논문 : 19세기 영국소설에 나타난 종교적 요서: 『제인 에어』의 경우 = Religious Elements Reflected in a Nineteenth Century British Novel: A Reading of Jane Eyre

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In 19th century England serious religious change had been taking place. Especially after the mid-Victorian period, many British novelists left Christianity and came to accept more humanistic view of the world. However, in Jane Eyre, a mid-victorian novel, there is still a reflection of the basic Christian concept of life, love and marriage. Since its publication Jane Eyre has been read as a psychological bildungsroman. And recently it is a trend to read it as a feminist bildungsroman. To understand Jane Eyre fully, contextual approach is necessary. And if we consider the Christian background of 19th century England in reading Jane Eyre, many repressed meanings of the novel will surface. To read Jane Eyre from the Christian perspective is, first of all, to focus on the spiritual growth of Jane and Rochester. Both Jane and Rochester go through hardships and come to mature spiritually. The most important part of the spiritual maturity is to learn to put God`s love before their ``passionate`` human love. This humility before God is the crucial part of the Christian wisdom. And the other indispensable learning for both of them is to admit the invisible hand of God guiding their lives. In this respect Jane Eyre belongs to the genre of governess novel which was popular in 19th century England and stressed the governing hand of God in human lives. The marriage of Jane and Rochester is one of the best examples of the ``companionate marriages`` in the history of the English novel. However, the happy and equal companionate union is possible only after the achievement of their spiritual equality, not just the economic, social or sexual equality. In this basic Christian concept Jane Eyre is different from most of the other 19th century Victorian novels.