"Jane Eyre" and the Garden of Eden

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how "Jane Eyre" could be considered a loose retelling of the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. It looks at how many of her characters take turns filling the roles of Adam and Eve, while the other key components of the story--the apple, the serpent, and the tree of knowledge--represent ambiguous abstract concepts. .By discussing and analyzing Garden of Eden imagery and symbolism and Bronte's upbringing, the paper suggests and supports the thesis that the novel is Bronte's feminist reinterpretation of the Bible.

From the Paper:

"Before delving into the actual development of the Garden of Eden theme in Jane Eyre, it is instructive to look at Bronte's later explanations of her purpose. In the author's preface provided to the novel's second edition, Bronte confronts critics who accused her of impiety; "Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last," she wrote, justifying her nontraditional approaches and interpretations. She took up this issue more directly in a fabulous passage in her next novel, Shirley. After deciding to skip a church service, Caroline and Shirley discuss Milton's interpretation of Eve; Shirley doubts Milton's interpretation of the biblical figure and proceeds to create her own biblical history, one in which Eve gives birth to the Titans of Greek mythology and in which the historical role of women is glorified. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gallagher, Susan VanZanten. "Jane Eyre and Christianity." Ed. Diane Long Hoeveler and Beth Lau. Approaches to Teaching Bronte's Jane Eyre. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1993. 62-68.
• Jenkins, Keith A.. "Jane Eyre: Charlotte Bronte's New Bible." Ed. Diane Long Hoeveler and Beth Lau. Approaches to Teaching Bronte's Jane Eyre. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1993. 69-75.
• Moglen, Helene. "The End of Jane Eyre and the Creation of a Feminist Myth." Ed. Harold Bloom. Modern Critical Interpretations: Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 47-61.
• Peschier, Diana. Nineteenth-Century Anti-Catholic Discourses: The Case of Charlotte Bronte. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
• Rich, Adrienne. "Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman." Ed. Richard J. Dunn. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. 469-483.

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