Written and set during the Victorian Era, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre presents a fictional account of events that take place in the author's native English countryside. Having worked as a teacher and a governess herself, Bronte brings to the story the firsthand perspective of a governess working for a wealthy family.
Education for girls in Victorian England. For the most part, Victorian English society separated the duties of men and women into completely separate spheres. This meant that the male head of the family assumed the duty of earning an income, while his female counterpart worked within the domestic circle. A woman pursuing a higher education found herself branded with names such as "long-tailed sheep," an allusion to a farm animal that does not garner a high price at a sale. Like the long-tailed sheep, a well-taught woman was not considered a valuable commodity. Charlotte Bronte contradicts these notions in her novel, however. In Jane Eyre, the character of Rochester, at whose estate Jane is employed, finds himself attracted to her because of, rather than despite, her acute wit. While Jane does not possess the physical attributes of some of the other females whom Rochester knows, her intellectual capacity makes her a stimulating companion.
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