Not to impinge on another thread elsewhere, other concerns about Jane Eyre, that are written about in critical...
Not to impinge on another thread elsewhere, other concerns about Jane Eyre, that are written about in critical evaluations: Rochester's wife (Bertha), her characterization and treatment.
I commented that maybe there's enough writing and criticism of it to argue that Thomas Hardy's novels were meant as criticism of Victorian attitudes and behavior. Maybe. (Tess of the d'Urbervilles was mentioned.) So maybe we just don't have enough about the Brontes. Or maybe the Brontes were just products of their time. Except that some of the writing about them, and about Jane Eyre notes that there was already awareness of mental illness and better treatment, not to mention bigotry and racism toward persons of colored or mixed race (Creole in this novel).
I've read arguments that Charlotte Bronte was trying to indicate just how terrible a person Rochester was by his description of Bertha. Except it's Charlotte Bronte's description, as well. Black-ish, foreign, female, and crazy - per Rochester. What if his mistreatment of her had made her as ill as she was? or created such a caricature of illness, or even caused it? But she's not even a person. Contrasted with Jane - white, native, female, and docile - this is yet another way we know how ideal a female Jane really is. Crazy, screaming Bertha, quiet, pious Jane.
Not to mention how Rochester is all put upon and suckered into marrying Bertha, per him, as opposed to he made an impetuous, lusty decision and then got home and went, shit, nobody's going to accept this obviously not white woman in polite society, Empress Josephine notwithstanding. Plus, only French people did those things. Or maybe her family had land and money and he married her with no real expectation of returning to England but adding to his position where he was? Maybe Bertha was just bummed out because she came from a place that was always sunny and hot and now they were in England, which is decidedly not. Maybe Rochester abused her over that and everything else imaginable and she became clinically depressed, or physically ill, or both?
Why did his wife have to be colored and foreign, as well as crazy? Why did she give Rochester excuses for being an abusive bastard? Oh, right, and Bertha was supposed to be an alcoholic, iirc. Compare and contrast to Rochester who was such a great guy.
Nope. I gotta really question this. It is messed up.
I commented that maybe there's enough writing and criticism of it to argue that Thomas Hardy's novels were meant as criticism of Victorian attitudes and behavior. Maybe. (Tess of the d'Urbervilles was mentioned.) So maybe we just don't have enough about the Brontes. Or maybe the Brontes were just products of their time. Except that some of the writing about them, and about Jane Eyre notes that there was already awareness of mental illness and better treatment, not to mention bigotry and racism toward persons of colored or mixed race (Creole in this novel).
I've read arguments that Charlotte Bronte was trying to indicate just how terrible a person Rochester was by his description of Bertha. Except it's Charlotte Bronte's description, as well. Black-ish, foreign, female, and crazy - per Rochester. What if his mistreatment of her had made her as ill as she was? or created such a caricature of illness, or even caused it? But she's not even a person. Contrasted with Jane - white, native, female, and docile - this is yet another way we know how ideal a female Jane really is. Crazy, screaming Bertha, quiet, pious Jane.
Not to mention how Rochester is all put upon and suckered into marrying Bertha, per him, as opposed to he made an impetuous, lusty decision and then got home and went, shit, nobody's going to accept this obviously not white woman in polite society, Empress Josephine notwithstanding. Plus, only French people did those things. Or maybe her family had land and money and he married her with no real expectation of returning to England but adding to his position where he was? Maybe Bertha was just bummed out because she came from a place that was always sunny and hot and now they were in England, which is decidedly not. Maybe Rochester abused her over that and everything else imaginable and she became clinically depressed, or physically ill, or both?
Why did his wife have to be colored and foreign, as well as crazy? Why did she give Rochester excuses for being an abusive bastard? Oh, right, and Bertha was supposed to be an alcoholic, iirc. Compare and contrast to Rochester who was such a great guy.
Nope. I gotta really question this. It is messed up.
Comments
Post a Comment