On a call with a friend, discussing material culture within Jane Eyre, we both brought up specific structures in the text that indicate the importance of objects throughout the text, in different iterations, using different contexts. Because this concept was addressed in conversation, we each had different “first thoughts” about ways in which materials were significant in Brontë works. I brought up a more expansive thought, coming from the perspective of my thesis, wanting to connect this idea across Brontë works: the combination of the material manifested through the architecture in Jane Eyre, and how that in turn connects to the very omnipresent Gothic. The other Brontë novel I have currently read is Wuthering Heights, which, like Jane Eyre, has several buildings that connect to greater themes, like belonging, internal conflict, and larger Gothic motifs like ghosts and spirituality, across novels. This thought process makes me curious the ways in which this connection could be found in other Brontë novels. Another idea of material culture is that many objects indicate deeper cultural meanings – for example, as my friend mentioned, mahogany furniture and clothing are both materials that indicate a deeper cultural significance outside of Jane’s personal world, perhaps leading into Charlotte Brontë’s lived experience.
Although a specific occasion that can assist my analysis into material culture across Brontë novels is not immediately obvious, there are many moments I can think of – historical, narratively in films or novels, etc. – that use material objects to indicate a greater cultural significance than one might immediately assume. For example, I’m sure many of us have heard the well-worn joke that English teachers, especially in high school, will prescribe too much significance on some blue drapes; after all, those must indicate sadness and devastation for the characters – meanwhile, all the students are thinking that the truth about those blue drapes are that they’re really just what they are, and nothing deeper. But the fascinating thing about this example is that it actually indicates, on both sides of the joke, a greater cultural meaning. Sure, the blue drapes could indicate sadness for the characters – the color blue having an American cultural association with sadness, and drapes could have a deeper meaning of shutting out light and staying in darkness. On the other hand, the dismissal of that deeper meaning and acknowledging that maybe those blue drapes exist just because the author likes the color blue and wanted to spice up a room description, also show a greater cultural awareness necessary for a time when a lot of objects are ascribed over-significance, especially given the oversaturation of visual stimuli and entertainment. So, looking deeper into a joke about current material cultural, I am able to wonder at how authorial descriptions of objects in entertainment could be, subconsciously or consciously, indicative of greater cultural meaning on several levels. And if all that is possible with a joke about high school English teachers and blue drapes, what could be observed with a deep dive into Victorian material culture and Brontë novels?
I love your close reading of that classic joke about the blue curtains as an example of how material objects reveal something deeper about the culture they come from. It’s interesting to think about objects in Brontë novels holding a deep symbolism; it feels like so much of the conversation on material culture and the Brontë’s focuses on their lives, not their literary works. It’s also fascinating how material culture pushes you to examine things at a deeper level–for example, we talk about how Jane Eyre is rather plain in her sense of style, but not necessarily the political and class implications of the fabrics that make up her wardrobe.
After going over your readings for your class discussion, I thought it was interesting that while scholars are so focused on the material culture in the lives of the Brontës, there is so much that they miss in their novels. I am so excited to see how you interpret the architecture featured in the novels. I was wondering if you are focusing solely on the connection between architecture and culture, or if you are considering looking into “Thing Theory” and the connection between architecture and people?