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Adolfo Calero
Tracey Burger
AP English Literature & Composition
28 September 2014
Jane Eyre: A Gothic Novel
The term gothic is attributed to works of fiction which involve magic, chivalry,
mystery, terror, the irrational and the perverse. This popular form of romanticism spread
throughout Europe, with the first gothic novel ever written being accredited to Horace Walpoles
Castle of Otranto, 1764. Gothic usually refers to gothic horror, with authors such as Mary
Shelley (Frankenstien, 1818) and Edgar Allan Poe (The Cask of Amontillado, 1846) (Werlock 1).
Elements often associated with fictional gothic works include elements similar to horror, such as
dark castles or mansions, winding tunnels, dreary weather, and a sense of foreboding. Bronts
Jane Eyre includes itself in the gothic genre using its various settings and events that promote
gothic elements, as well as the theme of love, classifying itself as a Gothic Romance (Bloom 4).
Jane Eyre strays from the gothic theme because of key differences in the element of chivalry, or
lack of at the beginning the novel, due to Rochesters coldness towards Jane. As a whole, the
gothic elements of the novel help define Jane Eyres theme, as well as create a setting and give
life to the novels characters.
The gothic genre of literature best suits Jane Eyre due to the novels prevalent inclusion
of supernatural and the occult. The presence of the occult and supernatural in Jane Eyre serves to
reveal veiled knowledge and beliefs (Snodgrass 1), as well as paint a picture of the novels
setting, in dreary and gloomy England. Janes experience in the red-room at Gateshead Manor
plays with supernatural themes when she imagines ghostly, wandering light, as of the moon on
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the ceiling, she notices that my heart beat thick, my head grew hot; a sound filled my ears,
which I deemed the rushing of wings; something seemed near me; I was oppressed, suffocated:
endurance broke down. (Chapter 2) (Gilbert 3). The supernatural imagery used during Janes
episode in the red-room captures the gothic elements of dread and terror. Another example of the
supernatural in the gothic novel Jane Eyre involves young Jane observing her reflection in the
mirror.
Returning, I had to cross before the looking-glass; my fascinated glance involuntarily
explored the depth it revealed I thought it like one of the tiny phantoms, half fairy,
half imp, Bessies evening stories represented as coming out of lone, ferny dells in
moors, and appearing before the eyes of belated travelers. (Chapter 2)
During Janes stay at Gateshead, she felt out of place, and compares herself to something
unnatural, such as a fairy or imp, something from stories. In this context, the theme of the
supernatural serves to differentiate Jane from the inhabitants of Gateshead, to show that she is
not like them in any way, and gives her reason to want to leave. The heavy use of the
supernatural throughout the novel is attributed to Jane Eyres gothic themes.
A thematic addition to Jane Eyre is the Gothic Romance. The theme of Gothic Romance
is characterized by sensational plots, romantic settings and horrifying themes. A Gothic
Romance novels settings often involve castles and dense woods in lieu of dilapidated
mansions and country houses. The use of unreliable narration is also prevalent in the Gothic
Romance, with its purpose serving to complicate the plot psychologically, often challenging the
structure of traditional literature (Imbarrato 1). The presence of stereotyped characters in Jane
Eyre, such as Edward Rochester, help deploy techniques of literary suspense attributed to
Gothic novels and romances (Punter 1; Kandola 1). The brooding Mr. Rochester, a Byronic hero
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(based on Lord Byrons character Don Juan [Don Juan]), a womanizer and adventurer, was also
out to seek revenge for his unjust treatment throughout his life (Brackett 1). His dark and
mysterious demeanor seems intimidating at first to Jane, but he opens up to her as they learn to
love each other. The presence of the Gothic Romance theme in Jane Eyre helps to characterize
and to create a setting for the novels plot.
Bronts Jane Eyre can be called a gothic novel due to the many gothic elements
prevalent throughout the narrative. The inclusion of the supernatural and romance help give life
to certain characters and create the intended atmosphere for the novels many settings.
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Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Jane Eyre." Jane Eyre, Bloom's Guides. New York: Chelsea House
Publishing, 2007. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Sept. 2014

Brackett, Virginia. "Byronic hero." Facts On File Companion to the British Novel:
Beginnings through the 19th Century, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's
Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.

Gilbert, Sandra M. and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and
the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979): pp.
339341. Quoted as "The Opening of Jane Eyre" in Harold Bloom, ed. The Bronts, Bloom's
Major Novelists. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's
Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 22 Sept. 2014

Imbarrato, Susan Clair, and Carol Berkin. "Gothic romance." Encyclopedia of American
Literature: Settlement to the New Republic, 16081815, Revised Edition, vol. 1. New York:
Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 23 Sept. 2014

Kandola, Sondeep. "gothic." In Maunder, Andrew, ed. Encyclopedia of Literary
Romanticism. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc.
Web. 23 Sept. 2014

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "the occult in gothic literature." Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature.
New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 22 Sept.
2014

Werlock, Abby H. P. "gothic." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story,
Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc.
Web. 18 Sept. 2014