On the imitation and subversion of the fairy tale archetype of Cinderella in Jane Eyre
Journal: Region - Educational Research and Reviews DOI: 10.32629/rerr.v6i3.1757
Abstract
This paper discusses Charlotte Bronte's famous novel Jane Eyre's imitation and subversion of the Cinderella fairy tale archetype from the perspective of archetypal criticism. Apart from imitating the plot structure, the author breaks the traditional model of the fairy tale in which the man acts as the redeemer and the woman is redeemed, and the relationship between the two sexes, in which the man takes the initiative and the woman is passive, to fully reflect her feminism advocacy and the idea of women's active pursuit of equal rights in a relationship. The correspondence between the surface structure of the novel and the archetypal fairy tale and the subversion of the deep structure create a great tension, which renders Jane Eyre a unique personality and a dazzling female image in the literature circle.
Keywords
Charlotte Bronte; Jane Eyre; archetype; archetypal criticism
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[2] Liu JN. 2023. Power strife and rebellion in "Jane Eyre" from the perspective of field. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 6 (11). doi: 10.25236/AJHSS.2023.061101.
[3] Clarke MM. 2000. Brontë's "Jane Eyre" and the Grimms' Cinderella. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. 40(4): 695-710.
[4] Charlotte·B. 1847. Jane Eyre. Wordsworth Editions Ltd.
[5] Crowley K, John P. 2010. Feminist frauds on the fairies? Didacticism and liberation in recent retellings of "Cinderella". Marvels & Tales, 24(2): 297-313.
[6] Westley FR, Carl F. 2018. Iconic images, symbols, and archetypes: their function in art and science. Ecology and Society, 23 (4).
[7] Tatar M. 2010. Why fairy tales matter: the performative and the transformative. Western Folklore, 69 (1): 55-64.
[8] Baker-Sperry L, Liz G. 2003. The pervasiveness and persistence of the feminine beauty ideal in children's fairy tales. Gender and Society, 17(5): 711-726.
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