file-548385280-548385280_450_Sample_Proposal_2463747552690274(15)

Name Name Course English 450 Dr. Name Research Proposal Working Title of Project : “Victorian Fire: Atonement in Jane Eyre and Jude the Obscure ” Research Question: What role does fire play in Jane Eyre and Jude the Obscure ? Working Thesis : While ideologically opposed texts, Jane Eyre and Jude the Obscure represent fire as a sacred element of redemption. Background : I have taken an “Apocalypticism, Religion and Cults” class that explored the theme of violent sacrifice. More recently, I have grown fascinated by the moody and ever-changing symbolism of fire that pervades Jane Eyre and acts in a similar albeit more subtle fashion in Jude the Obscure . Though these texts are vastly different in ideology, elements of sacrifice can bring them closer. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica , fire has been used in rites of passage in sacrificial cults. Blood offerings can additionally be made, implicating themes of mutilation that could be in the form of Rochester’s noble injuries. In biblical terms, self-mutilation could be a form of self-preservation. Little Father Time preserves his family by hanging himself and killing his siblings. Jesus Christ’s crucifixion offers insight into the origins of violent sacrifice. In general, sacrifice has a vast definition, which is why I hope to focus on specific elements in the discourse. In The New Testament , fire acts as a radical form of baptism by the awaited Messiah, hence the term “baptism by fire.” Thornfield is hellish, and Rochester must burn in there for his sins. On the other hand, Jude, though unwittingly, burns his precious texts to erase what he feels is his sinful hypocrisy. Methodology: I plan to start examining sources on ritual, sacrifice, or/and on fire in Jane Eyre and/or Jude the Obscure . If such sources are not adequate, I will broaden my search beyond the two texts to Victorian literature or literature in general. I am currently reading an article that discusses “the nature and elements of sacrificial ritual.” One particular source on Literature Online titled, “ Brontë's Inferno: An Intertextual Structural Analysis of Rochester's Redemptive Fire Baptism in Jane Eyre ” traces interesting links between Dante’s Inferno and Jane Eyre ; however I cannot access the full source for some reason. There is also a promising article in the journal Psyart (a mesh of studies in psychology and the arts) that discusses how fire in Jane Eyre can be both destructive and redemptive. I also plan to use Schramm’s book Atonement and Self Sacrifice in Nineteenth-Century Narrative ,” accessible through E-book Central. Another