The Power of a Good Book. Books as a Motif for Power in 'Jane Eyre' (1847)
(2024) LIVR07 20241Master's Programme: Literature - Culture - Media
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Böcker och läsning är ett centralt motiv i berättelsen om Jane Eyre (1847), vilket på många sätt bidrar till framställningen av karaktärisering, världsbygge och narrativets framfart. Det finns särskilt samband mellan framställningen av böcker och läsning och framställningen av makt och maktdynamiker i Jane Eyre. Tidigare forskning om böcker och läsepraktiker i Jane Eyre har fokuserat på den allusiva funktionen hos litterära referenser som nämns i narrativet, men ingen tidigare forskning har fokuserat på den mångfaldiga framställningen av böcker som både materiella och symboliska objekt. Denna uppsats fokuserar därför på användningen och framställningen av böcker och läsning i Jane Eyre i relation till motiven ägande, läsande och användande... (More)
- Böcker och läsning är ett centralt motiv i berättelsen om Jane Eyre (1847), vilket på många sätt bidrar till framställningen av karaktärisering, världsbygge och narrativets framfart. Det finns särskilt samband mellan framställningen av böcker och läsning och framställningen av makt och maktdynamiker i Jane Eyre. Tidigare forskning om böcker och läsepraktiker i Jane Eyre har fokuserat på den allusiva funktionen hos litterära referenser som nämns i narrativet, men ingen tidigare forskning har fokuserat på den mångfaldiga framställningen av böcker som både materiella och symboliska objekt. Denna uppsats fokuserar därför på användningen och framställningen av böcker och läsning i Jane Eyre i relation till motiven ägande, läsande och användande av böcker i Jane Eyre i relation till framställningen av makt och maktdynamiker. Syftet med detta är att belysa sättet som Brontë framställer komplex aspekter av karaktärisering, världsbygge och narrativ i Jane Eyre med hjälp av framställningen av böcker och läsning. För att genomföra denna undersökning använder uppsatsen en tematisk närläsningsmetod som fokuserar särskilt på användningen av böcker i viktoriansk litteratur som har definierats av Leah Price, och analyserar vidare stilgrepp i prosan genom närläsning. Uppsatsen fann att böckers materialitet i Jane Eyre bidrar till framställningen av ekonomisk makt, att den symboliska rollen av böcker som objekt bidrar till karaktärisering och att framställningen av sättet som böcker och kunskap som utvinns från böcker kan användas exemplifierar funktionen av bokägandeskap som kulturellt kapital i Jane Eyre. Slutsatsen om nåddes var att det finns ett samband mellan framställningen av böcker och läsning och framställningen av makt och maktdynamiker och att detta bidrar på ett komplext vis till djupet och nyansen i karaktärisering, världsbygge och narrativ i Jane Eyre. (Less)
- Abstract
- Books and reading are a central motif within the narrative of Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë and contributes in many ways to the depiction of characterisation, world-building, and the progression of the narrative. In particular, there are correlations between the depiction of books and reading and the depiction of power and power dynamics in Jane Eyre. Previous research into books and reading practices in Jane Eyre have focused on the allusive properties of the literary references mentioned in the narrative, but none have addressed the multitudinous depiction of books as both material and symbolic objects. This thesis therefore addresses the use and depiction of books and reading in Jane Eyre in relation to the motifs of owning,... (More)
- Books and reading are a central motif within the narrative of Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë and contributes in many ways to the depiction of characterisation, world-building, and the progression of the narrative. In particular, there are correlations between the depiction of books and reading and the depiction of power and power dynamics in Jane Eyre. Previous research into books and reading practices in Jane Eyre have focused on the allusive properties of the literary references mentioned in the narrative, but none have addressed the multitudinous depiction of books as both material and symbolic objects. This thesis therefore addresses the use and depiction of books and reading in Jane Eyre in relation to the motifs of owning, reading, and using books in relation to depictions of power and power dynamics. The purpose of this is to elucidate the way that Charlotte Brontë depicts complex aspects of the characterisation, world-building, and narrative of Jane Eyre through the depiction of books and reading. In order to conduct this study, the thesis uses a thematic close-reading method which focuses particularly on uses of books in Victorian literature as defined by the researcher Leah Price, and additionally analyses stylistic features of the prose through close-reading. The thesis found that the materiality of books in Jane Eyre contributes to the depiction of economical power, that the symbolic role of books as objects contributes to the characterisation of the characters, and that the depiction of ways books and knowledge gained from books can be used exemplifies the function of book-ownership as cultural capital in Jane Eyre. The conclusion reached from this was that there indeed is a correlation between the depiction of books and reading and the depiction of power and power dynamics in Jane Eyre and that this contributes in a complex way to the depth and nuance of the characterisation, world-building, and narrative of Jane Eyre. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9175276
- author
- Nordgren, Olivia LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- En god boks makt. Böcker som motiv för makt i 'Jane Eyre' (1847)
- course
- LIVR07 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Jane Eyre, reading practices, cultural capital, materiality, power dynamics, class dynamics, books, book objects
- language
- English
- id
- 9175276
- date added to LUP
- 2025-01-27 15:39:00
- date last changed
- 2025-01-27 15:39:00
@misc{9175276,
abstract = {{Books and reading are a central motif within the narrative of Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë and contributes in many ways to the depiction of characterisation, world-building, and the progression of the narrative. In particular, there are correlations between the depiction of books and reading and the depiction of power and power dynamics in Jane Eyre. Previous research into books and reading practices in Jane Eyre have focused on the allusive properties of the literary references mentioned in the narrative, but none have addressed the multitudinous depiction of books as both material and symbolic objects. This thesis therefore addresses the use and depiction of books and reading in Jane Eyre in relation to the motifs of owning, reading, and using books in relation to depictions of power and power dynamics. The purpose of this is to elucidate the way that Charlotte Brontë depicts complex aspects of the characterisation, world-building, and narrative of Jane Eyre through the depiction of books and reading. In order to conduct this study, the thesis uses a thematic close-reading method which focuses particularly on uses of books in Victorian literature as defined by the researcher Leah Price, and additionally analyses stylistic features of the prose through close-reading. The thesis found that the materiality of books in Jane Eyre contributes to the depiction of economical power, that the symbolic role of books as objects contributes to the characterisation of the characters, and that the depiction of ways books and knowledge gained from books can be used exemplifies the function of book-ownership as cultural capital in Jane Eyre. The conclusion reached from this was that there indeed is a correlation between the depiction of books and reading and the depiction of power and power dynamics in Jane Eyre and that this contributes in a complex way to the depth and nuance of the characterisation, world-building, and narrative of Jane Eyre.}},
author = {{Nordgren, Olivia}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The Power of a Good Book. Books as a Motif for Power in 'Jane Eyre' (1847)}},
year = {{2024}},
}