Jane Eyre

Race

How can scholars of color connect British with Asian, or past with present, without reifying our own marginality within the rubrics of empire and exclusion? How might the integration of critical race theory and Victorian studies help to bridge these gaps?

Relationships

What can we learn about Jane's character by examining the power dynamics in her different relationships?

Historical Lens

What are the parallels between Mary Shelley's 1817 novel Frankenstein and Charlotte Bronte's 1847 novel Jane Eyre?

Adaptations

Why do film works lose so much of the original works' messages, themes, and/or content?

Social Class Lens

What assumption does Bronte make about wealth? What tone shift occurs when Jane learns of her fortune?

Psychological Lens

How does trauma affect the characters, their interactions, and the progression of the story?

Gender Lens

According to Loy's article, Jane Re and Jane Eyre go through similar challenges. What is more difficult (as a woman? as a person of color?)--being in Victorian society or the contemporary world?

Sexuality

Is Jane Eyre bisexual and how does her queerness affect her struggle throughout the story?

Religion

How do Jane's beliefs about religion affect her identity throughout the book?

How do male characters in Frankenstein and Jane Eyre reflect the feminist perspectives of their writers?