Introduction to the Dreams of Jane Eyre
Did I wake or sleep? Had I been dreaming? Did I dream still?"
These words, uttered by Charlotte Bronte’s protagonist in Jane Eyre, poignantly draw the reader into Eyre’s dream world, brimming with innumerable visions that reveal pieces of her psyche, and shape the significant events which occur from her childhood to her residence at Thornfield Hall. Undeniably, it is Jane’s vivid imagination, her outlet for feelings of repression and separation from others, that allows the dreams to occur. Indeed, it becomes clear Eyre has learned “to approach reality through the mediating agency of books” as author Charlotte Bronte and her sisters were frequently known to do, which conditions her ability to have symbolic dreams (Gilbert 250). Jane utilizes her strong imagination through her maturation, which ultimately leads her to have power over her unconscious life. Exploring Eyre's development, I have illuminated the symbolic and prophetic nature of Eyre's dreams, outlets of her innermost thoughts.
Before we begin on our journey through the Dreams of Eyre, it is imperative to introduce C.G. Jung, a twentieth century psychologist who devised his own influential dream theories. Although Jung never put forth a formulated theory on dreams, he has revised Freud's ideologies, and has written much on the subject. It is my task to interpret and analyze the dreams, visions, and incidents of the Victorian novel Jane Eyre using a philosophical Jungian lens. His major theories of the archetype, imago, and shadow, stemming from a collective unconscious theory, aid in the analysis of Jane's unconscious thoughts.
This video clip, taken from the BBC.COM production of Jane Eyre, exhibits Jane escaping through reading, and her poor self-perception.
Photo of Bronte is from: www.bronte.brain-jogging.com/images/bronte1.jpg
Read more:
Introduction to the Dreams of Jane Eyre
Jung's Principles
Mirrors on the Wall: Early Imaginative Unconscious
Awakening the Imagination
Making Meaning of Prophetic Dreaming
Shadows: Reflections of the Self
Afterthoughts
Critics
Further Reading
About the Author