Jane Eyre

    AQA
    GCSE

    Charlotte Brontë’s Bildungsroman follows the psychological and moral development of the eponymous protagonist through five distinct geographical settings: Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Moor House, and Ferndean. The narrative charts Jane’s struggle for autonomy against the restrictive patriarchal and class structures of Victorian society. Central to the text is the romance with Edward Rochester, complicated by the Gothic revelation of his mad wife, Bertha Mason, in the attic. Ultimately, Jane rejects the spiritual austerity of St. John Rivers to forge an egalitarian union with a blinded, humbled Rochester. The novel is a seminal exploration of gender dynamics, social mobility, and the balance between passion and reason.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
    4
    Pitfalls
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    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • AO1: Develop a 'convincing' and 'critical' argument tracking Jane's psychological development or Brontë's social critique across the novel
    • AO2: Analyse writer's methods, specifically the use of pathetic fallacy, Gothic motifs, and the shifting tone of the homodiegetic narrator
    • AO3: Integrate context regarding the 'Governess Question', religious hypocrisy (Brocklehurst vs. Helen Burns), or Victorian gender dynamics as a lens for interpretation
    • AO4: Maintain high technical accuracy in spelling, punctuation, and sentence demarcation (assessed as SPaG in this section)

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have identified the metaphor, now explain specifically how it shapes the reader's view of Jane's isolation"
    • "Link this moment in the extract to a contrasting scene later in the novel to show character development"
    • "Integrate your point about Victorian social class into the sentence where you analyse the dialogue, rather than separating it"
    • "Use more precise subject terminology: specify 'retrospective narration' or 'pathetic fallacy' instead of just 'imagery'"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • AO1: Develop a 'convincing' and 'critical' argument tracking Jane's psychological development or Brontë's social critique across the novel
    • AO2: Analyse writer's methods, specifically the use of pathetic fallacy, Gothic motifs, and the shifting tone of the homodiegetic narrator
    • AO3: Integrate context regarding the 'Governess Question', religious hypocrisy (Brocklehurst vs. Helen Burns), or Victorian gender dynamics as a lens for interpretation
    • AO4: Maintain high technical accuracy in spelling, punctuation, and sentence demarcation (assessed as SPaG in this section)

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Allocate 50 minutes: 5 minutes planning, 40 minutes writing, 5 minutes checking
    • 💡Use the 'starting with this extract' instruction to anchor your argument before branching out to parallel moments in the text
    • 💡Select 2-3 'micro-quotations' from the extract and 3-4 memorized references from the wider text
    • 💡Ensure context (AO3) is woven into the analysis of methods, not written as a separate paragraph

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Treating the extract in isolation without referencing the wider novel (limiting the response to Level 2/3)
    • Providing 'bolt-on' context (e.g., biographical details of the Brontës) that does not illuminate the specific theme of the question
    • Descriptive commentary rather than linguistic analysis (stating what happens rather than how meaning is created)
    • Confusing the character of Jane with the author Charlotte Brontë

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    How does Brontë...
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