Edward Rochester: A New Byronic Hero

Author Information

Marybeth Forina

Abstract/Description

In her novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë established several elements that are still components of many modern novels, including a working, plain female hero, a depiction of the hero’s childhood, and a new awareness of sexuality. Alongside these new elements, Brontë also engineered a new type of male hero in Edward Rochester. As Jane is written as a plain female hero with average looks, Rochester is her plain male hero counterpart. Although Brontë depicts Rochester as a severe, yet appealing hero, embodying the characteristics associated with Byron’s heroes, she nevertheless slightly alters those characteristics. Brontë characterizes Rochester as a Byronic hero, but alters his characterization through repentance to create a new type of character: the repentant Byronic hero.

Note on the Author

Marybeth Forina is a senior who is double majoring in Elementary Education and English with a minor in Mathematics. This essay began as a research paper in her senior seminar, The Changing Female Hero, with Dr. Evelyn Pezzulich (English), and was later revised under the mentorship of Dr. James Crowley (English).

Recommended Citation

Forina, Marybeth (2014). Edward Rochester: A New Byronic Hero. Undergraduate Review, 10, 85-88.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol10/iss1/19

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