The literary influence of Jane Eyre is not only for its contribution to the critical realistic novel but also for its revolutionary influence on Victorian heroines。 The Spectator in April 1860 stated that, “The pale, clever and sharp-spoken young woman had become the fashion。” From this perspective, Jane Eyre is also a classical female fiction for its impressive protagonist, Jane Eyre, who is full of passion and rebellious spirit though plain in appearance。 Jane Eyre is famous for her pursuit for self-realization and self-preservation。 This image represents an independent female image。 But it is a process that Jane Eyre turns to be a mature and independent female from an innocent orphan girl。 The plot of this process follows the traditional pattern of

Bildungsroman, a novel concerned with a person's formative years and development。 This thesis is going to analyze the growth of Jane Eyre from the perspective of Bildungsroman。

1。1。2 On Bildungsroman

1。1。2。1 Bildungsroman in Germany 论文网

Bildungsroman is a literary term rooted in Germany。 It is a special genre of novel in the German literature。 The word Bildungsroman is formed by two words Bildung and roman。 Roman is a Latinate word which actually means novel。 But the meaning of Bildung has been expanded in different periods。 Before 18th century, Bildung mainly meant “intrinsic shape” which was connected with God。 After 18th century, with the development of Enlightenment, the word Bildung began to have meanings like “form”, “educate” and “develop”。

So relatively, the development of Bildungsroman can also be roughly pided by Enlightenment。 Before Enlightenment, Bildungsroman focused on “inner formation” with the color of Baroque theology。 And a German epic called Parzival written by Wolfram is a typical one before 18th century。 After18th century, the publication of Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre of Goethe led Bildungsroman into a new period。 During this period, Bildungsroman began to try to present the panorama of a specific time through a personal experience。

In another word, Bildungsroman began to focus on the conflicts between the inner thinking of people and the reality。 In this period, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre written by Goethe was just an outstanding representative work in which the protagonist Wilhelm experiences confusion and frustration in his youth and finally finishes apprenticeship of life。 So in the early period of Bildungsroman in German literature, the story always tries to depict a growing process of a protagonist with a specific historic background。 And it was also written in a delicate and romantic style。

1。1。2。2 Bildungsroman in England

The concept of Bildungsroman was brought into England by Thomas Carlyle who translated Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre into English in 1824。 Actually, the theme of “growing” is common in  the English literature especially in the Victorian period。 For example, David Copperfield is a typical work which depicts the growing process of David who finally made reconciliation with the reality and obtained maturity。 So in Bildungsroman of this period, though the conflicts between inner thinking of heroes and reality still existed, the protagonist was likely to reach harmony between his inner thinking and reality。 This new feature of Victorian Bildungsroman might be the result of the influence of idealism according to the Geroge Lucacs。 In addition to David Copperfield, there were also some female Bildungsromans which began to focus on the growth of female。 And Jane Eyre is just a typical one which depicts how an orphan girl obtains self-realization and maturity。 Generally, Bildungsroman in Victorian England tends to focus on the moral and psychological growth of the protagonists and be concerned with the religious factors。