The uses and development of Realism in "Armadale" by Wilkie Collins and "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë (PDF)

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Didactics - English - Literature, Works, grade: 2:1, Falmouth University, course: English with Creative Writing, language: English, abstract: While Realism is concerned primarily with representing the world objectively and truthfully, I will examine how Armadale by Wilkie Collins and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, use and develop the genre further by establishing representation as subjective to the perspective of the writer, and therefore dependent upon his inner reality. I will firstly clarify Realism as a genre limited to representation, and how this in turn is fuelled by the characters' illusory self-consciousness. Focusing on Miss Gwilt and her interpretation of the dreams and shadows, this essay will argue towards her identity crisis and her fall in power. Similarly, by analysing Jane Eyre's and Mr. Rochester's relationship, this essay will discuss the ways in which each character is continually striving to dive into the depths of the other's eyes, while simultaneously keeping their own inner-self hidden from the outsider's gaze. When concealment fails, and the inner is open to manipulation, the narrative is placed away from them, and their power over their own destiny is reflective of the power we give away to the subjectivity of the perceived world.