I think the analogy that she is proposing is that playing by the rules society dictates doesn’t make you a good person. Going against conventional attitudes and wisdom takes courage and can be the right thing to do. In this preface, Currer Bell is referring to literary critics, who were mostly men, and both men and women who held fast to what was considered a woman’s proper role in society. She is challenging them to rethink their traditional beliefs. The preface served to open the minds of would be readers so that they would judge the story on its merits. She uses the preface to unmask the many prejudices that readers would bring with them in evaluating her novel once they knew the gender of the author. 

Pique's Post on Jane Eyre Preface

I believe that the analogy she is referring to is that sure, the critics may be finding her book to be against "God" or immoral. However, she is saying that there is no analogy between what she finds immoral about the book and what the critics find immoral about it. Currer Bell means that in order to create great literature you have to have a book with taboos in it other wise its just another boring facts book. In this preface she is referring to both women of a lower class and men/critics. Women because she is saying "...turn to another class; a small one, so far as I know, but not, therefore, to be overlooked." Obviously during the time, the lower class (as it is today) is looked down upon. Currer Bell is saying not to overlook these people because, just like the higher classes, they have the potential to doing anything they set their mind to. As for the critics, she is saying don't just judge a "book by its cover" so to speak. If the book is written by a woman or by some one of the lower class don't just reject it or say that is is rubbish because deep down it could be a revolutionary book. The intended audience of this quote would be critics, men, women, and the lower class. It is there to perhaps persuade the reader to think "Ok, this book may not be what I expect but maybe I should give it a chance." It insulates Charlotte because not only does she have an alias but that she was thought to be a man therefore she had the ability to persuade her male audience more than a woman ever could.

The Prolouge of this story is a dedication to the different people that had much effect in how the charictors of the novel were portraid. At the end it says that it is also dedicated to a certian person that has no connection to the book, although every charictor was close and personal to the one who writ the proloug.

Question #2: Respond to the following from Jane Eyre's Preface

"Having thus acknowledged what I owe those who have aided and approved me, I turn to another class; a small one, so far as I know, but not, therefore, to be overlooked. I mean the timorous or carping few who doubt the tendency of such books as "Jane Eyre:" in whose eyes whatever is unusual is wrong; whose ears detect in each protest against bigotry--that parent of crime--an insult to piety, that regent of God on earth. I would suggest to such doubters certain obvious distinctions; I would remind them of certain simple truths.

Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee, is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns."

Consider one or more of the following questions: What is the present analogy? What does Currer Bell mean by this? Who is he referring to? Who is the intended audience of this quote? Why is it here? How does it help to insulate Charlotte Bronte from her critics?

The writings or Currer Bell are to give a new angle or point of view to the reader. That when one read Jane Eyre they see it in a new light. With particular attention to the religious aspects of the book. It was the impression that Currer Bell wanted to in a way discredit the religious teaching of Christ and other religious ideals.  

With the idea that people tend to her what they want to hear from the religion and the teachings of Christ. maybe even go so far as to say that one must listen to the unpopular voice, the voice of one who is straight forward. 

Theas post #1

In the introduction, Charlotte Bronte uses the name Currer Bell to prevent society from judging her opinion because of her gender. This way she can state her opinions, and so the reader can have their own impression on the story. The use of the name came to this because of the time it was written in. Charlotte wanted the audience to be more open to what her personal opinion was so she stated she was a man in order to get a better review.

The novel was written in the 19th century so it was formal at that time for woman to be under minded and not as powerful  as men. Throughout the femenist novel you see how bronte protrays the way women were treated in that time. Unlike most women,  jane is presented as a strong  and powerful woman who can stand up for herself in a world of men. Although most men in the novel treat woman and second class citizen (which was appropite at that time) Rochester treated Jane like an equal witch was an important to the role in the book.

Writing under the alias of “Currer Bell”, Charolotte Bronte was able to write a successful fictional novel at a time when women were still seen as second class citizens and fiction novels were not widely accepted. Currer’s preface encouraged people to accept the novel as itself as well as the rise of women’s positions as a major theme in the novel. No doubt, Rochester’s treatment of Jane as an equal was fairly unheard of. As a woman, Bronte would not have been able to write such words and been so persuasive .

Another large,and also generally rejected theme of the book was the ability to change position and social class within a society. For example, Jane's inheritance of a large fortune after being impoverished and her eventual marriage to Rochester was in comprehensible to many. Bell’s preface tried to open the eyes of the her critics by telling them that just because an idea was new it was not necessarily “evil”.

The introduction of Jane Eyre explains the origin of the creativity behind Bronte's novel. Like Jane in the novel, Charlotte Bronte's life is full of misery such as the death of a parent. Bronte was also forced to move around like Jane did in the novel. Because of this sort of background, Bronte was able to move beyond the stereotypical 'docile victorian girl' and write with such talent it seemed as if a man had done it.

With the ambiguous Currer Bell as her alias, Bronte was able to be discovered in the world of writing, even after her harsh backgrounds. This almost parrallels the idea of social mobility in the novel, as Jane develops from almost nothing to a very wealthy lifestyle. Also because of the alias, Bronte was able to form distinctive characters with feminine touch but masculine attitude, for instance, dealing with issues such as adultery were sean as unwomanlike, but it is a major theme of the novel.

"Currer Bell", Charlotte Bronte's alias under the original printing of Jane Eyre, accomplished the feat of creating a versatile name under which creates a completely unbiased approach that leaves the reader with his or her own opinions, without being swayed one way or another just because of the gender of the author. Charlotte Bronte also cleverly published the novel with Currer Bell as the editor, not the author. This makes i even harder for the reader to try and distinguish what the author was trying to express. As a duel-gendered named, in a primarily male ruled society, where the rich got richer and the poor stayed poor, Charlotte Bronte was able to make strong social statements that wouldn't be accepted if readers knew that the author was in fact a women.
In the novel Jane Eyre, a extremely poor young women with a miserable life growing up, manages to become extremely wealthy and marry a rich and respectable man. They both are passionate and in love with each other rather than a marriage based off of social roles. These ideas are fairly revolutionary for the time. They would've been even more upsetting to the general population of the period if it was known to be Charlotte Bronte to have been the author.
-Nathan Sheridan

question 1 response

Charlotte Bronte, or "Currer Bell", wished to impart her beliefs through, Jane Eyre, upon the reader. Charlotte grew up in a time when women were meant to be docile, and when what would be sexism today, was the norm. Bronte resented the way women were treated during her time and used her novel to voice this. Bronte created an unconvetinional and headstrong heroine that held the same ideals as her in order to attempt to create sympathy within the reader. The over all character of the heroine provides an excellent example because she is a strong willed women resisting the sexist society around her.

In addition, to the feminist view, the author also tries to impart her strong religious ideals. Charlotte was a strict and religious women who follows the laws of her religion closely. In the novel, Jane falls deeply in love with Mr. Rochester and before their marriage can be consumated she learns he is already married to an insane women. She desires to marry him but does not because her religion will not allow it.