This paper is only five pages long but what the author says is convincing and I thought that the construction of this paper is very clear and it might be a good model for us.
I summarized the paper in about 400 words so I will post it here but if you found the content interesting I suggest you read the paper itself because it is only five pages long and what I thought useful was the structure of the paper.
The main point of this paper was
to say that in the book “Jane Eyre”, the story is mostly told in past tense and
that makes the story less fresh. The narrator always stands between the reader
and the events that happen in the story so the reader cannot feel the story
directly as stories that are told in present tense. But the story “Jane Eyre”
is not consisted only in past tense. The narrator uses present tense in the
story at some points that are really important in Jane’s life. The author of
this paper says there are at least seven points. He also says that present
tense is used to convey either rising emotional tension or a new departure in
the story. For example, the use pf present tense in the scene of Rochester’s
second house party not only gives the reader a spectacular image of the scene,
but also illustrates the emotions of Jane directly, as if the event is going on
right now. Present tense is used similarly when Jane comes back from Mrs.Reed’s
death, at the scene of proposal from Rochester to Jane, and to describe Jane’s
concern towards her new duty at Morton. But these are not the most significant
scenes that present tense is used.
The most significant scenes are at the
beginning of chapters xi and xxvii. The beginning of chapter xi is the point
where Jane’s childhood ends and she goes out to the world as an adult. The
author directly addresses the “reader” many times, and at first it may seem
disturbing but the reader’s displacement in time is lost for a while. The
readers again feel Jane’s anxiety and passion towards her new stage directly.
Chapter xxviii is another turning point in Jane’s life and present tense is
used. Jane’s life at Thornfield is over and she arrives at a place called
Whitcross. Jane is now completely destitute and the use of present tense here
again makes the reader feel Jane’s loneliness and plight at the same time with
her.
The story “Jane Eyre” mainly
proceeds in past tense and bears the problem of the reader being displaced in
time. But as these special points in the story where present tense is used show
us, the narrator skillfully uses present tense to make the reader feel the
emotions of Jane directly and also to show the important turning points of
Jane’s life.
1 comment:
I also found this argument very interesting.
I think you can compare David Copperfield and Jane Eyre.
Both titles contain the word "autobiography", and the ways of telling its story seem to be very similar.
Here are papers that might be interesting and useful for this topic.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30038532?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2872615?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
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