The controversial Coexistence of Romanticism and Realism in Charlotte Brote's Jane Eyre

Abstract

In Jane Eyre 1847, Charlotte Brontë portrays a woman’s permanent struggle in the mist of the strict and ridged norms of the Victorian society. The ultimate controversy in Jane Eyre lies in the coexistence of Realism and Romanticism. Charlotte Brontë sheds light on the forces of reason and passion within her heroine Jane Eyre, who tries throughout the novel to challenge the role of women, religion, and morality in the Victorian society. Essentially, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is considered as a direct assault on Victorians morality, not just because it was written by a woman, but also for it evokes a real story of a young lady who rejects the role imposed on her by society. In this context, Charlotte Brontë chose to mix up between the two literary trends i.e., Romanticism and Realism to depict one of the common stories in the Victorian Era, but in a romantic manner. Using such fusion between Romanticism and Realism, Charlotte Brontë succeeded not only in making Jane Eyre of great importance in terms of the themes it evokes, but also in contributing to the literary value of the novel.