'Portrait of a Governess, Disconnected, Poor, and Plain': Staging the Spectral Self in Charlotte Brontë'sJane Eyre

This paper looks at the way Charlotte Brontë deals with the feminine ideal in Jane Eyre. As she plays upon a heroine comparing herself to other models of femininity, the novel brings to light the significance of visual culture in the construction of the romance between Jane and Rochester. However, Charlotte's use of Gothic stereotypes ultimately discredits images of ideal femininity. The figure of the ghost, which marks Jane's invisibility throughout the novel, eventually enables her to evade Rochester's grasp and, in so doing, male authority.