genre in jane eyre

12002 Secondary English LIG

Q u a l i ty

Q u a l i ty

T e a c he r

T e a c he r

P r o gr am

P r o gr am

Victorian literature

Stage 5, Year 9

Rationale

The English novel has a relatively short history compared with thedevelopment of other written texts, with the first novels appearingaround the early 18th century: Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719)and Samuel Richardson’s Pamela (1740). The novel form proliferatedduring the nineteenth century, when rivalries emerged among itsemerging Gothic, Romance, realist and naturalist genres. This unit aimsat introducing students to describing, analysing and exploring the valuesand contexts of Victorian literature. The unit also provides theopportunity for teachers to use Victorian literature as entry toinvestigating other sub-genres, such as Gothic, Romance and socialrealism. The focus text for the unit is the play Jane Eyre, adapted bySteve Barlow and Steve Skidmore. This is a very accessible text whichis true to the main elements of the narrative and characters in CharlotteBronte’s novel. Teachers could easily substitute the play GreatExpectations (from the same series as Jane Eyre), which might be moreinteresting for boys. There is also a range of film versions of both texts.

2 2002 Secondary English LIG

Q u a l i ty

Q u a l i ty

T e a c he r

T e a c he r

P r o gr am

P r o gr am

Professional reading

Fuery, Patrick and Mansfield, Nick, 1997, Cultural Studies and the New Humanities, Oxford,Melbourne, (p. 102–109: has a brief introduction to realism).

Davenport-Hines, Richard, 1998, Gothic, Fourth Estate, London. The Prologue is very useful if youdon’t have time to read the whole book.

Stevens, David, (1995), The Gothic Tradition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/intgenre/intgenre.html – introduction to genre theory.

Other useful resources

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/intro.htmlWeb site on Gothic literature in England 1764–1840

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/~enec981/Group/title.htmlWeb site: The Gothic: Materials for study

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/Gothicres.htmlNotes on features of Gothic literature

http://www.litGothic.com/Authors/authors.htmlList of resources; information on authors

http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/romance.htmlRomance genre

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/genre/romance/novelromance/Features of the Romance novel

Focus text

Barlow, Steve and Steve Skidmore (adapt.) 1999, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Oxford Play Scripts,OUP, London.

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/intgenre/intgenre.html

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/intro.html

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/~enec981/Group/title.html

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/Gothicres.html

http://www.litGothic.com/Authors/authors.html

http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/romance.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/genre/romance/novelromance/


Q u a l i ty

Q u a l i ty

T e a c he r

T e a c he r

P r o gr am

P r o gr am

Teach

ing a

nd

learn

ing s

eq

uen

ce

Ou

tco

mes

Co

nte

nt

Act

ivit

ies/

stu

den

t p

rod

uct

sR

eso

urc

es

1.A

stud

ent,

thro

ugh

wid

e an

d cl

ose

stud

y, re

spon

ds to

and

com

pose

sin

crea

sing

ly d

eman

ding

text

s for

unde

rsta

ndin

g, fo

r cri

tica

l ana

lysi

san

d fo

r ple

asur

e in

incr

easi

ngly

com

plex

way

s.

Stud

ents

lear

n to

:

•re

cogn

ise

the

situ

atio

nal a

ndcu

ltur

al e

lem

ents

that

shap

e te

xts.

Stud

ents

lear

n ab

out:

•th

e id

eas,

info

rmat

ion

and

pers

pect

ives

pre

sent

ed in

text

s.

Cul

tura

l and

his

tori

cal

cont

ext o

f the

stor

yT

he V

icto

rian

Age

Stud

ents

to u

nder

take

libr

ary

rese

arch

on

Vic

tori

an li

fe, i

nclu

ding

fash

ion,

soci

al m

ores

,ro

le o

f wom

en, m

arri

age,

cla

ss st

ruct

ures

, Eng

lish

polit

ics,

educ

atio

n, p

oorh

ouse

s, da

ily li

ves o

fm

embe

rs o

f diff

eren

t soc

ial c

lass

es

Stud

ents

mak

e no

tes,

usin

g th

e re

sear

ch g

uide

Stud

ents

wor

k on

a so

cial

and

pol

itic

al t

imel

ine

for V

icto

rian

tim

es

Libr

ary

Inte

rnet

: The

Vic

toria

nW

ebht

tp://

65.1

07.2

11.2

06

App

endi

x 1

Res

earc

hgu

ide

1. A

stud

ent,

thro

ugh

wid

e an

d cl

ose

stud

y, re

spon

ds to

and

com

pose

sin

crea

sing

ly d

eman

ding

text

s for

unde

rsta

ndin

g, fo

r cri

tica

l ana

lysi

san

d fo

r ple

asur

e in

incr

easi

ngly

dem

andi

ng w

ays.

Stud

ents

lear

n to

•re

spon

d to

… m

ore

sust

aine

d te

xts

•re

late

thei

r res

pons

es to

text

s to

thei

r dev

elop

ing

mor

al a

nd e

thic

alst

ance

s on

issu

es.

Stud

ents

lear

n ab

out

•th

e ro

le o

f con

text

in sh

apin

gm

eani

ng in

resp

onse

to a

ndco

mpo

siti

on o

f tex

ts.

Rea

d th

e pl

ay, J

ane

Eyr

e,ar

ound

the

clas

sC

lass

read

ing

of th

e pl

ay. S

tude

nts s

houl

d m

ake

note

s at t

he e

nd o

f eac

h ac

t to

dem

onst

rate

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

wha

t is r

ead

and

for q

uick

refe

renc

e w

hen

com

plet

ing

resp

ondi

ng a

ctiv

itie

sla

ter.

App

endi

x 2

Rea

ding

jour

nal


Q u a l i ty

Q u a l i ty

T e a c he r

T e a c he r

P r o gr am

P r o gr am

Ou

tco

mes

Co

nte

nt

Learn

ing a

ctiv

itie

sR

eso

urc

es

7.A

stud

ent t

hink

s cri

tica

lly u

sing

info

rmat

ion,

idea

s and

incr

easi

ngly

com

plex

arg

umen

t to

resp

ond

toan

d co

mpo

se te

xts i

n a

rang

e of

cont

exts

.

Stud

ents

lear

n to

•se

lect

and

out

line

mai

n id

eas

•in

fer a

nd in

terp

ret t

ext

•re

cogn

ise

and

expl

ain

diffe

renc

esin

shad

es o

f opi

nion

•co

mpo

se te

xts t

o pr

esen

tin

form

atio

n, id

eas a

nd a

rgum

ents

.

Stud

ents

lear

n ab

out

•th

e w

ays b

ias,

ster

eoty

pes,

pers

pect

ives

and

ideo

logi

es a

reco

nstr

ucte

d in

text

s, in

clud

ing

the

code

s and

phr

asin

gs th

at si

gnal

them

.

9.A

stud

ent q

uest

ions

, cha

lleng

esan

d ev

alua

tes a

ssum

ptio

ns in

text

san

d th

eir e

ffect

s on

mea

ning

.

Stud

ents

lear

n to

:

•id

enti

fy c

ultu

ral e

lem

ents

expr

esse

d in

the

lang

uage

,st

ruct

ure

and

cont

ent o

f tex

ts

•en

gage

wit

h th

e de

tails

of a

text

tore

spon

d an

d co

mpo

se fr

om a

rang

eof

soci

al a

nd c

riti

cal p

ersp

ecti

ves.

Clo

se st

udy

of c

hara

cter

s

Intr

oduc

tion

to b

ias,

argu

men

tan

d op

inio

n

Cha

ract

er s

tudy

In g

roup

s, st

uden

ts p

rofil

e th

e ch

arac

ters

of M

rR

oche

ster

and

Jane

Eyr

e T

HEN

in p

airs

cho

ose

a ch

arac

ter o

r cha

ract

er g

roup

:

•M

r Roc

hest

er•

Mrs

Ree

dan

d ch

ildre

n

•G

race

Poo

le•

Mar

y, D

iana

and

St Jo

hn R

iver

s

•B

lanc

he a

nd•

Han

nah

Lady

Ingr

am

•Ja

ne E

yre

•H

elen

Bur

ns

•M

r Bro

ckle

hurs

t•

Mis

s Tem

ple

•B

erth

a M

ason

•M

rs F

airf

ax

•A

dele

Var

ens

•M

r Bri

ggs

Still

in g

roup

s, st

uden

ts c

ompo

se a

repr

esen

tati

on o

f one

of t

he a

bove

cha

ract

ers

thro

ugh

draw

ing

and

a co

llect

ion

of q

uote

s fro

mth

e pl

ay w

hich

por

tray

that

cha

ract

er.

Quo

tes s

houl

d be

col

lect

ed fr

om th

e ch

arac

ters

them

selv

es, w

hat o

ther

s say

abo

ut th

em a

ndst

age

dire

ctio

ns.

Indi

vidu

al st

uden

ts w

rite

a jo

urna

l ent

ry fo

r tha

tch

arac

ter i

nvol

ving

any

eve

nt fr

om th

e pl

ay.

Exp

lain

you

r op

inio

n / a

rgue

you

r po

int o

f vie

w a

sth

at c

hara

cter

abo

ut y

our

chos

en e

vent

.

App

endi

x 3

Cha

ract

erst

udy


Q u a l i ty

Q u a l i ty

T e a c he r

T e a c he r

P r o gr am

P r o gr am

Ou

tco

mes

Co

nte

nt

Learn

ing a

ctiv

itie

sR

eso

urc

es

4.A

stud

ent s

elec

ts, d

escr

ibes

and

expl

ains

app

ropr

iate

lang

uage

,fo

rms,

stru

ctur

es a

nd fe

atur

es to

shap

e m

eani

ng w

ith

clar

ity

and

cohe

renc

e in

a ra

nge

of c

onte

xts.

Rel

atio

nshi

ps a

nd lo

ve

Clo

se st

udy

of Ja

ne a

nd R

oche

ster

Exp

lore

the

rela

tions

hip

by e

xper

imen

ting

with

voi

cean

d ac

tion

acco

rdin

g to

the

scrip

ted

dial

ogue

and

stag

e di

rect

ions

. H

ow w

ill y

ou r

epre

sent

em

otio

nth

roug

h to

ne o

f voi

ce,

faci

al e

xpre

ssio

n an

dm

ovem

ent?

Stud

ents

(in

pai

rs)

use

the

play

to e

xplo

re d

etai

lsof

the

first

mee

ting

of J

ane

and

Roc

hest

er (

Act

IISc

ene

2, p

. 35–

37)

and

act o

ut th

is sc

ene.

Sele

ctio

n of

oth

er sc

enes

:

Act

II S

cene

4 p

. 43–

49A

ct II

I Sce

ne 2

p. 6

3–67

Act

V S

cene

2 p

. 101

–106

Wri

te d

irec

tor’s

not

es fo

r one

scen

e.

1.A

stud

ent,

thro

ugh

wid

e an

d cl

ose

stud

y, re

spon

ds to

and

com

pose

sin

crea

sing

ly d

eman

ding

text

s for

unde

rsta

ndin

g, fo

r cri

tica

l ana

lysi

san

d fo

r ple

asur

e in

incr

easi

ngly

com

plex

way

s.

4.A

stud

ent s

elec

ts, d

escr

ibes

and

expl

ains

app

ropr

iate

lang

uage

,fo

rms,

stru

ctur

es a

nd fe

atur

es to

shap

e m

eani

ng w

ith

clar

ity

and

cohe

renc

e in

a ra

nge

of c

onte

xts.

Cha

ract

er st

udy

Lett

er w

riti

ng

Let

ter

1

Imag

ine

you

are

Mr

Roc

hest

er.

Jan

e ha

s be

en g

one

for

over

a m

onth

and

you

hav

e di

scov

ered

she

is a

tM

arsh

End

. W

rite

a le

tter

pers

uadi

ng h

er to

retu

rn.

Use

rea

son

as w

ell a

s ex

pres

sing

your

em

otio

ns in

aw

ay th

at is

con

siste

nt w

ith M

r R

oche

ster

’s ch

arac

ter.

Let

ter

2: J

ane’

s re

ply

Imag

ine

you

are

Jane

and

you

hav

e ju

st r

ecei

ved

Mr

Roc

hest

er’s

plea

to r

etur

n. W

rite

a le

tter

repl

ying

tohi

s in

vita

tion

to r

etur

n.

Use

idea

s and

info

rmat

ion

from

prev

ious

two

acti

viti

es

The

dev

elop

men

t of t

here

lati

onsh

ip b

etw

een

Jane

and

Mr R

oche

ster

Eval

uati

on o

f tha

tre

lati

onsh

ip


Q u a l i ty

Q u a l i ty

T e a c he r

T e a c he r

P r o gr am

P r o gr am

Ou

tco

mes

Co

nte

nt

Learn

ing a

ctiv

itie

sR

eso

urc

es

9.A

stud

ent q

uest

ions

, cha

lleng

esan

d ev

alua

tes c

ultu

ral a

ssum

ptio

nsin

text

s and

thei

r effe

cts o

nm

eani

ng.

Stud

ents

lear

n to

•id

enti

fy c

ultu

ral e

lem

ents

expr

esse

d in

the

lang

uage

,st

ruct

ure

and

cont

ent o

f tex

tsin

clud

ing

text

s of c

ultu

ral h

erit

age

•id

enti

fy, e

xpla

in a

nd c

halle

nge

cult

ural

val

ues,

purp

oses

and

assu

mpt

ions

.

Stud

ents

lear

n ab

out

•th

e w

ays i

n w

hich

par

ticu

lar t

exts

rela

te to

thei

r cul

tura

l exp

erie

nces

and

the

cult

ure

of o

ther

s.

2.A

stud

ent s

hape

s mea

ning

thro

ugh

diffe

rent

tech

nolo

gies

.

Stud

ents

lear

n ab

out

•th

e w

ays i

n w

hich

mod

ern

tech

nolo

gies

of c

omm

unic

atio

nar

e us

ed to

info

rm.

Valu

es a

risi

ng in

the

pla

y

Stud

ents

hav

e al

read

y re

sear

ched

the

hist

oric

alan

d cu

ltur

al c

onte

xt o

f the

text

’s co

nten

t and

its

orig

inal

form

as a

nov

el.

Lib

rary

less

on u

sing

the

Web

(ch

eck

Vic

tori

anW

eb h

ttp:

//65.

107.

211.

206/

and

oth

er li

brar

yre

sour

ces t

o ex

plor

e th

ese

valu

es fu

rthe

r).

Stud

ents

eva

luat

e th

e w

eb si

te to

det

erm

ine

its

relia

bilit

y.

Com

pose

a s

peec

h on

one

asp

ect o

f Vic

toria

nva

lues

that

you

find

inte

rest

ing.

The

pur

pose

of t

hesp

eech

is to

info

rm y

our

audi

ence

abo

ut th

ispa

rtic

ular

asp

ect o

f Vic

toria

n cu

lture

and

soc

iety

and

argu

e fo

r or

aga

inst

the

appr

opria

tene

ss o

f thi

scu

ltura

l val

ue in

you

r ow

n co

ntem

pora

ry s

ocie

ty.

App

endi

x 4

Eva

luat

ing

aw

eb s

ite


Q u a l i ty

Q u a l i ty

T e a c he r

T e a c he r

P r o gr am

P r o gr am

Ou

tco

mes

Co

nte

nt

Learn

ing a

ctiv

itie

sR

eso

urc

es

7.A

stud

ent t

hink

s cri

tica

lly u

sing

info

rmat

ion,

idea

s and

incr

easi

ngly

com

plex

arg

umen

t to

resp

ond

toan

d co

mpo

se te

xts i

n a

rang

e of

cont

exts

.

Mar

riag

e in

the

Vic

tori

an a

geT

he p

lay

ends

with

Jan

e’sm

arria

ge to

Roc

hest

er.

Shou

ld J

ane

have

mar

ried

Mr

Roc

hest

er?

Arg

ue y

our

opin

ion

with

clo

se r

efer

ence

to th

e te

xt(i

nclu

ding

quo

tatio

ns a

ndex

ampl

es).

Writ

e an

ED

ITO

RIA

L fo

rei

ther

a V

icto

rian

orco

ntem

pora

ry n

ewsp

aper

. M

ake

sure

that

you

r la

ngua

ge c

hoic

esar

e co

nsist

ent w

ith th

e er

a of

publ

icat

ion

of y

our

new

spap

er.

Rea

d th

e pi

ctur

e bo

oks a

nd w

ork

on th

eac

tivi

ties

in p

airs

.Se

e p.

119

of t

he p

lay

Jane

Eyr

e fo

r ide

as:

•Is

Mr R

oche

ster

ago

od o

r bad

man

?•

Can

his

beh

avio

ur b

eex

cuse

d?•

Wha

t opt

ions

are

open

to Ja

ne?

•W

hy d

oes s

he m

ake

the

choi

ces t

hat s

hedo

es?

•A

re h

er re

ason

sva

lid?

8.A

stud

ent d

emon

stra

tes

unde

rsta

ndin

g th

at te

xts a

rere

flect

ions

of p

erso

nal a

nd p

ublic

dom

ains

.

Stud

ents

lear

n to

•re

late

the

cont

ent a

nd id

eas i

n th

ete

xt to

the

wor

ld b

eyon

d th

e te

xt

•dr

aw c

oncl

usio

ns a

bout

thei

r ow

nva

lues

in re

lati

on to

the

valu

esex

pres

sed

and

refle

cted

by

text

s,an

d th

eir r

espo

nse

to th

em.

Aut

obio

grap

hica

l ele

men

ts in

the

stor

yR

efer

bac

k to

aut

hor’s

not

e, p

p. 1

08–1

09D

ivid

e th

e cl

ass i

nto

6 gr

oups

and

rese

arch

elem

ents

of C

harl

otte

Bro

nte’

s life

to a

dd to

the

port

rait

of B

ront

e on

pp.

108

–109

of t

he p

lay

Jane

Eyr

e.W

hat i

ncid

ents

in J

ane

Eyr

e co

uld

be b

ased

on

Cha

rlotte

Bro

nte’s

real

life

? G

roup

s pre

sent

thei

rfin

ding

s to

the

clas

s ora

lly.

Wha

t cha

nges

did

Bro

nte

mak

e? W

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Appendix 1Research guide

Use the resources of the library to research the following questions.

1. When did Queen Victoria reign?

2. Describe how society was organised in the time of Queen Victoria.

3. How important was marriage for women at the time?

4. How was England ruled during Victorian times?

5. What were the major changes to Victorian society during this period?

6. How important was education ? Who was actually educated and why?

7. Outline a typical day in the life of the following :

(a) an upper-class woman or man

(b) a middle-class woman or man

(c) a working-class woman or man.

8. Identify the main political changes of the time.


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Appendix 2Guide to reading journal

You will read the play Jane Eyre around the class. As you finish reading each act, make notes, using thefollowing questions as a guide. These notes will help you with tasks later in the unit.

ACT 1

• What is Jane’s position in the Reed family?

• Why does Jane dislike the Red Room?

• Why do you think Mrs Reed is so eager to send Jane away?

• What is your opinion of Mr Brocklehurst? Give reasons and examples.

ACT 2

• How is mystery created in Scene 1?

• What was your reaction to Mr Rochester in Scenes 2 and 3? Give examples and reasons.

• Look at the last four exchanges between Mrs Fairfax and Jane on page 41, then re-read pages 46and 47. What do you think is going on in this house?

• Comment on the relationship between Jane and Mr Rochester. What do you think will happen tothem?

ACT 3

• What is your opinion of Mr Rochester disguising himself as a gypsy? Why does he do this?

• Explain in your own words how Bertha Mason came to live in the attic at Thornfield.

• What is your opinion of Mr Rochester at the end of this act? Explain.

ACT 4

• What do we learn about Jane’s character in this act? Give examples.

• Do you think Jane and Mr Rochester will be happy together? Why?


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Appendix 3Character study

When exploring your chosen character(s), consider the following:

• Create a profile of your character which includes physical characteristics, beliefs, attitudes,behaviour – give examples and quotes.

• To what social class do they belong and how does this affect their behaviour?

• In what scenes do they appear in the play? Look at when they first appear - what are your firstimpressions? Do these impressions change?

• What role do they play in the plot?

• What role do they play in relation to Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre? What aspects of the charatersof Jane and Mr Rochester are made clearer through their interaction with your character? giveexamples and quotes.

• What is your opinion of this character? Give reasons?

Compose a visual representation of this character which includes a collection of quotations. Yourrepresentation can be a collage, a mind map, a graphic, a drawing, or any combination of these.

Choose a moment in the play that interests you and which involves your character and either Jane or MrRochester or both. As your character, write a journal entry about that event. Make sure you use yourcharacter’s voice and express the opinions and feelings that belong to your character. You shouldincorporate some quotations into your piece of writing. Write about 300 words (one A4 page).


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Appendix 4Evaluating a web site

Log on to the Victorian Web: http://65.107.211.206/

Click on any icon that appears to relate to the topic you have chosen to research and view theinformation on the screen. Where does it lead you? How useful is the information you find? Are thereany further links you can pursue? How useful are these in helping you find information about VictorianEngland?

What graphics appear on this web page? Describe them in your notes. What purpose do the graphicsserve ? Do you like the inclusion of graphics? Explain.

How much time did you spend searching this web site for information relevant to your needs? Do youthink you could have found this information elsewhere? If so, where? Would it be quicker to get theinformation from other sources apart from the web?

How reliable is the information on this web site? How do you know whether it is accurate? Whocomposed the site? What are his or her credentials? Would you have thought to question its reliability ifyou had not been asked to? Why / why not? Would other sources of information be more or less accurate?Explain your opinion.

List the strengths and weaknesses of this site for the purposes of research on Victorian Literature.

http://65.107.211.206/


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Appendix 5Introduction to genre

Genre is a French term for a literary type or class. Whilst the novel itself constitutes a genre, as distinctfrom poetry or drama or the short story, novels can also be divided and classified into sub-genres. Thesemight include the fantasy novel, the realist novel, crime fiction, science fiction, the thriller, Gothicfiction etc, all of which employ specific generic devices. In other words, these sub-genres conform topatterns in content, style, structure, characterisation, atmosphere, and so on, which enable us tocategorise them into separate groups. Of course, this practice is somewhat false, since most texts wouldinclude features from a range of sub-genres. For example, Jane Eyre contains elements of Romantic,Gothic and Realist fiction.

These activities require you to research the elements of different genres – Romance, Gothic and Realism.These genres were popular during the nineteenth century (as they are today), and it was during this timethat the novel developed as a literary form. The activities below can be undertaken in groups orindividually. Each group or individual should research one genre then report the findings back to theclass.

A. What you already know

Spend about 20 minutes on this activity.

• As a class brainstorm all the different genres you can think of.

• Allocate a different genre to each group. Each group must create a visual representation, on a largesheet of paper, of as many elements of that genre as they can think of. For example, a westernmight contain drawings of horses, hand guns, cowboys, saloon bar doors, a cactus etc.

• Each group show their creations to the rest of the class and briefly explain what each itemrepresents and where they think their knowledge of the genre comes from.

• Pin the sheets to the classroom wall.

B. Researching features of genre

Find out what you can about the literary genres of Realism, Gothic or Romance. Here are some notes toget you started:

1. Realism

(see Fuery and Mansfield, 1997, pp. 102–109)

Realism is probably the most widely read and understood form of writing in English literature. Realismpurports to represent the world as it is and the daily life experiences of ordinary people. Realism rose toprominence in the nineteenth century and was often set in contrast to the extraordinary experiences ofextraordinary characters in romance fiction. Realism reflects the dominant intellectual beliefs andinfluences of the nineteenth century.

(a) Realist texts focused on the social. This is founded in the belief that we are defined by our socialgroup, which is determined by money, class, power, and often gender and ethnicity. The rise ofcapitalism in the nineteenth century saw a concurrent rise of a monied middle class whose accessto political and economic power gradually increased. Nineteenth century realist texts tended topresent a middle class view of the world – that is, the ordinary lives represented in texts werethose of the middle classes.


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(b) Realist narratives are often set against the background of broader historical events, such ascolonialism, the rise of certain classes and war.

(c) Realist texts are grounded in the idea that the world can be understood and analysed bysystematic, objective observation and description. Realist texts are seen to present a truthfulrecord of reality.

Find out what else you can about nineteenth century Realism.

2. Gothic

The first Gothic novel in English was probably The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (1764), whichwas characterised by sensationalism, melodrama and the use of the supernatural. It was most popularbetween 1764 and the mid-nineteenth century. Gothic novels usually include:

• creepy landscapes, for example dark, misty moors, windswept hillsides with craggy trees, darknessand storms, isolation

• ruined castles or old, stately homes with spires or turrets, winding staircases, dark passageways,attics, locked sections of the house

• a sense of unrestricted space juxtaposed with claustrophobic confinement• extreme and often sensational situations and characters - obsessions, heightened awareness,

unnatural fears• a hero with a dark, mysterious past which seems to haunt him• a heroine who is often passive and persecuted• links between love and death• a plot which often involves melodramatic aspects of romance where the heroine is forced apart

from her true love in extreme circumstances• something supernatural, mysterious or inexplicable which is happening in the background and

impacts directly on the situation of the heroine and her true love.

Find out what else you can about the Gothic genre. The following web sites might be useful:

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/intro.htmlWeb site on Gothic Literature in England, 1764–1840

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/~enec981/Group/title.htmlWeb site on the Gothic: Materials for Study web site

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/Gothicres.htmlNotes on features of Gothic literature

3. Romance

Romance fiction usually involves two people meeting, falling in love then something forcing them apart.Eventually they reunite and live happily ever after. Of course, romantic novels are more complex thanthis; for example, the main characters are usually extraordinary in some way (very beautiful, rich, famous,engaged in unusual careers etc.) and settings are often exotic.

Find out what else you can about Romance fiction. These web sites might be useful:http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/romance.html

Romance genrehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/genre/romance/novelromance/

Features of the Romance novel

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/intro.html

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/~enec981/Group/title.html

http://members.aol.com/franzpoet/Gothicres.html

http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/romance.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/genre/romance/novelromance/


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C. Genres in Jane Eyre

(a) You will have worked out by now that Jane Eyre contains elements of all three literary genres.The next step is for you to provide evidence from the play or novel for as many of the features ofeach genre as you can. Create a grid or mind map to record your evidence for each feature.

(b) In groups or as a class, discuss the following questions.

• In what ways does the text represent reality?

• Whose reality does it reflect?

• What purposes do the different generic components serve? For example, what is the purpose ofthe Gothic and Romance elements?

• What cultural assumptions and values are imbedded in the text? How do the genericconventions help reinforce these assumptions?

• Did the text fulfil your expectations of the genres it includes?

• Did you find you resisted or criticised any aspects of the text? Why?

• Which parts of the text seemed obvious because of your knowledge of the genres at play?

• What predictions were you able to make as you were reading the text? Were your predictionsaccurate? If you had been told the text was a Gothic romance, would your predictions havebeen more accurate? What sort of reader does the text assume you are (class, gender, ethnicity,age)?

• What language features did you notice? For example, what vocabulary do you associate withRomance, Gothic or Realism?

• What knowledge does the text take for granted?

• Of what other texts does it remind you?

(c) There are lots of theories about the purpose and effect of genre. Many suggest that ourunderstanding of genre, our familiarity with the various conventions of the different genres, are ashortcut form of communication. We know how to read a text, what to expect from it, how torespond to it, as soon as we recognise the genres within it. Genre analysis, like that which youhave been doing in this section of the unit, can help us to recognise and understand the ways inwhich events in the world are reduced, by the mass media, to rigid formats of news, itself a genre,so that we fill in the gaps or make links between cause and effect that might not necessarily bethere.

Select a news story from a daily newspaper or TV news report.

• Create a list of features of the news story genre.

• Analyse the news story by asking the questions listed in activity (b).

• Rewrite the news story as a Gothic or Romance story. Keep all the “facts”.

• Each group now pass their story on to another group for generic analysis (using the questionsin activity (b) again.

• As a class talk about how your knowledge of genres influences the way you read and themeanings you gain from your reading. Write your thoughts about the purposes of genre inyour learning log.


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Appendix 6Victorian literature: Wide reading

Choose a novel from the book box (or select your own from the library and check with your teacher).After you have read the novel, choose one of the following ways of responding to it.

1. Monologue

Choose a protagonist from your selected novel and compose a monologue outlining the dilemma facingyou at the climax of the novel. Present your monologue to the class.

2. Writing

Write another chapter, to be included in your chosen novel, that may or may not change the plot. Yourchapter can be added at any point in the novel. Make sure you keep the writing style consistent with therest of the text and do not introduce any new characters.

3. Review

Write an review of your novel for a specific publication (e.g. Spectrum section of the weekend SydneyMorning Herald, a book of reviews for teenage readers, Who magazine etc. )

4. Design

Design a cover for a new edition of the novel. Your design (including the blurb, author information andvisuals) is aimed at teenage readers.

5. Interview

Construct either a radio or television interview involving two minor characters from your novel. Havethem talk about some of the issues or the behaviour of the main characters.

6 . Letter

As the author of your novel, write a letter to your publisher outlining the value of your work and why itdeserves to be published.

7. Comic strip

Construct a comic strip of a chapter of the novel you have chosen.