"Who are you, Miss Snowe?" (V 287) Ginevra Fanshawe asks Lucy Snowe and draws attention to one, if not the central question of humankind: Who am I? How do we define who we are: by our job, by our social roles, or by the view others have of us? Moreover, living in a society and having to interact with other human beings, we also need to know who they are: friend or foe, villain or potential lover? However, it is impossible to reduce a human being to just one trait ('She is a mother', 'He is open-minded', 'She is a writer', 'He is a man.'). The same applies to most rounded literary characters.
This paper will discuss the presentation and identification of the main characters in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Villette. At first I will have a closer look at what is expected of the characters on the narrative level, for example, being the hero of a novel. The second part of the paper will deal with the self-perception and search for identity of the protagonists Jane Eyre, Lucy Snowe and Catherine Earnshaw/Linton/Heathcliff. In the last part, I will discuss how these characters are identified through others, focusing on doppelgänger.
However, when doing a characterisation of the protagonists of Jane Eyre, Villette and Wuthering Heights, one has to consider that the narrators in all three novels are homodiegetic. This means – in these particular cases – that they are biased and, most likely, unreliable. The description of the characters and their behaviour is filtered through the eyes and words of the narrators. Therefore, one should always keep in mind that the information given to the reader is already interpreted or at least coloured by the narrator.
Even though the main focus of this paper will be on the Mid-Victorian Gothic novels Jane Eyre (1847), Villette (1853) and Wuthering Heights (1847), I will also draw comparisons to other works of female writers of the 19th century. There are, for example, interesting parallels to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) and to the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892) written by the American author Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The latter provides a "terribly good" (Howells 7; qtd. in Shumaker 1) example of a woman's loss of identity and therefore perfectly matches the discussed novels of Charlotte and Emily Brontë.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The Gothic Cast
- Villains
- Heathcliff, the Villain
- Rochester, the Hero-Villain
- Are There Villains in Villette?
- Heroes
- Victims and Damsels in Distress
- Villains
- Who am I? - The Heroines' Search for the Self
- Jane Eyre
- Lucy Snowe
- Catherine and the Nameless Narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper"
- Doppelgänger: Identification through Others
- Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason
- Lucy Snowe and her Doubles
- Wuthering Heights - A Story Told Thrice
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the representation and identification of central characters in Emily Brontë's *Wuthering Heights* and Charlotte Brontë's *Jane Eyre* and *Villette*. The analysis focuses on the expectations imposed upon characters within the narrative, particularly the archetypes of hero and villain. It further explores the protagonists' self-perception and their journeys of self-discovery, with particular emphasis on Jane Eyre, Lucy Snowe, and Catherine Earnshaw/Linton/Heathcliff. Finally, the paper investigates how these characters are identified through others, focusing on the theme of doppelgängers.
- The presentation of characters in Victorian Gothic literature
- The exploration of self-identity and its formation
- The role of the unreliable narrator in shaping character perception
- The use of doppelgängers to explore themes of identity and connection
- The interplay of heroism, villainy, and victimhood in these narratives
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction explores the central question of self-identity, highlighting the complexities of defining oneself in the context of social interactions. The paper emphasizes the unreliability of the homodiegetic narrators in *Jane Eyre*, *Villette*, and *Wuthering Heights*, acknowledging that character depictions are filtered through their perspectives. The introduction also establishes the broader context of the paper, including its focus on Mid-Victorian Gothic novels and its connections to other works by female authors of the 19th century.
Chapter 2 dives into the archetypal characters common to the Gothic genre, including heroes, villains, and hero-villains, as well as victims and damsels in distress. It distinguishes between the more straightforward categorization of victims and the complexity of defining heroes and villains, especially in the context of *Jane Eyre*, *Villette*, and *Wuthering Heights*.
Chapter 2.1 focuses on the villainous characters within the chosen novels. Heathcliff, the protagonist of *Wuthering Heights*, is presented as the most clear-cut villain, with his dark origin, menacing appearance, and often cruel behavior aligning him with the archetypal villain.
Chapter 2.1.1 examines the specific characteristics that solidify Heathcliff's image as a villain. His origins are emphasized, with his description as a "dirty, ragged, black-haired child" and comparisons to the devil foreshadowing his later actions and solidifying his position as a morally ambiguous character.
Chapter 2.1.2 delves into the portrayal of Rochester as a hero-villain in *Jane Eyre*. This chapter examines the complexities of Rochester's character, navigating the tension between his attractiveness and his undeniable flaws, highlighting his manipulative and often destructive behavior.
Chapter 2.1.3 further explores the question of villainy in *Villette*, discussing whether any character embodies the villain archetype as clearly as Heathcliff or Rochester.
Chapter 2.2 shifts the focus to the heroic figures in the chosen novels, specifically examining their portrayal within the narrative and exploring the expectations associated with the hero archetype.
Chapter 2.3 analyzes the representation of victims and damsels in distress in the three novels, examining how they are portrayed and whether they adhere to the traditional stereotypes associated with these roles.
Chapter 3 examines the central theme of self-discovery in the novels, focusing on the protagonists' search for identity. This chapter specifically analyzes the individual journeys of Jane Eyre, Lucy Snowe, and Catherine Earnshaw/Linton/Heathcliff, exploring their internal conflicts and the factors that influence their self-perception.
Chapter 3.1 delves into Jane Eyre's search for self-identity, highlighting her struggles for autonomy and agency in a patriarchal society. This chapter explores how Jane defines herself beyond the expectations imposed upon her, drawing on her experiences of oppression and resilience.
Chapter 3.2 examines Lucy Snowe's journey of self-discovery in *Villette*. It analyzes Lucy's struggles with isolation, loneliness, and self-doubt, exploring her attempts to define herself both internally and within the context of the society she inhabits.
Chapter 3.3 examines Catherine Earnshaw/Linton/Heathcliff's complex and dynamic search for identity, exploring the ways in which her personal identity is shaped by love, loss, and societal constraints. This chapter delves into Catherine's fluctuating sense of self, highlighting her internal conflicts and the impact of her choices on her own sense of self.
Chapter 4 examines the role of doppelgängers in the chosen novels, exploring how they serve as vehicles for understanding the protagonists' identities and relationships. It focuses on specific examples: the relationship between Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason, the connection between Lucy Snowe and her doubles, and the multifaceted narrative of *Wuthering Heights* with its multiple perspectives and mirroring characters.
Chapter 4.1 examines the relationship between Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason as a case study of doppelgängers. It analyzes how Bertha's character serves as a reflection of Jane's own repressed desires and anxieties, highlighting the complex dynamics of identity and connection.
Chapter 4.2 explores the theme of doubles within *Villette*, specifically examining Lucy Snowe's connection to other characters who act as reflections of herself. This chapter analyzes how these relationships reveal deeper aspects of Lucy's personality and her search for identity.
Chapter 4.3 examines the structure of *Wuthering Heights* as a story told thrice, focusing on the multiple perspectives and the interweaving narratives that contribute to its complex exploration of identity and relationships. It analyzes how the different narrators and their perspectives reveal distinct truths about the characters and their interconnectedness.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The paper explores the themes of identity, identification, and self-discovery in Mid-Victorian female Gothic novels. Key terms include hero, villain, hero-villain, victim, damsel in distress, unreliable narrator, doppelgänger, and homodiegetic narrator. Specific examples analyzed include Jane Eyre, Lucy Snowe, Catherine Earnshaw/Linton/Heathcliff, Heathcliff, Rochester, Bertha Mason, and the characters of *Wuthering Heights*. The paper draws connections to other female writers of the 19th century, such as Mary Shelley and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and explores themes present in works such as *Frankenstein* and "The Yellow Wallpaper".
- Quote paper
- Sandra Bollenbacher (Author), 2011, Identity, Identification and Finding One's Self in Mid-Victorian Female Gothic: "Jane Eyre", "Villette" and "Wuthering Heights", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/204934
