When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literature and Philosophy
- Thomas Bewick, A History of British Birds (1.1, 2.6)
- Samuel Richardson, Pamela (1.1)
- Oliver Goldsmith, History of Rome (1.1)
- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1.3, 2.6)
- John Milton, Paradise Lost (1.13, 2.2, 3.8)
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet (1.15, 2.9)
- William Shakespeare, King Lear (2.4)
- William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing (2.5)
- The Arabian Nights (2.6)
- Friedrich Schiller, The Robbers (3.3, 3.8)
- Sir Walter Scott, The Lay of the Last Minstrel (3.5, 3.8)
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (3.6)
- Sir Walter Scott, Marmion (3.6, 3.7)
Mythological References
- Bluebeard’s castle (1.11)
- the Gytrash (1.12)
- the Sphinx (1.14)
- the ignis fatuus ("false fire") (2.1, 2.7, 3.2)
- Diana (2.2)
- the Sybil (2.3)
- Hercules (2.9)
- Danae (2.9)
- vampires (2.10)
- the upas-tree (3.1)
- Apollo (3.11)
- Vulcan (3.11)
Biblical References
There are a LOT of Biblical references in Jane Eyre; here are some of the most important.
General:
Specific Stories and People:
- Rebecca and Isaac at the well of Nahor (2.3)
- Samson (2.9, 3.1, 3.11)
- King Ahasuerus (2.9)
- Lot’s wife (3.5)
- Nebuchadnezzar in the fields (3.11)
- Saul and David (3.11)
Specific Verses:
- Proverbs 15:17 (1.8)
- 1 Kings 19:11-12 (2.4)
- 2 Samuel 12:3 (3.1)
- Zechariah 4:10 (3.3)
- Philippians 4:7 (3.4)
- 1 Corinthians 15:53 (3.6)
- 1 Timothy 5:8 (3.8)
- Amos 4:11 (3.9)
- Zechariah 3:2 (3.9)
- John 9:4 (3.9)
- Isaiah 34:4 (3.9)
- Song of Songs 2:11 (3.11)
- Psalms 23:4 (3.11)
- Luke 2:19 (3.11)
- Genesis 2:23 (3.12)
- Revelation 14:5 (3.12)
- 1 Corinthians 9:25 (3.12)
- Matthew 25:21 (3.12)
- Revelation 22:20 (3.12)