Question

What does Virginia Woolf say is the reason for Jane Eyre’s continuing appeal to readers?

Answer 1

Virginia Woolf says the reason for Jane Eyre’s continuing appeal to readers is that Bronte  introduces the idea of the “modern individual” in the character of Jane Eyre. The desire to be “at war with the accepted order of things” that characterizes the modern self.  Woolf explains how Brontë depicts:

“… an overpowering personality, so that, as we say in real life, they have only to open the door to make themselves felt. There is in them some untamed ferocity perpetually at war with the accepted order of things which makes them desire to create instantly rather than to observe patiently.”

This vision is shared by scholars and critics who  agree on Woolf’s take on Jane Eyre. Literary critic Sandra M. Gilbert explains it  is “the heroine’s refusal to submit to her social destiny,” that shows how  Brontë has “overthrown authority” and cultivated “rebellion.”