Jane Eyre and The Moonstone both contain texts within the texts. These subtexts, if you will, help construct particular narrative structures that give insight into the characters who read them and to the books’ narrative as a whole. The heightened popularity and ability to read books in the 19th century creates the perfect environment for books to be imbued with the power of guidance over clerical individuals or supernatural creatures (think here of the stories of King Arthur or about Macbeth).
We have discussed in class Jane’s use of the book of birds to metaphorically fly away from her circumstances. She uses other texts such as the books she borrows from the Rivers to learn various languages, which help her better herself as an educator and (nearly) send her to India. The Moonstone’s narrators’ also rely on books to speak for them. Mr. Betteredge uses Robinson Crusoe and Miss Clack uses a collection of books on morality (I wasn’t sure if these would be considered manuals or something else). Both Betteredge and Miss Clack view their books as guiding forces, sources that provide them with information that dictations the actions of their daily lives. I would argue that Jane is also guided by her books, they inspire her (along with Miss Temple and Helen) to be well educated (via being well read). Books in these two texts create a passive nexus around which other events can accumulate. As D.A Miller notes, “Power has taken hold where hold seemed least given: in the irrelevant” (28). By overlooking the books used by these characters we are ignoring a disciplinary control/power being given to the novels within the novels.
I really like this piece. I’m glad I’m not the only one who took particular interest in the way the characters in the novel’s we have read use books themselves. I agree completely and think that these books within the book also lend to our understandings of the characters as well. A question to help you expand your argument may include; how does the opposite, the avoidance of books for example I doubt Miss. Ingram was much of a reader, help the reader understand those characters as well?