Spatial physiognomy of the sickroom in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Villette.

Abstract

Drawing on writers such as Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, Elaine Showalter, Miriam Bailin and also Michel Foucault, this thesis will examine representations of illness, and “madness” constructed as a form of illness, in Jane Eyre and Villette by delineating the different types of physical spaces within the two novels and the usage of the Victorian sickroom convention in these spaces. Through the analysis, the essay hopes to bring fresh insights to the subject and contribute to the characterization and the depiction of the plight of women in Charlotte Brontë’s novels.