Victorian Fiction

Think about all the possible careers you can choose for your future. How would you feel if someone were to tell you that you were not allowed to work for yourself? Would you be able to support and take care of yourself? Do you think you could still lead a happy life?

This was the dilemma faced by British women in Victorian society. With limited opportunities for education and employment, the most a woman could hope for is to marry a man of considerable wealth. A woman's happiness and security depended largely on the will and support of her husband. Teaching the children of wealthy families as a governess was an alternative for single women, but it only provided a modest income and no hope for real independence. The struggle against this social constraint goes to the heart of Jane Eyre, a novel by Charlotte Brontë that remains among the most enduring examples of Victorian fiction.

Essential Question

• How does Jane Eyre comment on the treatment and position of women in British society?