Commitment

How does Bronte portray commitment in JE?

She constructs the love between Jane and Rochester as a transcendental spiritual connection.

What quotes portray Jane and Rochester’s love as a transcendental spiritual connection?

• “It is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet” C23

• “I am bound to you with a strong attachment” C27

• “It was a name graven on a tablet, fated to last as long as the marble it inscribed” C34

• “Jane! Jane! Jane!” C35

• “My very soul demands you” C37

• “I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine […] bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh” C38

How does Jane and Rochester’s spiritual connection link to Victorian context?

Deeply Christian Victorian society would receive Jane and Rochester’s spiritual connection as existential and redemptive, reflecting the Romantic-Christian ideal where true love must refine the soul.

How does Jane and Rochester’s spiritual connection relate to the genre of JE?

Supernatural events are conventional of gothic literature.

What have literary critics said about Jane and Rochester’s spiritual connection?

Eagleton suggests “Jane’s love is not just a matter of the heart; it is a form of spiritual vocation”.

What poem links to the idea that love is a committed spiritual connection?

A quoi bon dire.

How does MacNeice portray commitment in AQBD?

As a transcendental force; the commitment of the lovers overcomes the barrier of death.

What quotes portray the relationship as a transcendental force?

• “What’s the point of speaking?”

• “But I.” “But you.”

What structure portrays the relationship as a transcendental force?

Cyclical structure of past, present, future.

How does the transcendental relationship link to 20th century context?

Aligns with themes of longing and mourning in post ww1 poetry, a time of trauma and loss.

How does AQBD link to 20th century literary context?

It subverts typical modernist love poetry, focusing on the strength of commitment rather than the breakdown of communication and alienation.

What is another way Bronte portrays commitment in JE?

Romantic commitment is only achievable through equality in relationships, seen through how she has Jane commit to Rochester once they are equals.

What quotes show equality as necessary for commitment in JE?

• “I am no bird and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I will now exert to leave you” C23

• “It would not be wicked to love me” “It would to obey you” C27

• “He is now helpless, indeed – blind and a cripple” C36

• “Caged eagle” C37

• “For I was then his vision, as I am still his right hand” C38

How does Bronte’s presentation of equality link to Victorian context?

Equal relationships challenge Victorian gender roles, contrasting ‘Angel in the House’ ideal, suggesting Bronte takes a proto-feminist perspective.

How does Bronte’s presentation of equality link to the form of JE?

The form of a bildungsroman portrays Jane’s growth of independence until she is able to unite with Rochester.

What have critics said about Bronte’s portrayal of equal relationships?

Gilbert and Gubar suggest “Jane insists on a love that is not a surrender of the soul, but a union of equals”.

What poem links to the idea that equality is necessary for romantic commitment?

I, being born a woman and distressed.

How does Millay portray the significance of equality in IBBAWAD?

Millay portrays the importance of independence in ‘IBBAWAD’, however, she arguably undermines the importance of commitment through portraying romantic fulfilment existing through selfish, noncommittal desire.

What quotes in IBBAWAD show an independent, non-committal desire?

• “Fume of life”

• “My stout blood against my staggering brain”

• “I find this frenzy insufficient reason / For conversation when we meet again”

How does Millay’s portrayal of an independent, non-committal desire link to 20th century context?

Second Wave Feminism influenced female expression of love; changing gender roles allowed women to express their own desires.