An Analysis of Eminent Genres of Jane.doc

An Analysis of Eminent Genres of Jane EyreA ThesisSubmitted toCollege of Foreign LanguagesXingtan CollegeQufu Normal University In Partial Fulfillment of the RequirementsFor the Degree of Bachelor of Arts ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply indebted to Liang Wenhua, my supervisor, who has given me constant and valuable advice, read through the outline of my thesis meticulously and offer insight comments on them. Therefore, I could have a clear understanding of my thesis and could convey what I intend to express to the utmost. Without her help, the thesis could never have reached its present form. I am also grateful to Sun Huaxiang, my literature teacher, who has given me some vivid and intriguing classes on great books. The title of my thesis takes its origin from his class. Many useful materials could find their traces in his class as well. My sincere gratitude also goes to all my teachers who have given me excellent lectures and great help, with which my knowledge has been greatly enriched. That is indispensable to the completion of this thesis. I also give my hearty thanks to all my roommates who have offered me generous help and useful suggestions in the process of writing this thesis. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to all the writers whose works are referred to in this thesis. 摘 要简爱是夏洛蒂勃朗特在维多利亚时期所写的一部著名小说，具有深刻意义与教育价值，颇受广大读者的欢迎。对这部书的研究，通常集中在对简爱这个人物的分析上，很少有人涉猎这部书的体裁分析。本研究试图通过简爱的一生，分析其所体现的几种明显体裁，例如，简爱是一篇成长小说，是一部浪漫小说，是一部哥特式小说，是一部自传体小说，也是一部灰姑娘小说。这五种体裁在文中都有明显的体现，其完美的结合，使人融入故事情节，感悟人生哲理。关键词：成长小说；浪漫小说；哥特式小说；自传体小说；灰姑娘小说ABSTRACT Jane Eyre is a famous book written by Charlotte Bronte during the period of Victoria. It is quite meaningful and instructive, which makes it rather popular among people of all ages. The analysis of the character of Jane Eyre usually is the focus, attracting the eyes of many people. However, few people ever try their hands on the analysis of the eminent genres of this novel. This paper attempts to analyze the several eminent genres of the book through the whole life of Jane Eyre. It goes like this; Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman, a romantic novel, a gothic novel, an autobiography, and a cinderella novel. The five genres could easily find their traces in this prominent book. The perfect combination of them makes people experience the intriguing plots in a vivid way and contemplate upon the philosophy of life. Key words: bildungsroman, romantic novel, gothic novel, autobiography, cinderella novelCONTENTS0. Introduction.11. Theoretical study of genres.21.1 The genre of bildungsroman.21.2 The genre of romantic novel.31.3 The genre of autography.31.4 The genre of gothic novel.41.5 The genre of cinderella novel.42. Multi-genres of Jane Eyre.52.1 As a bildungsroman.52.2 As a romantic novel.62.3 As an autobiography.72.4 As a gothic story.82.5 As a cinderella story.93. The value of genres.113.1 The theoretical value.113.2 The practical value.124. Conclusion.12Works Cited.14vi0. Introduction Jane Eyre is a famous book written by Charlotte Bronte. The deputy of it enjoys a great success. From then on, many people try their hands on the study of the book. This paper is a tentative study of an analysis of the eminent genres of Jane Eyre. The book Jane Eyre tells the whole life of an orphan, named Jane Eyre, whose publication attracts the eyes of people of all ages. For a long time, there comes a fashion for the study of the book. More often than not, the analysis of the character of Jane Eyre leads the field. It is obvious that the protagonist, Jane Eyre, evokes heated discussions. There is no denying fact that her unique, independent and strong personality exerts great influence upon people of all ages from ancient times till now. Many people stampede into analyzing the character of the protagonist of Jane Eyre. Mao Zhusheng wrrote “The Away of Jane Eyre from Her Home and Self Realization” and “The Growth and Mentality of Jane Eyre”. As for her character, especially the strong ones have sharply changed the opinions to women. The study upon this field has achieved a lot. There are also many other papers discussing the marriage implied in this novel. Zhang Zuojuan wrote “The Marriage in Jane Eyre”. The life that the protagonist shows could impress almost everyone. The true love between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester is really unbelievable. In the end, although Mr. Rochester is disabled, Jane Eyre chose to be with him, and she was willing to be his company, to read to him, to walk with him, and be eyes and hands to him. The love between them indeed evokes heated discussion. Certainly, the horrifying elements in the book and the fate of the protagonist are also hotly discussed. All of the studies have paved a good way for further studies about this book. Different from the conventions, this paper shuns from the hot topics of the book. Considering that there are few people trying their hands on the genres of the book, this paper will briefly analyze the several eminent genres of the book. There are several genres obviously embodied in this novel. And what genres of this novel in the world belong to will be briefly discussed in this thesis. This paper intends to carry out from five perspectives, hoping that people could have an overall comprehension of the book as well as its several eminent genres. The study is also expected to make some contributions to further studies on this field.1. Theoretical study of genresDuring the past years, the genres have witnessed a sharp increase in its study. There have been more detailed studies on the origin, definition, and development of different genres. Thus, a more profound understanding is on the way to the readers. To make several genres more clear and explicit to readers, this paper will give a concise introduction to the genres that have ever been analyzed.1.1 The genre of bildungsroman To begin with, several genres of novel will be talked about. The first one is Bildungsroman. In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman or novel of formation, also coming-of-age story is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood, and in which character change is thus extremely important. A bildungsroman tells about the growing up or coming of age of a sensitive person who is looking for answers and experience. The genre evolved from folklore tales of a dunce or youngest son going out in the world to seek his fortune. Usually in the beginning of the story there is an emotional loss which makes the protagonist leave on his journey. In a Bildungsroman, the goal is maturity, and the protagonist achieves it gradually and with difficulty. The genre often features a main conflict between the main character and society. Typically, the values of society are gradually accepted by the protagonist and he is ultimately accepted into society the protagonists mistakes and disappointments are over. In some works, the protagonist is able to reach out and help others after having achieved maturity. The bildungsroman has achieved a lot with the passage of time.1.2 The genre of romantic novel Next is Romantic novel. At the end of the 18th century, it appeared in England as a new trend in literature. Romanticism has very little to do with things popularly thought of as “romantic”, although love may occasionally be the subject of romantic literature. Rather, it is an international artistic and philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and the world around them. Romantic literature, in general, can be characterized by its fierce independence, its strong individualism, its heavy use of feeling, its exploration of nature and the supernatural, and its abundant use of symbolism. In addition, the writings of the romantics were considered innovative based on their belief that literature should be spontaneous, imaginative, personal, and free. The development of romanticism enables people to have a clear and right understanding of it rather than stagnate on its literal meaning.1.3 The genre of autobiography The next is autobiography. An autobiography is an account of a persons life written by that person. Autobiography is usually about the experiences of human being rather than other things. Autobiography can vividly express what the person has gone through in his or her whole life by himself or herself. Thus, the thing can be more convincingly presented. In other words, it is a fact narrated by oneself. In addition, such kind of writing can truly convey the scene, because the teller is just the actor in the scene. Actually, it is a kind of biography. A biography, on the other hand, is a piece of writing about a person that is written either by the person himself or herself, or by someone else. However, a biography is not necessarily an autobiography. The differences between them separate one from the other. 1.4 The genre of gothic novel Gothic novel is another genre which will be discussed next. A gothic novel prominently features elements of horror, supernatural, gloom and violence clanking chains, terror, charnel houses, ghosts, medieval castles and mysteriously slamming doors. The term gothic novel is also applied to novels that lack elements of the traditional gothic setting but create a similar atmosphere of horror and dread. Mary Shellys “Frankenstein” is perhaps the best known work of this kind. This kind of novel often throws people into a state of fright. The gothic elements also create some sepulchral atmosphere, seasoning the novel with fascinating plots. The gothic novels have magic power. It can season a novel with some horrifying plots and helps create a kind of sepulchral atmosphere. To our confusion, though scared out of wits, people usually could not help continuing to read through it. In recent years, we have witnessed its rapid development. And this kind of genre is now becoming increasingly popular among novelists.1.5 The genre of cinderella novel Cinderella novel means that a girl who is living in the lower class, and is ill treated by her stepmother and stepsisters in childhood. However, fate has delicately arranged an encounter for her with a prince charming, and they fall in love with each other at the first sight. After that encounter, the girl hides herself and the prince keeps searching her. Finally, he does succeed. Therefore, the poor girl achieves her dream, and marries the prince. Since then, she leads a wonderful and happy life. Dramatically, her abusers degenerate into a reduced circumstance. There are abundant such stories enchanting practically every children who have ever throw a glance upon such stories. I am no exception. As simple the plot is, it is fascinating enough to attract readers. These five genres can be obviously embodied in the book Jane Eyre. For instance, Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman, a romantic novel, an autobiography, a gothic story and a cinderella story. In addition, there are enough examples to attest to them respectively.2. Multi-genres of Jane Eyre Jane Eyre is a prominent novel, which is worthy of being digged into. It is studded with insight and profound knowledge that can exert invisible influence upon us. It is also true of genres in this book, including many genres, such as romantic novel, gothic novel, autobiography, etc. And this paper will simply depict several genres which can be easily perceived out in Jane Eyre with certain examples.2.1 As a bildungsromanThe plot of Jane Eyre follows the form of a bildungsroman, which is a novel that tells the story of a childs maturation and focuses on the emotions and experiences that accompany and incite his or her growth to adulthood. In Jane Eyre, there are five distinct stages of development. The first stage is Janes childhood at Gateshead；the second stage is her education at Lowood School, where she acquires friends and role models but also suffers privations; the third stage is her time as the governess in Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with her employer, Edward Rochester; the fourth stage is her time with the Rivers family at or Moor House and Morton, where her cold clergyman-cousin St John Rivers proposes to her; the fifth stage is her reunion with and marriage to her beloved Mr. Rochester. From the period above, Jane has learned a lot and matured a lot. Hellen told her to be patient and learn to suffer from deprivation. From these experiences, Jane becomes the mature woman who narrates the novel retrospectively. In Jane Eyre, Helen told Jane that “Yet it would be your duty to bear it, if you could not avoid it: it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is in your fate to be required to bear.” (Bronte 74). Yes, it is true that there is something that we cannot avoid in life; therefore, we should accept what has to become of us. Otherwise, we would be thrown into the edge of desperation. Deeply pierced by her aunt, Jane Eyre at first planned to revenge her, but later felt ill at ease. “Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: its after flavor, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned.” Through such experience, Jane has learnt not to revenge others. And Jane Eyre also learns that:“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” (Bronte 103). A mere square meal will never makes one happy if it were surrounded by hatred. From the growth of Jane Eyre, the readers could mature a lot as well.2.2 As a romantic novelJane Eyre is a piece of novel that tells a unique girl, named Jane Eyre who deserves a passionate and true love. Jane searches, not just for romantic love, but also for a sense of being valued, of belonging. Thus Jane says to Helen Burns:“to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest.” (Bronte 95). Yet, over the course of the book, Jane must learn how to gain love without sacrificing and harming herself in the process. The love that Jane and Mr. Rochester have shown to each other reciprocally is indeed impressive. Their love is the combination of sprit which is above the physical one. Despite the lower class of Jane and her plain appearance, Mr. Rochester is strongly captivated by her. Facing Jane, he never puts on air. Jane is also indifferent to his estate. However, the discovery of Mr. Rochester former marriage to Bertha forces Jane to leave her beloved Rochester. She could not accept such fact. During her absence, Mr. Rochester never stops searching her, though frustrated numerous times. Eventually, the knowledge of an accident upon Mr. Rochester hustles Jane to come back for him. Much to her surprise, he became a blind lamenter. At that time, Jane has become a rich girl, because she has inherited great fortune from her uncle. Though now there are many guys willing to accompany her, she chose to be with the disabled Mr. Rochester. She said:“I will be your neighbor, your nurse, your housekeeper. I found you lonely: I will be your company, to read to you, to walk with you, to sit with you, to wait on you, to be eyes and hands to you.” (Bronte 649). Such decision does really need great courage. Their love is so passionate that the exterior defects will do little to them. And the fact also proves that her insistence is utterly right. She does lead a bliss life. As Jane says:“I am my husbands life as fully as he is mine. . . . To be together is for us to be at once as free as in solitude, as gay as in company. . . . We are precisely suited in characterperfect concord is the result” (Bronte 673). The love between them is so strong that nothing can frustrate any one of them. 2.3 As an autobiographyAutobiographical elements are recognizable throughout Jane Eyre. The novel goes on wi