Jane Eyre Vocab List

Question 1

Victorian Era

Answer 1

The period of british history roughly corresponding to Queen Victoria’s reign, characterised by strict organising principles and expectation of gender and class.

Question 2

Theme

Answer 2

A recurring idea or concept within a text that is used by the author to develop and convey core messages or meaning.

Question 3

The Outsider

Answer 3

A person who does not belong to a particular circle , community, or group. This character is in some way different and therefore gains insights from standing on the edge of belonging.

Question 4

Bildungsroman

Answer 4

Also known as a ‘coming of age’ story, this is a common narrative structure in novels, exploring social, moral or psychological tensions.

Question 5

Genre

Answer 5

A means of categorising or classifying texts based on commonalities in convention, such as narrative devices, narrative structures. character types, and technical elements.

Question 6

Gothic Literature

Answer 6

A group of texts written predominantly in the 19th century, which share common themes and tropes such as: wild, remote, and inhospitable settings; conflicts and struggles for power; and the uncanny, the sublime and the supernatural.

Question 7

The uncanny

Answer 7

Objects, people, or things that are at once strange yet familiar, recognisable yet unrecognisable.

Question 8

The Sublime

Answer 8

Experiences that are not beautiful or enjoyable, but which are thrilling because they are terrifying or overwhelming.

Question 9

Byonic Hero

Answer 9

A person who is charismatic, mysterious and perceptive, and yet arrogant, lacking in self-control, darkly brooding, standing in counterpoint to conventional modes of behaviour.