Jane Eyre and Twilight: The Effects of the Gothic Romance Genre on Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the Modern Heroine, and Stephenie Meyer’s the Twilight Saga
When
people read novels in the new millennium they aren’t reading into whether the
book reflects the views of a novel written over 150 years ago. Most books
written in the past ten years have reflected to changing nature of the great
novels of the past. Yet similar themes have shown up in many novels over the
past one hundred and fifty years. Many writers today draw inspiration from novels
they read growing up. The characters in their books have many similarities to
one or two characters in books from their childhood. Or even the nature of love
and marriage has similarities such as meeting and courting significant others.
Yet the theme that stands out the most is the struggles that are faced from the
point of view of the main female and male characters. The significance of their
relationship to one another as well as their struggles towards each other is a
major role to the overall story. Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre was written in 1847 and the similar
themes from the novel have shown up in Stephenie Meyer’s popular Twilight Saga.
Both novels are a part of the gothic romance genre in that they both possess
similar themes. Such themes are a love story, mysteries and secrets, a
supernatural element, unhappy events, and a dark hero. Have the characters in
novels really changed? Or have authors adapted certain aspects of the older
ways of courting both in books and real life?
In the one hundred and fifty years since
Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre the role of women has changed dramatically. No
longer were women mother’s and wives, they have become political leaders and
acknowledged writers. Female characters
in novels have changed over time but in some ways have also stayed the same.
The character of Bella Swan from Stephenie Meyer’s popular Twilight saga shares
similar qualities to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. In her essay “Twilight” Is
Not Good For Maidens: Gender, Sexuality, And The family In Stephenie Meyer’s
‘Twilight’ Series”. Silver argues that the character of Bella is more a part of
her adopted family than biological family. Throughout the Twilight series Bella states that she felt like she never really
belonged in the human world. This is equivalent to Jane’s struggles with her
own feelings towards her family. Jane who was orphaned in Jane Eyre is
constantly at odds with her Aunt and her cousin because she feels inequality in
the way she is treated. Silver quotes columnist Caitlin Flanagan in regards to
the depiction of Bella “In her admiring piece on Twilight, Caitlin Flanagan
concurs, noting that ‘Bella is an old-fashioned heroine: bookish, smart, brave,
considerate of others’ emotions, and naturally competent in the domestic arts”
(p.112) Like Jane in a fashion both heroines’ are smart, brave and bookish. Jane
and Bella are both outspoken and independent minded female characters. They
will also do anything to fight for what they believe is right. Silver also
argues that “The tremendous success of the novels has surprised some critics,
especially those feminist media and literary critics who argue that the series
perpetuates outdates and troubling gender norms.” This is regards to Bella’s
decisions throughout the series that either depicts her as the damsel in
distress or her decision to choose marriage and having a family over furthering
her education. Even though the decision regarding marriage were actually made
by her significant other Edward Cullen who considers himself as old fashion
when it concerns courting a lady. Edward Cullen at the start of the first
Twilight novel is already 104 years old since he was born in 1901 so he was
raised in a world where the norms are dramatically different. Even with the
similarities between these two female heroines’ the differences are also
noticeable because of the difference in the worlds they live in. If Bella had
left Edward the same fashion that Jane had left Mr. Rochester she wouldn’t have
difficulty securing a job or even traveling to her next destination. Also if
Jane lived in the time that the Twilight books were written there would a
chance that she wouldn’t have met Mr. Rochester under the same circumstances as
she did in the book. Jane would either have been a lot older than she is or Mr.
Rochester would have been younger in order to fulfill certain social norms.
Even though the age differences in marriage isn’t a taboo Jane still have been
a teenager which can cause problems for Mr. Rochester.
Love at first sight has always been
a popular theme in novels whether it’s a gothic romance or a historical novel.
The theme has remained unchanged because it’s an author’s way of gaining more
female readers. The first meeting between the characters is crucial in the
development of the relationship between the two. M. Carmen Gomez-Galisteo’s
essay “Vampire Meets Girl: Gender Roles
and the Vampire’s Side of the Story in Twilight, Midnight Sun and The Vampire
Diaries” offers insight on the views of courtship in the Twilight saga
stating “The appeal of old-fashioned ideals for teenagers, such as chivalry,
being a gentleman, getting married before having sex… might be surprising at
first glance, but it can be better understood when we bear in mind that these
novels also capitalize on the rush of emotions and hormones that control
teenagers such as teenage angst, the anxiety about an uncertain future,
(college, unstable job market, moving away from home and friends…), alienation,
the search for an identity of one’s own while conforming to social rules and
norms (be them the high school microcosm of society as a whole)…” This
statement can also apply to Jane and Mr. Rochester’s courtship because of
Jane’s age at the time she moves to Thornfield. Like Bella, Jane is still a
teenager when she meets Rochester she has no prior experience when it comes to
romance or dealing with her newfound emotions towards him. Emotions for both of
these female characters are all over the place because of this. They’ll stare
at the object of their affection sometimes getting caught in the act because
they didn’t look away quickly enough. This causes questioning remarks from the
other person. Jane was caught by Mr. Rochester during one of these instances
“He had been looking two minutes at the fire, and I had been looking the same
length of time at him, when turning suddenly, he caught my gaze fastened on his
physiognomy.
“You examine me, Miss Eyre,” said
he: “do you think me handsome?” (p.133)
Even
though she was caught in the act of staring at Mr. Rochester, Jane was quick to
reply to his question by saying that she did not find him handsome.
Interpreting this scene in the 21st century as though the book was
written for today’s audience Jane’s gaze would be equivalent to a teenage girl
gazing at her crush in hopes that he would look at her. Just as in the first
novel in the Twilight series when Bella first sees Edward in the cafeteria
during lunch. She’s curious by the group but Edward stood out the most to her.
Female characters in novels have always seen that person and instantly felt an
attraction. They’ll deny their feelings at first deciding that they would
rather deal with their feelings from afar. Mostly they’re afraid that the
feelings aren’t mutual so they’ll just do small things to stay close but they
wouldn’t initiate the conversation about her feelings until she knows it’s
mutual.
The other side of the gothic romance
is the Byronic Hero. Author Tania Modleski the author of the book Loving with a
Vengeance says “pure Gothics’ almost always have ‘a handsome, magnetic suitor
or husband who may or may not be a lunatic and/or murderer” (p.53) The
definition of this type of character according to dictionary.com is “a Byronic hero
is a melancholy and rebellious young man, distressed
by a terrible wrong
he committed
in the past.” Sometimes the wrongs they’ve committed define who
they are and they have to fight through their own insecurities in order to win
the object of their desire. It has been said that Stephenie Meyer named Edward
Cullen after Mr. Rochester because of the similarities between the two
characters, their flaws from their past and their passions towards the object
of their desire. Both of them fear losing themselves if they were to lose the
person they are attracted to. Often keeping them at a distance fearing that
their true nature or their darkness will come out and ruining the relationship.
The Atlantic columnist Caitlin Flanagan describing the similarities “In
short, Edward treats Bella not as Count Dracula treated the objects of his
desire, but as Mr. Rochester treated Jane Eyre. He evinces the most profound
disdain and distaste for this girl. Even after they have confessed their love
for each other, he will still occasionally glare at and speak sharply to her.” Their
past will constantly haunt them but they will do anything to keep it from being
known to the one person they care for the most.
It takes a long time for the dark hero
of the story to come to grips with his past in order for the couple to be able
to overcome their obstacles. Sometimes he will leave the heroine for a period
of time in over to overcome this ‘flaw’ they believe may cause great strain in
the relationship. In the instance of Jane and Mr. Rochester, it is actually
Jane that leaves. Though she loves Rochester she cannot overcome the fact that
he is married to another woman and also willing to continue his relationship
with her. Even as she departed from Thornfield hall Jane would end up saying
her silent goodbyes but only to stop at Mr. Rochester’s door and wonder if
leaving was the best course. “There was a heaven – a temporary heaven – in this
room for me, if I chose; I had but to go in and to say – “Mr. Rochester, I will
love you and live with you through life till death,” (p.325) The existence of
Mr. Rochester’s wife Bertha Mason was what caused the change in their
relationship this woman in the attic that had made the strange noises in the
house during the night. The cause of separation between Bella Swan and Edward
Cullen was also caused by a rift between the two characters. Edward knowing
that someone was after Bella tried his best to protect her but an incident
during Bella’s birthday in which a simple paper cut caused a ripple effect that
made him realize that she would perhaps be better off without him. Edward tells
Bella in New Moon “Of course, I’ll always love you … in a way. But what
happened the other night made me realize that it’s time for a change. Because
I’m … tired of pretending to be
something I’m not, Bella. I am not human.” He goes on to say “I’ve let this go
on much too long, and I’m sorry for that.”(p.70) Edward knows of the danger
that surrounds her if he stays so he says hurtful words in order to give her a
clean break from him.
The separation of the couple will
often force them to grow up and deal with the problems that face their
relationship. The separation is a defining moment for the story and it’s also
one that shows up in both books. As difficult as this maybe for these
characters the separation will be the turning point for them. Mr. Rochester
will have to deal with his wife whose presence has caused hardships in his
life. While Jane would have to grow as a person because even though she’s
mature she is still a child who has to learn of the difficulties of life. Bella
will also have to learn to grow up like Jane. These two characters though
younger than their significant others will have to deal with living in a world
where the person they love the most isn’t around. The hard ship of living
without their loved one is a centralized theme that occurs in more novels. The
characters have to adapt to life even if it’s a painful experience for them to
live through. It helps them change certain aspects of who they are. This is
something that will not change because like the characters in a book everyday
people will have to deal and suffer through the same obstacles as these two
young women. In a way their feelings and instincts will tell them that
something is wrong with their relationship. Some women would stay and deal with
the problem but this causes more strain on the relationship. That’s why the
separation is necessary during their time apart the characters will learn about
the specific things that would have to change.
Though it’s not something that is
very noticeable is the damsel in distress role that the protagonist has played.
Women in literature have learned to cope with the change ideals of the world.
Though this trait isn’t noticeable in Jane Eyre it is something that does occur
in the storyline. Jane who leaves Thornfield cannot find a place to stay or
work because she didn’t take money with her. This theme is more prominent in
the Twilight saga because Bella is in constant danger because of who she
associates with. In her essay Gomez-Galisteo points out “... if the description
of the appealing male vampire resonates with echoes of the Victorian novel dark
hero and the twentieth-first century sensitive to woman’s need metrosexual man,
these stories are problematic when it comes to offering suitable role models
for the female protagonist other than the outdated damsel in distress
stereotype.” The old stereotypes of the girl who gets saved by the dark hero
who is actually a very good person is something that is constant in novels.
Women have this need to imagine being saved by a tall, dark, and handsome
mystery man who seemingly appears from out of now where. These Jane Eyre and
the Twilight saga both have taught their readers to not old love and care for
this person but also to believe that they’ll always come around to rescue the
damsel in a way. Yet they also teach that you can always move forward if the
hero doesn’t come. Jane and Bella are both role models in a way that is
appealing to female readers. Jane is self-sufficient and tries to make the best
of her situations whenever they are presented to her. Bella eventually becomes
a stronger person and will do anything for those she loves.
An interesting similarity between
the two novels is the heroine’s connection to their loved one. During the time
when the couples are separated the heroine has a supernatural connection to
that person. Though it’s depicted differently in both novels both Jane and
Bella hear the voice of their loved one. Stephenie Meyer’s takes it a step further
so instead of just hearing Edward, Bella sees him in front of her. These events
during New Moon happen in times that Bella is in great danger. When she hears his voice she knew
automatically that she could only hear it when she was in danger. His voice was
telling her not to do what she thought of trying because it was dangerous. “Bella, stop this right now!” (N.M. p.111) is
what Bella heard him say the first time she tried to walk into a dangerous
situation. Jane on the other hand heard the painful cries of Mr. Rochester. “I
saw nothing: but I heard a voice somewhere cry – ‘Jane! Jane! Jane!”(p. 427).
When she heard his voice she knew that she had to go back because to her it
sounded painful. The difference between these two scenes was that Jane could to
back and see what may have happened to her beloved. Bella couldn’t go and see
if something was wrong because once Edward disappeared he didn’t leave traces
of where he had gone. This is one of many small differences between the two
novels.
There are many similarities between
the Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga is
endless. The differences are also very clear because of the times that they
were written. There’s no doubt that Stephenie Meyer was not only influenced by
Jane Eyre but she was also influenced by Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea. Meyer’s
was in the process of writing the other side of the first Twilight novel,
called Midnight Sun. The book was never published due to someone leaking one of
the few drafts that she had handed out to her publisher. On August 28, 2008,
Meyer made a comment in regards to what had occurred “I have a good idea of how
the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that
left my possession and each was unique. Due to little changes I made to the
manuscript at different times, I can tell when each left my possession and to
whom it was given. The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the
Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no comment
beyond that as I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial
distribution.” She posted a partial manuscript so that those who were
interested would be able to read. Unlike Rhys’ work that showed Bertha Mason’s
side of the story is very different from Meyer’s story. Though both show the
sides of someone who is a part of the story, one shows the story of the first
Mrs. Rochester and the other the story from the dark hero Edward Cullen. People
would no doubt be intrigued to read Mr. Rochester’s side of the story. Yet both
novels show a side of the narrative that helps complete the story of the
original novels.
There is no doubt that these books
are similar and though most wouldn’t be able to distinguish them those who look
closely will. There are also people out there that will never know them because
some will never read either book. Some will argue that Twilight is just for a
bunch of teenage girls even though the book has been read by women of all ages.
Others will argue that the read why they haven’t read Jane Eyre is because the
book and story doesn’t appeal to them. Would these books appeal to everyone maybe
not but those that do read it will start to notice that some of the themes in
the stories are similar. The struggles between the heroines of these novels are
the same. Even if the books were written at different times in history both of
these young woman show their strengths and weaknesses are the same. Women
struggle with breaking up with someone they love. One hundred and fifty years
ago most women didn’t have the opportunity to marry for love. After all this
time women still have the tendency to marry someone who isn’t the best person
for them. They wish for the prince or even that handsome stranger they read
about in novels to come and rescue them. The dark hero and the effect he has on
the overall plot of the novel will always be a major plot point. His presence
is needed to affect the heroine even if the way he is presented changes from
novel to novel. In some novels he’ll be a regular man in others he will take
form as something supernatural. Even
reworked versions of Jane Eyre have taken a new spin on popular themes in
novels in the 21st century. Author Sherri Browning Erwin took Jane
Eyre and changed some of the themes in the book and turned Jane into a vampire
slayer. She reworked some of the characters that either didn’t like Jane or she
found suspicious and made them into vampires or werewolves. Keeping most of the
original novel and adding the new parts gave the older novel a new twist in a
time when books have become obsessed with the paranormal. Even the Twilight
series found itself reworked but as a completely different story with E.L.
James’ popular Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. These reworking’s have given
people a chance to experience these books in a different way some people have
even read the originals as a way to see the similarities between the two. It
will take some time for those same people to make the connection between Jane
Eyre and Twilight as well as see how these two very different time periods
haven’t changed the women see themselves or think in novels. Women still wish
for the same things today the only real difference is that we also want the
same civil rights as men do.
Works
Cited
Bronte,
Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 1847. New York: Signet Classic, (Jong introduction) July
1997.
Rhys,
Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. 1966. Penguin Group, Penguin Books Student Edition
2001
Meyer,
Stephenie. Breaking Dawn. New York: Hachette, 2008
-. Eclipse. New York:
Hachette, 2007
-. New Moon. New York:
Hachette, 2006
-. Twilight. New York:
Hachette, 2005
-. Midnight Sun.
StephenieMeyer.com. n.p 28 August 2008. Web. 24 February 2010.< http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partial_draft4.pdf
>
Nakagawa,
Chiho. “Safe Sex with Defanged Vampires: New Vampire Heroes in Twilight and the
Southern Vampire Mysteries”. Journal of Popular Romance Studies, October 2011
Gomez-Galiteo,
M. Carmen, Vampire Meets Girl: Gender Roles and the Vampire’s Side of the Story
in Twilight, Midnight Sun and The Vampire Diaries. Neo Americanist: Vol.5,
Edition 2. Fall/Winter ’11-‘12
Silver,
Anna. “Twilight” Is Not Good For Maidens: Gender, Sexuality, And The family In
Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” Series”. Studies In The Novel 42 ½ (2010):121-138
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Thelma Jónsdóttir. "Forbidden Love." Romanticizing the Villain.
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Modleski, Tania. Loving with a
Vengeance: Mass-produced Fantasies for Women. New York: Routledge, 2008
Radway, Janice. Reading the Romance:
Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature. North Carolina: The University of
North Carolina Press, 1991
Praz, Mario. Trans. Angus Davidson.
The Romantic Agony. 1933 London: Oxford University Press, 1970. Print
Flanagan, Caitlin. What
Girls Want: The Atlantic Magazine: Washington D.C., December 2008 < http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/12/what-girls-want/307161/?single_page=true>
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