Guide to Jane Eyre, Chapters 11-15

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Cameo head (137): http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/egallery/images/collection_large/65238.jpg “Devil … angel of light”: Still referring to pleasure (138). “A fallen seraph of the abyss”: A reference to the story of Lucifer, who was an angel, but rebelled against God and became Satan, the Devil. A seraph is a kind of angel (138). “Messenger from the eternal throne”: The word “angel” means “messenger,” and apparently Rochester knows this (138). “Disguised deity”: There are many old stories about people who took a stranger into their house and afterwards found that the stranger was a god or an angel. One of the more famous ones is the story of Philemon and Baucis (138). “Paving hell … good intentions”: A reference, which Jane doesn’t catch at first, to the proverb “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” That is, the worst events come about because people try to do the right thing. Rochester is suggesting that he will try to do right, but thinks he will end up in hell anyway (138). “Pure ore … foul dross”: In mining, “ore” is the stone that contains the precious metal, and “dross” is the stone that is thrown away (139). “Medes and Persians”: A reference to the Bible (Daniel 6:8). The laws of the Medes and Persians were said to be unchangeable (139). “New statute”: A statute is a new law passed by Parliament. Jane is objecting that this law cannot be unalterable, because he has just now altered it (139). “I swear by my household gods”: The ancient Romans kept gods in a shrine in their house, much as Taoists do now, with statues of the gods of the house (139). 12
Sphinx: A mythical animal in ancient Greek mythology. The Sphinx of Thebes asked a riddle of every traveller who came by, and if the traveller could not answer it, she would kill him (139). personal.bgsu.edu/~jmpfund/Aenigmata.html Enigmatical: Riddling (139). Austere: “Grave, sober, serious” (OED) (139). “Il faut que j’essaie … et l’instant même”: I must try it right now (140). “Est-ce que ma robe me va bien? … et mes souliers? et mes bas? Tenez, je crois que je vais danser”: Does my dress suit me? And my shoes? And my stockings? Wait, I think I’m going to dance (140). “Monsieur, je vous remercie mille fois de votre bonté … C’est comme cela que maman faisait, n’est-ce pas, monsieur?”: Sir, I thank you a thousand times for your goodness … That’s what Mama used to do, isn’t it, sir? (140) “comme cela”: Like that (140). Green: Immature, lacking judgement. Vernal is also green, with a suggestion of spring (141) “French floweret … root … blossom”: An extended metaphor of Adèle as flower. To manure a flower is to put excrement on it to help it to grow—but he decides that it is only an artifical flower, not a real one (141). “Expiating numerous sins … by one good work”: In the Catholic church, a person confesses to the priest, who assigns some sort of task to gain God’s forgiveness. For small sins, one says prayers a certain number of times, but for great sins, one might have to do something large and virtuous. He specifies that this is a Catholic principle, 13
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Page 3 and 4: www.trousseau.net/trousseau2.asp?P=
Page 5 and 6: “Mais oui, certainement.” Yes,
Page 7 and 8: was included in John Ray's book of
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Page 11: Damask: Silk with a pattern like th
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Page 17 and 18: “Sky of steel”: The sky is over

Guide to Jane Eyre, Chapters 11-15

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