In 1837 critic Robert Southey wrote to Charlotte Bronte, 'Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be. The more she is engaged in her proper duties, the less leisure will she have for it, even as an accomplishment and a recreation,' (Gaskell 102). This opinion was not held by only one person, but by many. Indeed, it is this attitude, one that debases women and their abilities, to which …showed first 75 words of 2449 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2449 total…Ed. L. Harris and E. Tennyson. Michigan: Gale Research Co., 1985. 61-62 Gaskell, E. The Life of Charlotte Bronte. England: E.P. Dutton, Inc., 1975 London, Bette. 'The Pleasure of Submission: Jane Eyre and the Production of the Text.' 'ELH.' Spring 1991. 195-213 Schact, Paul. 'Jane Eyre and the History of Self-Respect.' 'Modern Language Quarterly.' Dec 1991. 423-53 Sienkewicz, Anne W. 'Jane Eyre An Autobiography.' Masterplots II. Ed. Frank Magill. California: Salem Press, 1991. 745-748