A (very brief) Prelude to Jane Eyre
in which we get our bearings in the world of the gothic novel
Welcome to Reading Revisited, a place for friends to enjoy some good old-fashioned book chat while revisiting the truth, beauty, and goodness we’ve found in our favorite books.
Hello, readers!
I hope you’ve all picked up your copies of Jane Eyre and are ready to dive in! As we get started with this wonderful book, I thought it might be fun to take a moment to consider what exactly we’re getting ourselves into.
Jane Eyre, like any other great novel, works on many different levels. This is something that I love about great literature. You can pick it up with little to no preparation and still come away with a beautiful story! But I would also suggest that familiarizing ourselves with the form and tradition of a particular genre gives us the eyes to see more clearly what an author is doing, and opens the door for a greater level of depth to be explored.
So, to that end, I want to share a few tidbits about the gothic novel and map out a few things we should be keeping our eyes out for as we enter Brontë’s world.
Characteristics of the Gothic Novel
I won’t get in to the details/origins of the gothic literary movement too much, partly because we have an awesome podcast episode dropping next week which gets into some of that background. Instead let’s take a look at a few key characteristics we’re looking for in a gothic novel:
Setting:
Usually a big creepy house or castle. Think gargoyles, towers, spires, secret passages…the whole nine yards.
Sometimes we’ll see these places have been abandoned or in a state of disrepair, other times occupied but with secretive, mysterious rooms, wings, or ahem, attics.
Atmosphere:
Lots of mystery, suspense, confusion.
The weather is frequently observed and usually bad. Dark clouds, rain, storms, fog.
If anyone’s “looking out over the moors”…it’s probably gothic.
A few key characters
Damsel in distress
usually a young, innocent girl who is often overcome by her emotions…prone to swoon
lots of people, especially men, with secrets and deceptive appearances
some kind of ghost, spirit, monster or otherwise fantastical ‘bad guy’
OR the strong suspicion of one
Also check out this hilarious AND super helpful link from the Guardian on this topic to go a little deeper.
Gothic Novels at Reading Revisited
Over the years at RR we have read through several gothic novels - check out the list:
Villette by Charlotte Bronte (this one may not be fully in the “gothic” camp, but retains LOTS of the same features)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (2021)
Our Austen book for 2025, Northanger Abbey, is an excellent spoof on the gothic novel - be sure to check it out!
A Bit about Brontë
I won’t get much into the bio here, check out the upcoming podcast episode on Jane Eyre in which we dig in to Charlotte Brontë’s background a bit, but I will share a few links for anyone interesting in digging a little deeper:
Elizabeth Gaskell’s Life of Charlotte Brontë
This article gets into some of the details of the Cowan Bridge school - a school attended by the Brontë sisters in their childhood, and which clearly serves as inspiration for parts of Jane Eyre
- , along with , did an awesome series on Jane Eyre a few years back - would be a great companion as we read along.
Until next time, keep revisiting the good books that enrich your life and nourish your soul.In Case You Missed It:
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