(Postcolonial) Issues in Jane Eyre

Abstract

[eng] Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847 is one of the most well-known love stories to this day. It was created during the age of the British colonial expansion at the time when Britain shifted its interest from the West Indies to the East. By writing this book, Bronte contributed to the colonial discourse and the negative depiction of the colonised Other. This paper aims at analysing colonial issues included by Bronte in the novel. First, an analysis of the physical representation of the colonised characters will be done. Then, the paper will focus on the stereotypes created by the colonisers in order to reinforce the idea of their inferiority. After that, gender roles in the context of colonial discourse will be examined. And finally, a study of the colonial wealth and inheritance will be conducted. To do this, a historical and literary analysis of the text will be needed.