Jane Eyre by Charlotte

147 ‘to slip again over my faculties the viewless fetters of an uniform and too still existence’ – The return to Thornfield – ironically – is seen as a continuation of Jane’s mental and emotional confinement after the brief excitement of meeting Rochester.

Chapter 13
150 ‘no longer silent as a church, it echoed every hour or two to a knock at the door, or a clang of the bell’ – Rochester’s advent has already broken the silent uniformity of Jane’s life. Interestingly, a ‘too still existence’ is seen here in terms of the silence of a ‘church’, again implying an ambiguous attitude to Christianity.

150 ‘Monsieur a parlé de vous’ – Rochester has been asking after Jane, and this is a first indication of his interest in her. Apparently, he has noticed her so much that Adèle thinks he might even give her a present.

153 ‘I have examined Adèle, and find that you have taken great pains with her’ – This is a thoughtful compliment from Rochester, and it gives the lie to his intentional lack of politeness throughout this first meeting. He is, of course, taken with Jane, but cannot imagine what such a young girl would see much in his grim and unprepossessing appearance and character. He therefore exaggerates these aspects, attempting, as it were, to drive Jane away. If she still shows any interest in him, he will know himself to be on surer ground. The fact that his courtship of Jane begins with discourtesy contrasts with the favouritism and kindness with which Pamela is treated by her master in Samuel Richardson’s novel. The comparison between Mr B. and Rochester is a just one, however, as both seek an inappropriate and unjust relationship with their employees.

153 ‘Adele wanted to take a seat on my knee, but she was ordered to amuse herself with Pilot’ – Another subtle hint of Rochester’s romantic interest in Jane.

153 ‘you have rather the look of another world’ – Throughout the novel, Rochester calls Jane his ‘elf’, implying that she belongs to a fairy world of enchantment – and, of course, that she has enchanted him. Jane is, as yet, completely unaware of the import of Rochester’s comments.

155 ‘I should hardly have been able to guess your age’ – Another statement from Rochester that implies Jane’s ‘fairy’ nature. He harps on this theme throughout their dialogue, with Jane completely unaware of its implication: that she has bewitched him.