Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens are two of the most well-known and beloved authors in English literature. Though they wrote during different periods, their work is often compared and contrasted. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the ways that Jane Eyre and Great Expectations differ, as well as some of the similarities between them.
One key difference between these two novels is their respective protagonists. Jane Eyre is a strong-willed young woman who doesn’t take kindly to being mistreated, while Pip is a bit more meek and easily led astray. This leads to very different experiences for the two characters, with Jane often having to fight for her own happiness while Pip seems to be constantly chasing after an unattainable ideal.
Another key difference is the way that Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens approach social class. For Bronte, class is something that Jane is constantly aware of and struggling against, while for Dickens, it’s more of a background issue that provides context for Pip’s story. This different perspective leads to very different treatments of the theme of class in each novel.
Despite these differences, there are also some similarities between Jane Eyre and Great Expectations. Both novels are coming-of-age stories about young people who have to overcome difficult obstacles in order to find happiness. They’re both also highly Romantic works, full of passion and drama. And finally, they’re both considered to be classics of English literature that have inspired countless readers over the years.
So, while Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens wrote very different novels, they also have a lot in common. If you’re a fan of one, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy the other as well.
Jane Eyre and Great Expectations, both by Charlotte Bronte, and Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations are similar in many ways. Both works are influenced by the same three elements. The first is the gothic novel, which injected mystery, suspense, and horror into the tale. The second is the romantic poets, who gave literature liberty, individuality, and nature. The third is the Byronic hero, which includes an outcast or rebel who is proud and melancholy yet searches for a purer existence.
Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens were both greatly affected by these three things, which is why their novels share so many qualities. Both Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens were profoundly influenced by the gothic novel. The gothic novel Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, Charlotte’s sister, had a great impact on her. In an article called “The Gothic Double: Charlotte Brontë’s Use of Emily’s Wuthering Heights,” Margaret Homans claims that because Charlotte loved her sister’s work so much, she “deliberately set out to imitate” it (Homans 291).
Charlotte even went as far as to write in a similar style to Emily. For example, both Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre contain dark and gloomy settings, such as the “red-room” in Jane Eyre, which is where Charlotte’s protagonist is locked away as a child. Furthermore, both novels have characters that are Byronic heroes, such as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Rochester in Jane Eyre. These characters are outcasts who are proud and melancholy and seek a purer life.
Charles Dickens was also influenced by the gothic novel. In Great Expectations, Dickens uses many of the same devices that Charlotte Bronte does. For example, he also employs a dark and gloomy setting. In addition, he includes a Byronic hero in the form of Pip. Like Heathcliff and Rochester, Pip is an outcast who is proud and melancholy and seeks a purer life.
Both Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens were greatly affected by the romantic poets. The romantic poets, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, believed in liberty, individualism, and nature. Charlotte Bronte was deeply influenced by these ideas, which is reflected in her novel Jane Eyre. For example, Charlotte includes a scene in which Jane Eyre goes to the moors to escape from Rochester. While on the moors, Jane feels free and liberated from the constraints of society.
This is an example of Charlotte’s belief in liberty. In addition, Charlotte includes many scenes in which Jane Eyre asserts her individuality. For example, when Rochester asks Jane to marry him, she refuses because she does not want to be a trophy wife. This is an example of Charlotte’s belief in individualism. Finally, Charlotte includes many scenes in which the natural world is depicted as being beautiful and soothing. For example, when Jane Eyre is on the moors, she feels at peace with nature. This is an example of Charlotte’s belief in the power of nature.
Charles Dickens was also influenced by the romantic poets. In Great Expectations, he includes a scene in which Pip goes to the marshes to escape from Miss Havisham. While on the marshes, Pip feels free and liberated from the constraints of society. This is an example of Dickens’ belief in liberty. In addition, Dickens includes many scenes in which Pip asserts his individuality.
For example, when Pip is offered a job by Miss Havisham, he refuses because he does not want to be indebted to her. This is an example of Dickens’ belief in individualism. Finally, Dickens includes many scenes in which the natural world is depicted as being beautiful and soothing. For example, when Pip is on the marshes, he feels at peace with nature. This is an example of Dickens’ belief in the power of nature.
The return to his village and the marshes around it, is a sort of fall from wealth and power into reality, bringing him back to basics. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre lives in a similar fashion. She too starts at a young age, an orphan with no family, at Gateshead. Then she goes to Lowood School which could be seen as her version of London, being introduced to new people and places. After Mr. Rochester proposes marriage to her and she discovers his secret, their lives change drastically and they are forced to move away from Thornfield Hall.
This can be interpreted as falling from grace, since everything that they had planned for their future vanishes in an instant. However, both characters find happiness at the end of their stories, which could be seen as a victory. In Great Expectations, Pip learns to love Joe and Biddy for who they are, not what they can do for him. And in Jane Eyre, Rochester loses his sight but gains Jane’s heart and they live together happily ever after.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is about an orphaned girl who grows up in difficult circumstances and eventually becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is also about an orphan, Pip, who goes through many trials and tribulations before becoming a gentleman. Though both novels are coming-of-age stories, there are several differences between the two protagonists. For example, while both Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens use setting as an important tool, they use it in different ways.