AP Literature and Composition “It’s a ‘Trend in Literature’ Tuesday!” March 31, 2009 Mr. Houghteling

Agenda Bellringer: examining Charlotte Bronte’s use of verb tense to create mood. Postcolonialism: an introduction to another lens through which you may examine literature. Applying Postcolonialist Theory to Jane Eyre: perform a close examination of text using our latest literary theory in order to identify Bronte’s attitudes toward colonialism.

Bellringer – Use your text and answer with as much specificity as possible. On page 167, Bronte shifts from past tense to present tense as she describes the dinner party. Examine this shift and identify your argument for why she makes this change. What is the effect of the change in verb tense? Support your claim with at least one quotation.

Postcolonialist Theory – Take Notes! This theory deals with literature produced in countries that once were colonies of other countries, AND it also deals with literature written in colonial countries and by the citizens of countries that have colonized people. The theory applies most frequently to the literature of European colonial powers of Britain, France, and Spain.

In practice… There is great overlap between postcolonialist theory and historical, feminist, and Marxist schools of criticism. Because writers – oftentimes – did not confront controversial topics directly (think Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and McCarthyism), we can glean writers’ opinions and historical attitudes towards these topics. As always, close textual analysis helps us identify this attitudes however latent they may be.

For Example: When Jane first meets Mr. Mason, she immediately recognizes that he is something other than “purely” English, and she shares her discomfort with his countenance. She expresses, “[H]is accent, in speaking, struck me as being somewhat unusual,--not precisely foreign, but still not altogether English” (180). Mr. Mason’s accent identifies him as neither foreign nor English, thus suggesting that his involvement with colonialism has marked him forever and made him “other.” This quality is not a good thing based on Jane’s other reactions to Mr. Mason, and it also suggests a permanent character shift within those who engage in colonizing activities.

Your Task: You are to now practice applying postcolonialist theory to Jane Eyre. On the graphic organizer provided, identify four quotes that can be interpreted from this perspective. You should then explain each quote’s postcolonialist significance as demonstrated in the example (previous slide). You should then codify your textual interpretation into one summative statement regarding Bronte’s attitude towards colonialism. For this conclusion, consider completing the following statement: Bronte suggests that colonialism is _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________.

Potential page references: Bottom of page 180. Bottom of page 181. Top of page 193. Bottom of page 201. Middle of page 202. Top of page 204. The central paragraph on page 206. Others?

HOMEWORK Read through page 241. Identify two quotes that may be interpreted using postcolonialist theory. Apply the theory to each quote and draw textually-based conclusions regarding Bronte’s attitude towards colonialism.