AS ENGLISH LITERATURE - JANE EYRE READING

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE

POETRY AND PROSE 1800 – 1945

JANE EYRE - CHAPTER SUMMARY

 

Key questions to consider when reading this novel

·         How is the setting being used in these chapters?

·         In what way is the social, political and biographical context of the novel being addressed here?

·         How do these chapters fit into the novel as a whole?

·         How is each chapter structured – can you identify a pattern in the novel?

·         What do you notice about the writing style in these chapters?

·         What different strategies does Bronte use to create her narrator?

·         Comment on the presentation of key themes; love, independence/interdependence, roles of women, roles of men, social class and religion, community?

·         How is morality discussed throughout the novel? Consider such issues as human rights, slavery and adultery?

·         What are the conventions of the genre of romantic novel?

 

Chapter summaries and reading dates

CHAPTER	DATE w/b	SUMMARY
		VOLUME 1
1	2/1	Jane persecuted by Mrs Reed and John Reed – Jane attacks John
2		Jane in the Red Room
3		Jane speaks to the doctor. School is mentioned. Meets Brocklehurst.
4		Meeting with Brocklehurst Tea with Bessie Set work – 3 paragraphs presentation of Jane’s childhood & Gateshead
5	7/1	Jane leaves Gateshead. Arrival at Lowood.
6		Jane meets Helen Burns
7		Summary of harsh life at Lowood. Brocklehurst singles Jane out as someone not to be trusted
8		Helen and Jane have tea with Miss Temple. Jane is publicly vindicated of Brocklehurst’s accusations. Jane settles down to work.
9	14/1	Jane is eighteen – now a teacher at the school Set work – 3 paragraphs on Lowood and Jane
10		Eight years have passed. 6 as pupil 2 as teacher.  Jane seeks change, applies for a new job, is accepted, news from Bessie about the Reeds.
11		Comes to Thornfield Hall. Meets Mrs Fairfax, Adele. Hears of Mr Rochester. First impressions
12		Summary of Jane’s life / Meets Rochester
13	21/1	Jane invited to tea with Rochester / interrogation of Jane
14		Rochester tells Jane his history
15		Bertha sets alight Rochester’s bed. Jane saves his life. She has a glimpse of his secret
		VOLUME 2
1 (16)		Next morning. Rochester absent.
2 (17)	28/1	The party arrive at Thonefield Hall. Jane watches the guests from a distance. Miss Ingram introduced. The ladies attack governesses.
3 (18)		Richard Mason. Rochester as gypsy fortune teller arrives interviews the women.
4 (19)		Jane’s interview with Rochester as gypsy fortune teller
5 (20)		Richard Mason’s visit ends with Bertha’s attack on him. Again Jane glimpses further into his secret world
6 (21)	4/2	Jane helps Rochester. She stays with Mason while Rochester gets the doctor. Jane called to Gateshead to visit  dying Mrs Reed
7 (22)		Jane’s stay at Gateshead. Mrs Reed’s confession, letter & death, Georgina and Eliza’s fate,
8 (23)		Midsummer Rochester proposes marriage
9 (24)		Joy. Rochester wants to bestow jewels and clothes on Jane Check reading journal / notes
10 (25)	11/2	Night before wedding. Jane’s dream. Meets Bertha – she tares  Jane’s veil
11 (26)		Jane’s wedding day. Rochester shows Jane and Richard Bertha Mason. The secret revealed.
		VOLUME 3
1 (27)		Jane leaves Rochester and Thornfield Hall. Leaves early morning. Travels as far as she can by carriage until money runs out.
2 (28)		Set work – on courtship of Jane and Rochester – symbolism – full essay
3 (29)	18/2	Two days journey. Jane is alone and destitute. Sleeps in the open.
4 (30)		Jane hears of her Uncle’s death
5 (31)		Jane begins life as a school teacher. She feels humiliated. St John visits – tells Jane to forget  the past
6 (32)		Jane’s relationship with her pupils improves, St John visits Jane
7 (33)	4/3	St John reveals Jane’s true identity, Jane is wealthy, discovers she has a family and can benefit them all
8 (34)		Christmas at Moor House, St John wants Jane to learn Hindustani and accompany him to India
9 (35)		St John’s forceful arguments and proposal of marriage to Jane. A torture and a temptation. He is turned down Set work – Jane’s relationships with men through the novel – full essay
10 (36)	11/3	Jane is resolved to find Rochester. Her journey and her meeting with the publican. He tells us Jane’s story and Rochester’s present situation.
11 (37)		Jane and Rochester meet. Establish the ground rules of their relationship. Love.
12 (38)		Conclusion Jane and Rochester are happily married. Rochester blind for two years but able to see when his first son is born. Mary and Diana are married, St John a missionary – close to death.

A2 LL - NARRATIVE VOICES

One really straightforward and simple approach to take with the texts is to comment on the narrative / poetic voice. You should be able to write about a narrator for any essay you write. You should carefully consider the narrator and the narrative perspective adopted by the writer / poet. 

Is your chosen writer using a third person open narrator or is it a restricted narrator? Is the narrative voice in the third person?  Consider the impact and influence these narrators have on the text you are studying. What advantages are there in reading the text from this perspective? What has the narrator chosen to write about and what have they omitted to write on.

Dubliners by James Joyce uses a third person restricted narrator in the short story Eveline. The main character is written about in the third person however the narrative perspective is taken from the main character's point of view. The narrative adopts the concerns and the language she uses. Sometimes we read her thoughts directly.

Here are a couple of examples from Eveline.

'The evening deepened in the avenue. The white of two letters in her lap grew indistinct.'

'Her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would miss her. Sometimes he could be very nice.'

The first quotation consists of two simple declarative sentences that describe the evening progressing and how this makes things difficult to see. The narrator appears objective, describing a scene. The verbs 'deepened' and 'grew' are used to communicate a visual image for the reader. And the two contrasting concrete nouns 'avenue' and 'lap' help emphasise Eveline's paralysis.

In the second quotation Joyce selects the material carefully to reflect Eveline's concerns. The narrator notices 'Her father was becoming old lately.' The verb 'becoming' and the adverb 'lately' are used to present the father as an object of sympathy. Joyce also uses the modal verb 'sometimes' to soften the cruelty of Eveline's father. In this we are aware that the narrative perspective is no longer objective but reflects Eveline's point of view.

 

A2 LL - WEAK ESSAYS

are characterised by

• descriptive rather than analytical writing
• basic and limited analysis
• no overview or summary of the text being studied
• limited or non existent references to contexts
• no relevant, concise and brief biographical details
• no relevant and concise references to the culture the texts were published in
• paragraphs that don't link specifically to the essay title
• long and complex sentences that often make complex or obscure points
• one or two analytical frameworks only
• fragmented quotations without any context
• a lack of a genuine understanding of the poem
• no topic sentences
• listing ideas without any engagement with quotations
• vague, superficial, general and / or irrelevant comparative points
• no overall argument to 'hang' your essay on

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE - SPIES SYMBOLIC LOCATIONS

AS ENGLISH LITERATURE

2000 WORD COMPARATIVE ESSAY

SPIES – SYMBOLIC LOCATIONS

Whatever essay you choose to write it is really important that you engage imaginatively and creatively with the essay topic. It’s vital that you reflect and think sensitively and questioningly, exploring ideas and making links between both texts.

In this exercise let us look at two locations within Spies and consider their function and the symbolism of this location.

Locations are very important in Equus as well and you can consider how these are used in the play. Remember that you can draw on points from this exercise and maybe relevant for your essay topic. For example topics such as ‘secrets’ and ‘desire’, ‘childhood’ and ‘storytelling’ can all draw on locations to some extent.

SUBURB – TURN LEFT	QUOTATION / COMMENT	THE TUNNEL - TURN RIGHT	QUOTATION / COMMENT
Developed		Undeveloped