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Hello and welcome to today's lesson.
It's absolutely lovely to see you all again, and thank you so much for joining me.
My name is Miss Halliday and I'll be your teacher for today.
In today's lesson, we're going to start exploring yet another fantastic Gothic text, and it's called "Jane Eyre." And it's just got the most amazing, and incredible story that I can't wait to share with you.
So let's get started.
So today's lesson is called an Introduction to Jane Eyre, Analysing an Unseen Extract.
And by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to confidently analyse an unseen extract, so one that you haven't seen before.
Here are some keywords that you will need for today's lesson.
We've got, to analyse, grand, to contrast, eerie, and semantic field.
Here are the definitions of these keywords.
To analyse, means to study the writer's methods in detail, and to learn more about the text.
Grand, means magnificent and really impressive.
To contrast is to position two opposite things close to one another to draw attention to their difference.
If something is eerie, it is unsettling and ominous.
And finally, a semantic field is a group of words that all share similar connotations.
Some really challenging key words this lesson.
So if you'd like to take a moment to pause the video, and write some of those definitions down so you don't forget them, then please feel free to do so.
That's absolutely fine.
Here's our lesson outline for today.
We're going to start by looking at analysing an unseen extract before moving on to looking at the plot of "Jane Eyre." But let's start first with that unseen extract.
So as I've said, you are going to be analysing an unseen extract, and what that means is when you are given an extract that you have not seen before, and you are asked to give your impressions, or your opinions, or your ideas about the extract.
Now Sophia raises a really valid concern that I think many students have when they are first given an unseen extract.
And she says, "But how can I analyse something that I've never read before?" And luckily we have our lovely Oak pupil Izzy here to reassure Sophia, and Izzy replies, "Of course you can.
You analyse unseen texts every day.
Think about all the times you've had to read a new road sign, or interpret a menu in a cafe, or read the instructions on a food packet.
That's technically analysing an unseen text.
You're just reading and interpreting something that you haven't read before.
I'll walk you through it!" So really kind there of Izzy to volunteer to show Sophia the ropes when it comes to analysing unseen extracts.
So Izzy says to Sophia, right, "Step 1, you've got to read any information about the text that you've been given.
You then use what you already know to make predictions about what you might be reading." So here's the question that you are being asked to consider when you're analysing this unseen extract.
How does Brontë present the red-room in the extract? Now along with our unseen extract, we're often given a little bit of context about the text, or perhaps about the writer, or perhaps about the scene from the novel in which the text is taken from, so a little bit of the story.
Now this is the context that we've been given to go alongside our extract for today.
The extract is taken from a novel called "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, which was published in 1847.
Now this is the information that we're going to be using to make predictions about the text we might be reading.
And Sophia does just this, and she says, "Okay, so I can see that it was published in 1847.
So that's in the 19th century.
I also know that we are currently studying Gothic fiction." Some really perceptive insights there from Sophia, and Izzy replies, "Well, good observations.
So what do you know about the 19th century, and also what do you know about the Gothic?" And I would like you to try, and answer this question before we hear from Sophia.
So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you discuss amongst yourselves what you know about the 19th century, but also what you know about the Gothic genre.
So pause the video and off you go.
Excellent discussions, and I was really impressed by how much all of you are able to remember about not only the Gothic genre, but also what kind of time period the 19th century was.
So really well done.
Sophia's going to have a go at this now, and we're going to listen to what she has to say.
So she states, "Well, the 19th century was a time of great innovation following the Enlightenment, and the various Scientific and Industrial Revolutions of the 16th and 17th centuries.
And Gothic literature was hugely popular in the 19th century so therefore I'd predict that we might see Gothic conventions in this extract.
So perhaps an isolated protagonist, or a remote setting." So some really good predictions there from Sophia, that Izzy praises, and Izzy says, "Yeah, great.
You're ready for step 2 now, which is to read the extract, and ask yourself questions about it as you read." And I'd just like to jump in at this moment, and reiterate the importance of what Izzy has just said.
Whenever you read a new text that you have not read before, it is so important to be asking yourselves clarification questions as you're reading to check your own understanding of what you've just read.
So as you're reading, you need to be checking that you are actually not just reading it, but understanding it and taking it in.
So Izzy's going to model that for us now.
So here's our extract.
I will read it and you follow along.
And then we're going to see what kinds of questions Izzy would be asking herself here.
"The red-room was a square chamber, very seldom slept in, I might say never, indeed, unless when a chance influx of visitors at Gateshead Hall rendered it necessary to turn to account all the accommodation it contained.
Yet it was one of the largest, and stateliest chambers in the mansion.
A bed supported on massive pillars of mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red damask stood out like a tabernacle in the centre.
The two large windows, with their blinds always drawn down, were half shrouded in festoons and falls of similar drapery.
The carpet was red, the table at the foot of the bed was covered with a crimson cloth.
The walls were a soft fawn." So now that we've read the beginning of the extract, Izzy states, "Well here I would be asking myself, what actually is the red-room, and why is it called the red-room?" So you're going to practise answering these comprehension questions now by discussing them amongst yourselves.
So I'd like you now to pause the video while you discuss the answers to these comprehension questions using the extract to help you.
Off you go.
Great discussions.
I'm really impressed by your level of comprehension because this is a really difficult extract.
19th century lit is really difficult to read.
So well done if you were able to answer these questions.
And if you weren't, do not worry because we're going to go through the answers together.
So well done to those people that were able to identify that the red-room is a bedroom in the mansion that is Gateshead Hall and we're not quite sure what that means or where that is yet.
But we do understand that the red-room is a bedroom within that massive mansion.
Now in terms of why it's called the red-room, it seems to be called the red-room because there's lots of the colour red.
So we see here that we've got these curtains of deep red damask, so really red curtains.
We've got a mahogany bed, and mahogany is kind of a very dark reddish wood.
It's very expensive wood, but it's very, it's dark red in colour.
So again, we see that red there.
We also see the carpet being red and the table at the foot of the bed with this kind of crimson tablecloth on top of it.
So the reason that we think that this is called the red-room is because actually a lot of the features in this room are very deep red.
So well done if you managed to identify that from your reading, great work.
So let's check for understanding before we move on.
What do we learn about the red-room? Is it A, that it is one of the largest, and most grand rooms at Gateshead? B, that it is only slept in when visitors attend Gateshead? C, that it's one of the smaller rooms at Gateshead, or D, that it is never slept in? I'm gonna invite you now to pause the video while you make your answer selection, off you go.
And a massive well done if you correctly identified that A, and B are both true of the red-room.
We learn that it is one of the largest and most grand rooms at Gateshead, and that it is only slept in when visitors attend Gateshead.
So a massive well done if you managed to remember that.
Great work, and let's carry on reading.
So we learned that the walls were a soft, fawn colour, "with a blush of pink in it, the wardrobe, the toilet table, and the chairs were of darkly polished old mahogany.
Out of these deep surrounding shades rose high, and glared white, the piled up mattresses, and pillows of the bed, spread with a snowy Marseilles counterpane.
Scarcely less prominent was an ample cushioned easy-chair near the head of the bed, also white, with a foot stool before it, and looking as I thought, like a pale throne.
The room was chill, because it seldom had a fire.
It was silent because remote from the nursery, and kitchen, solemn because it was known to be so seldom entered." Ooh, really interesting atmosphere being created here.
And so we see Sophia here really keen to have a go herself now at asking these comprehension questions.
So she says, "My turn now.
What is the red-room like and why?" And she's thrown this out to you, and she would like to hear your opinions before she gives her ideas.
So you are going to discuss what the red-room is like, and why? So pause the video and either consider this independently, or discuss it with the people around you if that's what you would prefer.
So pause the video and off you go, Some great discussions.
Now, I was really impressed to see many of you having a very clear opinion about what you think the red-room is like.
And many of you saying that it seems like quite an intimidating room to be in, okay, because of this deep shade of red, and the contrast with the very kind of bright white objects in the room, like the pillows, and the bedspread and the chair.
It might feel quite an oppressive room to be in.
So quite a kind of claustrophobic, and you know, stress-inducing room to be in because of all the different kind of contrasting colours, and the kind of intensity of the shade of red that seems to occupy much of the room.
So well done if you got that.
"The house-maid alone came here on Saturdays, to wipe from the mirrors, and the furniture a week's quiet dust.
And Mrs. Reed herself, at far intervals, visited it to review the contents of a certain secret drawer in the wardrobe where were stored divers parchments, her jewel-casket, and a miniature of her deceased husband.
And in those last words, lies the secret of the red-room, the spell, which kept it so lonely in spite of its grandeur." So Sophia here asking herself again these questions to check her own understanding of the text.
What might have happened to Mrs. Reed's husband? And how do I feel when I read this extract? And again, she's asked you to discuss this before she gives her ideas.
So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you should discuss the two questions that Sophia has posed to us, with the people around you, or independently if you're working alone.
Off you go.
Fantastic discussions, and some really interesting predictions about what might have happened to Mrs. Reed's husband.
What we know for certain is that he has died, because we're told that he was her deceased husband, so her dead husband.
Now I heard lots of conspiracy theories about perhaps Mrs. Reed having murdered her husband, or you know, him having passed away in this room.
And I'm not going to confirm or deny these rumours, because I think it's really interesting for you to have that little bit of imagination because this is an unseen extract.
And in terms of how you feel reading this extract, I think many of you are in agreeance that actually this extract kind of unsettles you a little bit, and makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable, because it's clearly a kind of a mystery that surrounds this red-room, and it doesn't seem like a particularly pleasant room to be in.
So well done if you kind of got these ideas that perhaps it unsettles us a little bit in the true style of a Gothic text.
So well done.
So now Izzy says, "Right, we're ready for Step 3, which is where you return to the question, and you consider what it is that you're being asked to do.
So here is a reminder of the question.
How does Brontë present the red-room in the extract? And Sophia replies, "I'm being asked to give my impression of the red-room.
So basically I'm being asked to say what I think the red-room is like, and why?" And I'd like you to discuss this question now.
How would you describe the red-room to someone else? And what is it like? Because I think when you're thinking about your impression of something, or how is something presented, it can be really helpful to try, and explain it to somebody else because that is your impression.
Your impression is just your opinion of something.
So if you're being asked what is your impression of the red-room, or how is it presented, thinking about how you would describe it to somebody else can be a really useful starting point to take your ideas from.
So I'd like you to pause the video while you discuss how you would describe the red-room to somebody else, and what you think it is like? Off you go.
Again, some fantastic discussions there.
And in response we're going to hear from Sophia, and Izzy about their opinions of the red-room, and what they think it is like.
So Sophia tells us, "The red-room seems like a very grand but also quite mysterious, and quite eerie room because it is isolated." And that word, eerie, there is one of our keywords of the lesson means kind of unsettling and unnerving.
And Izzy replies, "Well, yeah, it's quite Gothic, because it's isolated, remote, and dark in colour." And those are classic Gothic conventions that we see in Gothic settings, particularly.
So now Izzy says, "Right, well once you've formed your impression of the room, you now need to go, and find quotations to support your opinion.
So how do you know that the room is grand, mysterious, eerie and isolated?" So I'd like you now to complete this task.
So go back to the extract, and find one quotation, minimum, that shows that the room is grand, so it's really impressive and magnificent.
So pause the video and go, and select the quotation that you want to put forward.
Off you go.
And we're going to hear back from Sophia who obviously is being coached by Izzy through this process of an unseen extract, and seems to be, you know, really developing her knowledge of how to approach unseen extracts, and her confidence seems to be growing, so that's great.
So Sophia states, "Well I found this quotation here.
It was one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion.
'" And Izzy replies, "Oh, great choice.
Now I want you to explain to me how that quotation shows you that the red-room is grand." And you're going to discuss that.
So I'm going to ask you to pause the video while you discuss Izzy's question.
So how does this quotation that Sophia has found show us that the red-room is grand? Discuss it with the people around you, or consider it independently.
It's up to you, off you go.
Fantastic discussions, really insightful, and perceptive suggestions there.
So let's hear from Sophia again.
And she states, "Well the writer's use of hyperbole or exaggeration, with 'stateliest,' and 'largest' shows the superiority of the room's decor, and size versus other rooms in the mansion." So basically, with that tiny kind of addition of "est," it shows us that this room is superior to the others in the mansion.
So really well pointed out there from Sophia.
And Izzy praises her and says, "Yeah, amazing work, so you'd annotate, 'shows superiority of room's decor,' next to the word, 'stateliest' on your extract." And Sophia says, "What? It's just as simple as that? I just highlight important words, and annotate what they show me about the room on the extract?" And Izzy says, "Yeah, exactly.
So off you go." So now you're going to have a go at this using Izzy's advice, and coaching, and the models that you've seen from Sophia throughout the lesson.
So you are going to annotate the rest of the unseen extract using Izzy's, and Sophia's example to guide you.
So your question is, how does Brontë present the red-room in the extract? You can use Sophia's ideas if you are struggling to get started.
So here was Sophia's idea again, the red-room seems like a very grand, but also quite mysterious, and quite eerie room, because it is isolated.
So if you are struggling for ideas, please do feel free to use Sophia's ideas because they are absolutely spot on, and really kind of perceptive and interesting ideas that you can explore using the extract.
Just remember that when you are annotating, you're only writing quite brief notes in the margin.
We're not looking for full sentences, we're not looking for paragraphs of analysis, it's just really quick thoughts about what you think of the extract.
So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you take the time to annotate the rest of the unseen extract, off you go.
Fantastic annotating.
Some really full extracts there with some great shorthand annotations written on them.
So well done.
Here are some annotations that you might have got.
So you might have talked about the contrast between the colours.
So we had this very white, and the very red, and that contrast is very, very Gothic, and it shows the room is grand because these are really bright, strong colours.
Now you also might have identified that Brontë is using a semantic field of luxury through use of words like "throne," "Marseilles," because these remind us of luxury and kind of expense.
And there's lots of excess in this room as well because we've got lots of pillows, and cushions stacked up in this really kind of glorious, but very excessive manner that is indicative of great wealth and grandeur.
So well done if you got those.
And finally, the room seems quite cold, and eerie.
And it's almost abandoned, but it's not quite.
And we know that from that word, "seldom.
"It was seldom entered." It was rarely entered, but there were occasions when it was used, and we know that obviously guests, and Mrs. Reed sometimes frequent that room.
We also can tell that it is isolated from the rest of the house because there is something perhaps unsettling about it.
Okay, we're told that it was remote from the nursery, and the kitchen so it's isolated from other rooms in the house, and that therefore gives it this quite unnerving kind of impression.
So well done if you got those annotations.
Great work and you have mastered the art of the unseen extract.
And I'm really hoping that many of you realise that actually unseen work is not as intimidating as you might have first thought.
All you've got to do is read a text that you haven't read before, and give your ideas and impressions of it.
Well done.
So onto the second part of the lesson now, and I'm very excited to introduce to you the plot of "Jane Eyre", which is the text that this fantastic unseen extract was taken from.
So as I said, the extract that we've just analysed was from a novel called "Jane Eyre," and I'd like you to discuss, well, can you remember who wrote the novel, and when they wrote it? So I'm gonna invite you to pause the video while you try, and remember those details from earlier in the lesson.
Off you go.
And well done if you remembered that it was written by Charlotte Brontë, and it was published in 1847, so in the 19th century, during a time of great innovation and revolution.
What we're going to do now is read the full plot summary of "Jane Eyre." So I'm just gonna give you a bit of a disclaimer.
This is an extremely long text, okay? Really, really long book.
So we cannot possibly fit the entire plot into one short learning cycle.
So what I've done is taken the very important plot points, and put them into a plot summary.
But if you think that you would like to read this text, I would massively encourage you to, because it's fantastic.
So if you think that you might be able to read the text in full, I would hugely encourage you to go and do so, because as I said, there is a lot more that happens that I just can't fit in the plot summary because it's such a dense and fascinating novel.
So I will read the plot summary, and you will follow along, and then we'll use it to answer some questions.
So here we go.
Jane is a seemingly plain and simple girl.
In childhood, she lives with her cruel, and abusive Aunt Reed until she is sent to a strict, and oppressive school called Lowood.
At Lowood, Jane meets a friend, but this friend dies of tuberculosis.
At the age of 18, Jane gets a job as a governess at an estate called Thornfield Hall, under the watchful eye of a woman called Mrs. Fairfax, who manages the house for its absent owner, Mr. Rochester.
Whilst at Thornfield Hall, Jane hears strange noises coming from the attic.
Jane finally gets to meet Mr. Rochester, her employer, when she is out riding.
Initially, Mr. Rochester is cold towards Jane, but she slowly begins to fall in love with him.
So before we continue, I just want to check for understanding.
So how would you describe Jane's childhood? Would you say it's A, average, there's nothing really extraordinary about it? Was it B, challenging, 'cause she faced a lot of injustice? Or was it C, comfortable because she was loved, and well looked after? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you make your answer selection, off you go.
And well done if you selected B.
We know from the plot summary that Jane's childhood was quite challenging because she lived with her abusive Aunt Reed.
So she faced a lot of injustice as a child, especially because she was then sent to quite an oppressive school, that perhaps didn't treat her as kindly as she should have been treated.
So in her childhood, Jane faced a lot of injustice, and that would've been really challenging for her.
One night Jane rescues Mr. Rochester from a fire allegedly caused by one of his servants, Grace Poole.
Grace Poole is not fired though, which Jane finds strange.
Mr. Rochester admits to having feelings for Jane, and the pair get engaged.
One night a strange woman enters Jane's room, and tears up her wedding veil.
Again, Mr. Rochester blames Grace Poole, but Jane is not convinced.
On the day of their wedding, a strange man announces that Mr. Rochester is already married to his sister, who resides at Thornfield, and is cared for by Grace Poole.
Heartbroken, Jane leaves Thornfield, and discovers family that she never knew she had.
Jane inherits lots of money from her dead relative.
So let's check for understanding.
Who is it that Mr. Rochester keeps blaming for the very strange events at Thornfield? Is it A, Jane herself, B, Grace Poole, or C, Mrs. Fairfax? Pause the video and make your answer selection now.
And well done if you selected Grace Poole.
And we know that Jane is not convinced that Grace Poole is actually the person responsible for these actions because Mr. Rochester continues her employment despite the actions that she's allegedly undertaken.
One night Jane thinks she hears Rochester's voice calling her.
So she returns to Thornfield only to find it burned down.
Jane learns that Rochester's wife, Bertha Mason, a mad woman, has set the house on fire, and jumped to her death.
In the fire, Rochester loses his sight, and a hand.
Jane marries him, and takes care of him, and the pair have children together.
Now what I'd like you to discuss now that we've read that very, very brief plot summary is, well, what is your impression of Jane from the brief plot summary that we've read? What do you think of her? So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you discuss that with the people around you, or consider it independently, off you go.
Great discussions.
And I heard many of you saying that Jane seems like a really kind of resilient, and determined character who's well-mannered, polite, and caring.
And I think that's exactly true of Jane.
I think she's one of these people who kind of just constantly faces adversity, and challenge, but seems to overcome it, you know, with dignity, and with integrity.
So she's quite an impressive character really, and a very likeable protagonist I would say.
So well done if you got that from the plot summary.
So onto our last task of the lesson, you're going to use the grid to explain where we see Gothic conventions in the plot of "Jane Eyre".
The plot summary can be found underneath your extracts in your additional materials.
So here's a reminder of our Gothic conventions.
We've got isolated, or egotistical protagonists, dark, and remote settings, violence, or the threat of violence, and high or extreme demonstrations of emotion.
And finally, there's supernatural occurrences.
Now, to help you out a little bit, I have given you some very directed questions to help you consider where we see those Gothic conventions in the plot.
So we've got things like, in what way is Jane, an isolated protagonist? What kinds of settings do we see in "Jane Eyre"? Where do we see violence, or threats of violence? Where do we see that real extreme emotion? And finally, where do we see occurrences that appear to be supernatural but aren't? So what I'm going to do now is invite you to pause the video while you have a go at trying to identify Gothic conventions within the plot of "Jane Eyre," off you go, Fantastic work, and it was great to see so many of you remembering those Gothic conventions so well, and being able to pinpoint them in the plot of "Jane Eyre".
Now, if you do have any blanks in your table, don't worry because we're going to go through the answers together.
I would just recommend that you populate any blank parts of your table that you might have with our suggested answers.
So in terms of where we see isolated, or egotistical protagonists.
Well, Jane isn't egotistical, but she certainly is isolated, and that's because she's orphaned, and she's also isolated from society by her cruel aunt who we know is abusive.
In terms of dark and remote settings, there are loads of typically Gothic settings in this novel, because we see lots of stately homes, and really old sprawling mansions, which is very typical of the Gothic genre, and the exact kind of place where secrets and mystery can hide.
Now we see violence or the threat of violence in the novel at several points because we see Jane's aunt treating her really cruelly as a child.
But we also see Rochester's wife, Bertha, being very violent, and aggressive towards not only Jane, but obviously Rochester as well.
We see those higher extreme demonstrations of emotion because we see Jane's real heartache by Rochester's deceit.
The fact that he's already married breaks Jane's heart because she trusts him.
And we see Rochester's wife, Bertha, as also being very, very angry and enraged with him, probably because he locks her in the attic, and doesn't let her come out.
So it's understandable, but we do see her as a very enraged, and furious character in this novel.
And finally, in terms of supernatural occurrences, while the sounds coming from the attic appear to be supernatural at moments, and obviously we know they're not, but Jane doesn't have that peace of mind, and therefore these sounds, and these mysterious events may feel supernatural at certain times in the novel, especially when Jane thinks that she hears Rochester's voice.
So well done if you're able to pinpoint those very conventionally Gothic moments within the plot of "Jane Eyre." Really well done.
So to summarise the learning from today, when reading an unseen extract, you can use the information that you've been given as well as what you already know to make predictions about what you think you might be reading.
When thinking about how something is presented, it can be really helpful to imagine yourself describing it to somebody else because this gives you your own impression of it.
The red-room from "Jane Eyre" is presented as a very grand, and mysterious, and isolated room.
"Jane Eyre" is a novel about a young, isolated girl who grows up, and faces a lot of challenges along her way.
We also finally know that Jane meets a wealthy man, Mr. Rochester, and she falls in love with him.
But unfortunately, mystery and darkness seem to follow the couple wherever they go.
Thank you very much for coming to today's lesson.
I really hope you enjoyed it.
And that's kind of, you know, perhaps settled your nerves about unseen extracts.
They're really nothing to worry about.
You are just being asked to read something, and give your opinion about it.
And I hope that many of you will feel inspired by our plot summary to go and read "Jane Eyre," because it is a fantastic novel.
Thank you for coming and thank you for engaging so actively in your learning.
I hope you have a lovely rest of your day, and I will see you later, bye.