Imagery, metaphor and symbolism in Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë was a poet as well as a novelist, so it came naturally to her to use images, metaphors and symbols in her prose. The patterns of imagery and symbolism that she uses in Jane Eyre are not, however, easily separated from other literary features of the novel. As can be seen from the sections on Narrative, Themes and significant ideas and Structure, the book is very tightly organised, so that one feature supports another. This section, therefore, will contain some cross-references to other locations in the Jane Eyre material, and you should also look out for discussions of particular points and passages in the Going deeper parts of each page in the Synopses section.

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