Can't bury these tales: The Canterbury Tales and Jane Eyre

The ordinary man of the 14^th century was apt to view his world as being old, sophisticated and corrupt. New developments in the government and organization of society were replacing the crumbling feudal system. Kings and royalty were being supplanted by the new rich who had made vast fortunes out of the commercialism of trade and finance. The common people were beginning to stir and revolt. Corruption in the Church, the state, and in individual lives was the frequent target of satirical writers. Chief among these satirists was Geoffrey Chaucer, often called “the father of English literature.”

Chaucer was well aware of the problems of his day. Chaucer never directly argues or preaches. He merely presents the corruption, the exaggerated pomp, the foolishness of the men and women of his age, and allows his readers to draw their own conclusions. Chaucer’s satire is softened throughout by his humor, his awareness of beauty, his rich love of life, and his cosmopolitan outlook.

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer becomes the storyteller. With his emphasis on realism, he gives the whole work the character of a novel. Chaucer’s greatness lies in his ability to portray character. 

For the most part the stories he tells are not original (malpractice much?). There are legends, love stories, adventures, satires, allegories and fables, all borrowed from the Italian, French, and English story collections, and from oral tradition. Chaucer’s originality stems from his ability to tell the tales brilliantly through verse; the idea of the pilgrimage as a framework (it's called a frame narrative) and a source of unity for his tales; and the satiric humor that permeates the stories and the characters. 

Jane Eyre is a novel set in England that depicts Jane’s journey from orphaned child to heiress after working as a governess in a wealthy household and falling in love with the master of the house. While the novel is more Gothic than satirical, the author still uses her work to reveal the shortcomings of the society she and her characters are a part of (just like good ol' Chaucer). 

Here's what you need to do: Read paragraphs 8-54 of Chapter 7 of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte , and then answer one of the questions below for Blog Post #4.

1. How do the elevated diction and elaborate syntax contrast with the feelings of the narrator in paragraphs 11-12? 

2. How would you best describe the central idea of this chapter? Which phrase from the chapter best helps develop the central idea? 

3. Identify and interpret the architectural images Jane uses to denote Mr. Brocklehurst in this chapter. What is the impact of these images on the development of his character?

4. What does Mr. Brocklehurst’s analogy between the ill-prepared breakfast and the “sufferings of the primitive Christians…the torments of martyrs…the exhortations of our blessed Lord Himself” reveal about his character? How does this attitude contrast with that of Miss Temple to reveal the author’s social message? 

5. Reread the following passages and complete the task that follows:

“And, ma’am,” he continued, “the laundress tells me some of the girls have two clean tuckers in the week: it is too much; the rules limit them to one.”

“Julia Severn, ma’am! And why has she, or any other, curled hair? Why, in defiance of every precept and principle of this house, does she conform to the world so openly—here in an evangelical, charitable establishment—as to wear her hair one mass of curls?”

“Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish these girls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I have again and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arranged closely, modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl’s hair must be cut off entirely; I will send a barber to-morrow.”

“(T)hree other visitors, ladies, now entered the room. They ought to have come a little sooner to have heard his lecture on dress, for they were splendidly attired in velvet, silk, and furs. The two younger of the trio (fine girls of sixteen and seventeen) had grey beaver hats, then in fashion, shaded with ostrich plumes, and from under the brim of this graceful head-dress fell a profusion of light tresses, elaborately curled; the elder lady was enveloped in a costly velvet shawl, trimmed with ermine, and she wore a false front of French curls.”

Analyze the author’s use of irony in describing Mr. Brocklehurst’s family in the second passage. How does the author contrast this description with Mr. Brocklehurst’s lecture to Miss Temple to provide social commentary on perceptions of class during this time? 

This is the best question---> 6. Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Explain how the author uses various literary devices (such as irony, characterization, and figurative language) to provide social commentary, OR  how the character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values.