Location
Old Dominion University, Learning Commons at Perry Library, Room 1306
Start Date
4-8-2017 1:30 PM
End Date
4-8-2017 1:50 PM
Description
In order to become a truly aware, authentic self, individuals must process their suppressed experiences and desires. This act is most effectively done when the individual is able to accept their experiences through seeing their suppressed self reflected in or approved by another individual. In Charlotte Brontë’s novels Jane Eyre and Villette, Brontë describes the journey to an authentic self through the female protagonist’s relationship with her male counterparts. Within both novels, the protagonist has a choice between two men: an ideal, marriage-plot husband and an unlikely brute. The men that are ultimately chosen allow a pathway for the protagonist to process their suppressed desires because the man understands the woman as a being-in-creation, rather than a finished product. By entering into these relationships that encourage self-growth, the women are engaging in relationships that rely on a substance deeper than what is found in traditional marriage-plot novels.
Presentation Type
Presentation
Included in
Processing the Suppressed: A Look into Productive Relationships in Jane Eyre and Villette
Old Dominion University, Learning Commons at Perry Library, Room 1306
In order to become a truly aware, authentic self, individuals must process their suppressed experiences and desires. This act is most effectively done when the individual is able to accept their experiences through seeing their suppressed self reflected in or approved by another individual. In Charlotte Brontë’s novels Jane Eyre and Villette, Brontë describes the journey to an authentic self through the female protagonist’s relationship with her male counterparts. Within both novels, the protagonist has a choice between two men: an ideal, marriage-plot husband and an unlikely brute. The men that are ultimately chosen allow a pathway for the protagonist to process their suppressed desires because the man understands the woman as a being-in-creation, rather than a finished product. By entering into these relationships that encourage self-growth, the women are engaging in relationships that rely on a substance deeper than what is found in traditional marriage-plot novels.
Comments
Research Advisor: Dr. Katherine Osborne
Keywords: Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, Villette, relationships, suppression, Victorian literature, intersubjectivity