social, cultural, political, and economic norms regarding gender during the Victorian era and how those same elements of life are dealt with today. One half of the partnership or group will focus on the Victorian Era and the other half will focus on today, with all members of the group using multimedia evidence and original research to support their claims (i.e. what they present as part of the sketch). Sketches may include, but are not limited to, discussing politics, jobs and employment, sports, entertainment, music, literature, and more.
Share with students the words of one critic, Elizabeth Rigby, who in the 1848 issue of The Quarterly Review , claimed that Currer Bell committed the "highest moral offence a novel writer can commit, that of making an unworthy character interesting in the eyes of a reader."
Have students read an excerpt from Rigby's review that pinpoints the character trait that Jane possesses that makes her an "unworthy" character in Rigby's eyes. Students should scroll down the document about two-thirds and read the two paragraphs beginning with the line "We have said that this was the picture of a natural heart" (or use Edit and Find to search the page for this paragraph).
Read the first three paragraphs of Chapter 1 in Jane Eyre aloud and ask students with what words does Jane (as the first person narrator) assert from the beginning that she is considered "unworthy" in the Reed household. Elicit quotes from students from the first three paragraphs that support the idea of Jane's "unworthiness" and write these quotes on the board.
Have students read Jane Eyre looking for evidence to support and refute Rigby's claims about Jane. Students should look for both evidence that supports and refutes the criticisms and can record notes using the Activity Two handout.
Essay Prompt/Debate - Using the evidence students have collected throughout their reading, have them write a persuasive essay that either supports or refutes Rigby's claims about Jane. This activity can also be done as a classroom debate. If desired, split the class into even teams and have them form arguments regarding Rigby's criticism of Jane. At the end of the debate, have students write concluding statements that have supporting evidence for their argument, evidence for the counterargument, and evidence to disprove that counterargument.
Ask students to keep a reading log throughout their reading of Jane Eyre in which they document examples of how Jane's role as a heroine evolves in the novel. Students can keep Bront's intentions for the character Jane and Rigby's criticisms of Jane in mind as they read and reflect on her development. Writing log entries will help students clarify their assessment of Jane's character. Encourage students to provide textual support when they agree with Jane's actions and attitudes, or when they agree with Rigby's assessment of Jane. Finally, in what ways does Jane conform to Victorian ideals and in what ways does she not conform?
This lesson also may serve as an appropriate introduction to any number of other Victorian novels, including those by Bront's siblings. Additionally, teach other Victorian writers, such as Robert Browning, who is featured in the EDSITEment lesson plan Browning's "My Last Duchess" and Dramatic Monologue.
Rochelle Marcus Dinkin describes her work as a "psychological diary of [her] translation of the individual's journey through life. It is a kind of fairytale; a story that teaches, both symbolic and narrative." Exploring themes of feminism, sexuality, and mythology, Dinkin's elaborately patterned figurative works center on the stories of women, their relationships, and their roles. With their Medieval references and ornate compositions, the works entice the viewer to embark on the heroine's journey, traveling through Dinkin's imaginative, magical realms where personal mythologies unfold.
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Disney's Cinderella, written by Chris Weitz and directed by Kenneth Branagh, opens today. I posted a review, which proposes that this version of Cinderella, based on the French fairy tale by Charles Perrault in 1697, reclaims the glory of a hero's rescue while restoring romanticism to the story.
But this is still Cinderella. The character is abused. Part of the brilliance of Mr. Branagh's beautiful picture is that it peels away layers of subplots. In particular, he powerfully depicts the heroine's climactic rescue.
I thought there was so much to appreciate about this new adaptation of Cinderella that I requested a second screening from Walt Disney Pictures, the first time I'd done so for a major movie in 10 years. I do not typically ask for another viewing unless I think it is necessary to ensure that I fully cover and account for essential thoughts to include in a report or review. The last time I asked for another screening was for Brokeback Mountain from Focus Features in 2005. There was a lot to think about in that movie, too.
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