Class Year
2020
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Fall 2016
Department 1
English
Department 2
First Year Seminar
Abstract
As the first female Bildungsroman in the English language, Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre focuses heavily on the theme of education. Throughout the course of the story, the character of Jane Eyre acquires a vast array of classical knowledge and ladylike accomplishments, facilitating her transition from a lowly student to a highly-respected teacher in true Bildungsroman fashion. Jane’s impressive scholarly abilities, however, contrast sharply with the deep struggles she undergoes as she pursues a much more difficult “education” in her personal beliefs. In the end, though, Jane masters both her mind and heart. Emboldened and liberated by her formal education, Jane finally balances her conflicting moral and spiritual desires to become a content and thoroughly self-confident young woman.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Gruner, Emma E., "Jane Eyre and Education" (2016). Student Publications. 473.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/473
Comments
Written for the First Year Seminar Shakespeare's Sisters (FYS-128).